I would like to share one of my favorite spots in the world, it is in my reading
chair, beside my modest but deeply cherished home library. My library is set on a small bookshelf, about 4’x2’ with 9 small cubbies. Each cubby is full of books, more than full even (I am due for an upgrade). One of the cubbies has a stack of books sitting on the edge, this stack is my "not yet read" stack.
Recently one evening while I was sitting in my beloved chair with a book in my hand, I decided to check my Instagram. My intent was to simply check my messages and then go back to my book. But I’m sure if you have any experience with social media, you are very aware of how easy it is to slip into a hypnotic spell of “scrolling”. Before I knew it, I had wasted 30 minutes of my life and precious reading time mindlessly consuming brain-rot. I was released from this trance-like state somewhat ironically by a choice meme, sent to me by a friend and fellow literary aficionado. It was image of Jack Nicholson from The Shining, with the caption " How my stack of unread books stare at me while I am scrolling Instagram." I looked to my left and sure enough, my "not yet read" stack was staring at me with Jack Nicholson crazy eyes. I sent a quick LOL to my friend, set my phone down and went back to my book.
This silly unimportant event has had me thinking a lot about my little library and
home libraries in general. Every book I have is one that I purchased for myself, my
parents didn’t have too many books in our home growing up, apart from a couple NIV
Bibles and my mom’s small collection of Stephen King books we really didn’t have a
home library. By the time I moved out of my parent’s house at 18, I had read all my
mom’s books plus whatever books I had acquired. I wonder, if my parents would have
had a more substantial home library how many books I might have read.
This may or may not come as a surprise but there is a lot of evidence showing
that children who have access to books in their homes have higher chances of
academic achievement. In the article “Seeking Oasis in Book Deserts” by Elizabeth
McChesney, she shares how the “University of Nevada research project shows that
having even just twenty books in the home substantially impacts helping children
achieve a higher level of education” (16). I am a father of three wonderful kids and if
giving them access to books (and encouraging them to read them) can help them be
successful in higher education then that alone is motivation for me to grow my library.
My stack of unread books grows, and I will hopefully never not have unread books on
my shelf(!) Not because I’m not reading them, but because I never finish acquiring them. I know from my personal experience how much reading has helped me to do well in college, I desire that my children are leagues ahead of where I was when I began my journey into higher education. When I pass from life into death, I want to leave behind a diverse wealth of knowledge and ideas in the form of books that my children and their children will have access to.
Imagine what our society would look like if every home had a library, and how
much more pervasive the qualities of compassion, empathy, and intellectual thought might be as a result. A society affluent in literature is bound to be a more enlightened society. And while it is not possible for any of us to ensure that every home has a library, it is very possible for all of us to strive to have a library in our own homes.
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