Why you need the library in your life more
My resolution to read more books allowed me to rediscover the library, made me a better writer, and introduced me legendary mentors.
On average, Americans read twelve books a year. When I heard that stat I felt like a failure. I think I read five books last year, and am not even sure I finished all of them. Reading was something I’d do on vacation — an activity reserved for airplane isolation or beach relaxation. I was in college the last time I read that average amount.
There was a purpose for reading back then. I treasured the hours tucked away in the library, being inspired by the works of the greats and relishing the solitude. But these days I’m more often jockeying for a seat at Starbucks than in libraries.
I rediscovered the library when I made it my resolution to be average. Enough time had passed since I had been a reader, and I wanted that back in my life. I made it my goal to read at least twelve books by the end of the year. So far I’ve read seventeen: Ablutions, The Given Day, The Visiting Privilege, The Orphan Master’s Son, All The Light We Cannot See, Contagious: Why Things Catch On, Descent, Articulating Design Decisions, Gamestorming, John Adams, The Boston Girl, Sprint, Cleopatra: A Life, The Girl On The Train, My Life In France, Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl, Me Before You, and just started a collection of short stories by Langston Hughes.
Interestingly, we are reading more than ever — just not books. One estimate said that millennials are spending 15 to 18 hours a day consuming content. That included Twitter, Facebook, texting, TV, and catching up on your favorite blogs. Arguably, it’s a sign of a better world, where we’re becoming a single community sharing the detailed moments of our daily lives.
But I worry that what we are consuming is shallow, repetitive, and engineered to attract ‘likes’. What we read doesn’t challenge our perspective or change it. With all this time spent posting and sharing updates, we’re missing out on some of life’s greatest stories. A favorite show of mine, Portlandia, even did a skit that captures perfectly our generation’s obsession with staying current.
One of the first books I read on my quest illuminated my own backyard. If you live in Boston I urge you to read at least one of Dennis Lehane’s novels (Gone Baby Gone and Mystic River are a couple of his more famous books). I chose The Given Day for my first based on a friend’s recommendation. I especially recommend the book to anyone who has lived in the North End. The description of the neighborhood was so vivid I could hear, feel, smell it. I was transported back to the end of WWI when the neighborhood truly was a miniature version of Italy. No one spoke English, nor did they concern themselves with the rest of Boston — they felt they were a city unto themselves.
Today we study historical events in school and recall the forgotten facts while watching history specials on TV. But I love reading a first-person’s story about what it was really like to live during a specific period of time. A fundamental theme that rang loud and clear in The Given Day was how decisions between what is right versus what is easy: a quintessential American story where the easy route was tempting, but the right way won out. It was told through a beautiful contrast of the lives of a privileged white Irish cop, Danny Coughlin, and black handyman, Luther Laurence. When I draw comparisons to today, I immediately think of the Black Lives Matter movement. For me, this book explains the invisible lines we’ve drawn between races in our city.
When was the last time you read a book? I mean really read it — cover to cover — where you become part of the author’s world. John Adams read non-stop throughout his life. He told his sons and daughter that they should always have a book with them so they would never be alone. And it’s true that when you’re in a book, it’s your companion. It’s always there to fill the gaps in the day and inspire you throughout it. It was different in the 17th century when books were the only way of getting information and personal entertainment. Books also became more accessible, but were still a privilege to those who could afford them. Benjamin Franklin donated several books to help found the first lending library in America in Philadelphia in 1731. Philadelphia had asked for a bell, but Franklin responded that “sense” was better than “sound”. Truer now more than ever.
We have the same decision to make for ourselves every day. Do we want to invest more time reading long-form writing or short-form thoughts? Even my own article is an example of something that’s an idea still in formation. But a novel — a Pulitzer Prize winning novel that has been crafted over years is a piece of writing that can change your life. Or at the very least the way you look at life.
We are lucky, you and I. With today’s libraries you have access to whatever you want, for free — whether it’s the hottest new novel, a book about oil painting, the history of the Boston Marathon, or how Dunkin’ Donuts was founded (just some of the books I recently checked out). AND you can sit for hours. You can stay all day if you like and not feel obligated to buy a single cup of coffee to justify your spot. It’s there for you to use whenever you want. You can even get library books on your tablet. Huffington Post recently reported that the New York Public library just put 300,000 titles on their latest library app. As soon as I figured out how to put free library books on my iPad I felt like I had been robbed by iBooks. Interesting side note: in 2014 Apple agreed to pay $450 million to settle an ebook pricing class-action lawsuit that proved they had falsely inflated the costs of their ebooks. True story.
Reading is good for you. Since resolving to read daily, I read faster and concentrate for longer periods of time. I’d like to think I’m a better writer from it as well. To be clear, I’m claiming better, not good. The standard of expression today is an animated GIF or string of emojis. So at least I’m stringing together words.
When we share our lives online, it’s mostly the best and brightest moments. I’ve found relief in reading melancholy illustrations of life. Moments, although fictional, felt more real than any Facebook post. Real life is not a series of beautiful meals, sunsets or puppies. Real life is a series of small victories overcoming self-doubt, loss, failure, inadequacy, frustration and boredom. Reading books like The Visiting Privilege and Ablutions gave me permission to have these somber moments in peace simply knowing that I am human by having them.
I have new mentors. At work recently, I found myself thinking, “What would John Adams do?”. I feel as though I know him like a close friend or niece after reading about the details of his struggles in excerpts from private letters between himself and Abigail, his wife. Unlike the bite-size bits we learn about him in American history, the biography illustrates him as a person. At work we are told to find mentors to help us navigate through problems and guide us toward our ultimate goals. John Adams is a mentor of mine. He’s shared what it was like to be forced to defend the British solders that fired upon the Boston mob — and win. Or to live alone in France without his most treasured advisor, Abigail. He was constantly struggling to meet Congress’s demands, but also do what he felt was right for the country they were building. I learned that even he had his own writing mentor, Cicero.
In advertising, to empathize with others and understand their perspective is always a good thing. Yes, often we are selling something to people, but by understanding their true lives and selves, perhaps we can be sure to offer them something they really need. This empathy can only make us better at our jobs.
Also, having had my own ideas for commercials being limited by production budgets and reality, there’s beauty that anything can happen in a book. No one is pulling the author back with limits to cast members or locations for shooting. They can truly craft the story the way they envision it with no inhibitions. I’ve always been on the art direction side of things, so to be better at the language side of things is self-assuring and fun. Also, having the ability to represent ideas through words (without having to illustrate everything) is a skill that’s valuable in more places than just advertising.
Most people say they don’t read simply because they don’t have the time, but I can honestly say that I haven’t missed a thing since I started to reading more. I read in the morning while I wake up with my coffee, listening to horses hooves on the cobblestones of the 1940s North End. While I commute to and from work, I observe Cleopatra in her counsel chambers. On a break at work, I chop herbs with Julia Child in her tiny Provence kitchen.
Reading more re-introduced me to this place called the library. They let you read books for free. You should check it out.
The views expressed in this post are that of the author and may not reflect the views of the agency or company.
