A few weeks ago, I let my friend borrow my copy of Catching Fire, with one condition- she had to write her thoughts on it as she read. This might seem a little bit odd, but I want to have a library full of thoughts, feelings, and memories. I don't simply want books with the author's thoughts and my thoughts; I want a conversation, continuing through barriers of space and time.
Many people are uncomfortable with the idea of writing inside of books. As Oliver Demille and Shannon Brooks' book, A Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens, explains, we need to break the taboo, so that we can get a better education. Yes, writing in books does make them less aesthetically pleasing, but it is worth it (even when you come across those notes you wrote a few years back that don't make sense).
Today I got back my copy of Catching Fire. She only wrote one note, but it made me think, and it made her write in a book, which should help her to be more comfortable with the idea. I have shelves full of books already, but this is the first one which has more than one person's handwriting in it. It is the beginning of a legacy.
Megan I agree with you about writing in books. Personally I have done that most of my life. I've even made people mad because they think that it is defacing the book. I don't agree. I feel as if I get more out of the book if I can write a note on my thoughts on certain things and I also appreciate it when I find some gem written in the margins from someone else. It helps me to see how others have related to the material. So many people collect books and treat them as if they are to be lined up on a shelf and regarded as sacred. I agree that my books are special to me and getting a new one always makes me happy but it doesn't become a treasure until it's been read, marked up and taken in and one of the ways that I like to do that is by adding my own annotations. I love your idea of sharing your books and encouraging others to also add their thoughts that would add a whole new level of interaction which we don't often get in the world of paper and ink. I always like to think of a book as a living thing that can grow can be read and reread many times. Each time I read, I find new ideas and my own thoughts may change regarding those ideas depending how I have changed personally since my last reading. I am not sure I would have realized that my thoughts or opinions had changed if at times there wasn't something there to remind me of who I was the last time I read in that particular place. So each time I learn something new about myself and wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone I let borrow that book could teach me something new about them by just sharing their thoughts in the margin. I think the world would be a better place if more people would jot down their thoughts just for the purpose of sharing themselves inside their favorite stories. A book that sits on a shelf pristine and untouched does not come to life until it has been read and shared. ......Kelly Ann
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI love hearing about your experience with this. :)