Readers of the World Unite

We heard Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran, speak at IPFW last night. She told her story of living through the Islamic revolution in Iran, and why she continued to hold secret meetings to read and discuss "Western" books that had been banned during this time. She then turned the discussion to how the practice of reading in our country has declined alarmingly in recent years. We have chosen Baywatch over Bellow and Friends over Fitzgerald, this resulting in a loss of eloquence and thoughtfulness in politics and society (compare to Lincoln's Gettysburg Address to the speeches of our current politicians). She explained how reading and discussing books was as important as any other revolutionary act in Iran because in literature you have a true form of democracy. This because in reading, the stories on the pages are translated into the imaginations of the readers, so each reader is able to become a part of the story and make it their own. She closed with admonishing us to continue reading and discussing literature with eachother. So...in response I've created a "What We're Reading" section to this blog (on the sidebar). If you would like to share something you are reading, send me an email and I'll post it for you. Just thought I'd share that with y'all.

Wes
Bless You Boys - Restore the Roar of 84 (Come on Tigers HOLD ON!!)