Bummed about the entertainment industry’s strike?
Not me. I’ve got my books to get me through.
After many years devoted to working, chauffeuring, commuting, helping with homework, pulling dinner out of a hat, cheering on middle- and high school bands, and reporting the news — first at a typewriter, then at a computer keyboard — I can happily say it feels absolutely wonderful to sit in the recliner, stretch back and open a novel.
For most of my adult life, reading has been primarily of the nonfiction sort — newspapers, journals, magazine pieces, minutes and agendas, text books, newsletters and poll results.
But now, I am ecstatic to report that I am back in the fiction stacks.
And loving every chapter of it.
I have always enjoyed a good story and I have always been an avid reader. But during my working mom years, free time was at a premium and my focus was on reporting other people’s truths — and surviving my own.
Sure, I kept up with pop culture, pausing life to bury myself in Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History,” Jonathan Franzen’s “The Corrections” and Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner.” Of course, I squeezed in “The Song of Solomon” by Toni Morrison and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson.
And, yes, I read along as America embraced the “Harry Potter” series.
But a lot of really good books slipped through my limited attention span back in the day when I’d have to wait until late at night to crack a novel, only to drop into slumber three minutes later.
Back then, fiction came after nonfiction and just about everything else on my to-do list.
Now that I am semi-retired, however, I am luxuriously catching up. No small feat considering how many books I’ve missed over the years and how many new ones are published seemingly every minute.
I know I won’t live long enough to read everything I’ve ever wanted to read but I will relish the effort. And, yes, I happily accept recommendations, so please, indulge me.
Thanks to other readers, I’ve discovered so many compelling works: “The House in the Cerulean Sea,” “Lessons in Chemistry,” “The Push,” “Verity,” “The Silent Patient” and “A Man Called Ove,” to name a few.
I’ve kept on eye on nonfiction, too, loving every line of “Braiding Sweetgrass” and sinking deep into thought over “Being Mortal,” “Educated,” “The Warmth of Other Suns” and “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.”
Currently, I am halfway through the audio version of Stephen King’s “Fairy Tale.” Yes, I love audio books too. For what better comfort is there than to have someone else read to you, especially when you’re in the midst of those other retirement pastimes, like walking or gardening? Plus, a talented orator can bring even more depth to an already complex character.
Reading is a joy, an escape, an intellectual stimulant and a foray into new worlds. Mostly, I think, it is a doorway to tolerance. When you understand a struggle or a point of view, you are less likely to judge it. And even less likely to ban it.
It is a badge of honor that I’ve read most of the commonly banned books, including the classics “Animal Farm,” “Beloved” and “To Kill a Mockingbird,” as well as the newer target of controversy, “The Hate U Give.”
When I first learned these novels were deemed inappropriate or controversial, I admit I dropped a few choice words (warning: language) under my breath. And then immediately wanted to reread them.
Evidently, I am not alone. Because now it seems once a book ends up on a proposed banned list, its sales soar.
Good for you, readers. Fight back against oppression and thought control.
Of course, we’re all about protecting children’s innocence. But we can’t do that by burying our heads in the sand. Far better to replace fear and anxiety with understanding and tolerance.
Denying that difficulties and differences exist in this complex, diverse, ever-changing world will not make them go away. But a parent’s guidance can make them less scary.
I owe my love for reading to both my grandmother, who was the first to read to me, and my mother, who was among the most well-read people I’ve ever known. She was the only person I’ve known who could absolutely hate a book but finish reading it anyway.
Beyond growing tolerance and filling retirement with interesting plots, research shows reading can help prevent cognitive decline and improve physical and mental health.
Mostly, though, reading brings all the feels.
Because there is nothing like being immersed in a good story — one in which you can’t wait to know the ending even as you’re dreading the thought of reaching that last page.
Donna Vickroy is an award-winning reporter, editor and columnist who worked for the Daily Southtown for 38 years.
