Literature in Life: The Meaning of the Written Word in My Life

"The worth of a book is to be measured by what we carry away from it." James Bryce
"Life transforming ideas have always come to me through books." Bell Hooks, O Magazine

My days consist of working, going to school and raising a daughter. I rarely get to go out, and there is little money or time for travel. Where is the joy and pleasure in life for me? I get it all from reading books. Books have played a major part in whom I have become as an adult. I believe that reading opens the door to creativity, self-motivation, self-discovery and growth.

In a novel I recently read, Idyll Banter by Chris Bohjalian (2003), the true story is told about the flooding of the town of Lincoln, Vermont. The town is destroyed; however, the greatest public loss was the library. The townspeople felt there was something sacred about the books at the library. When they gathered together to salvage what they could, the author described the scene..."not for the roads and bridges that had been lost...but they did cry for their books." Literature is vital to many people; the stories are a reflection of humankind.

Why are books precious to me? Literature has covered a multitude of life's situations such as love, success, and fantasy. There are stories every one can relate to, and stories for us to get lost in and escape the real world for a bit. Literature, poetry, art, theater, and music are the color in life, an expression of the human race from individualized perspectives. Literature teaches us who we are, where we have been, and where we are going. The written word is our gift to the future, reciting the story of humanity. Books can be powerful, uplifting and life changing.

Stella Adler once said, "Life beats you down and crushes the soul, and art reminds you that you have one." I believe this to be true.