The Purpose of Reading

"I don't read to think." ~ A coworker

I'm all for reading trash books occasionally. Books that don't take long to finish because they're complete fluff--beach books. Beach books are books where you can turn your mind off and read for the sheer pleasure of shlocky and predictable story lines but which still make you smile from ear to ear. Beach books are the ones I'll binge read and then never share that I binge read them with anybody else. Beach books are books I can't discuss with others. I enjoy beach books, I own them, I have days where that is what I read.

Beach books, however and thankfully, are not my steady diet of books. After reading beach books, I need books which have meat to them, which make me think. Books where I have to stop in the middle and jot down a thought. Books where the author chooses to not always end in a cliche. Books where I need to write down my thoughts after and then hopefully have a discussion about the book.

As an educator, a thinker, and a human being, the statement by my coworker disturbs me. I wanted to just stare at her and ask some rudely pointed questions, but instead, I wisely steered the conversation to another subject. My mind, however, would not let go of the comment. When do you think? Do you think? Do you see the value in reading to broaden your thinking? Why do you read? What is the purpose of reading? Do we read for pleasure or to think? Do we read for both? Are all books created equal? Why do I read? What is my purpose for reading?

My coworker knew why she read, yet I don't know my purpose for reading.

As a child and young adult, I read to escape, to experience, to live. Escaping my life circumstances, experiencing other lives and cultures, and living vicariously through the characters lives in a way I was never going to live my life. As an adult, I don't need to escape, experience, or live through someone else's life.

I finished four books last week*, but these weren't all beach books. One maybe; I'm not sure how to classify that one. They all made me think. I entered their world, their lives, their experiences. I grew as they grew. I worked to decode the ending just as the characters worked to plot their next move in life. I was actively engaged in the books. Is that the purpose of reading, to be actively engaged?

I sat down with my reading journal after each one and put down my thoughts about the characters actions, choices, and life. I thought about the author and how they crafted the story. Is that the purpose of reading, to think about the books after you've finished?

I enjoyed each story and the character development throughout out. Is that the purpose of reading, for pleasure and enjoyment? I understood and could comprehend each story. Is that the purpose of reading, to understand and comprehend what you read?

What is the purpose of reading?

*The Road by Cormac McCarthy; Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini; Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn; American Gods by Neil Gaiman