I have a confession to make.
For the longest time, I was a reading purist. And by that, I mean if I heard that you listened to audio books every day, I would not have considered you a “reader,” or even a book lover by any means. To me, the act of reading was the act of scanning your eyes over printed words and absorbing the information presented there, and anything less than that just “didn’t count.” Even comic book and graphic novel enthusiasts weren’t safe from my judgement.
Now, to be fair, the definition of the word “read” according to Merriam-Webster is “to receive or take in the sense of (letters, symbols, etc.) especially by sight or touch.” However, another definition of the word is “to interpret the meaning or significance of.” And I have, since my days of reading purism, been forced to look at bookish enthusiasm more from this angle, and not the former.
For starters, my partner is one of the 2-4% of the human population who has aphantasia. For any of you not in the know, aphantasia is a neurological characteristic which prevents the brain from forming an image in one’s mind. In other words, when I think of the word “apple,” I see a bright, shiny apple in my mind’s eye: people with aphantasia do not. Therefore, my partner has personally always been more fond of manga and other types of graphic novels than of the written word. And this was my first stage of humility in regards to “reading,” because I had to accept the fact that some people are just able to get more enjoyment out of comic books or graphic novels for reasons I may not fully be able to understand. (I mean, can you imagine not being able to…imagine anything? I can’t imagine that.)
But another thing I had someone point out to me is that, historically, reading was always very social. Back in the good ol’ days before cellphones and tablets and computers destroyed our natural propensity for building and maintaining communities, families would sit together around a roaring hearth and read Dickens, or more likely the Bible, aloud to each other. Back then, “reading time” was really more like “story time.” And way before that, when there was no written word, those stories were spoken from memory and passed on from generation to generation.
I’ve said before that stories are all about connection. And I have come to learn that it really shouldn’t matter how that connection is made, or through what medium. Whether physically reading a book or listening to an audio book; whether comic or graphic or strictly the written word; we are still enjoying and celebrating the existence of a story. We are “interpret[ing] the meaning or significance of” a piece of literature that prompts us to consider a different point of view, or empathize with the narrator, or learn a truth—whether harsh or beautiful—about the nature of humanity.
I have, with the help of fellow readers and story enthusiasts, been humbled in my views on reading over the years. And while I am honestly still a purist about the literal definition of “reading” (as opposed to “listening”), the fact of the matter is that we are all enjoying stories in our favorite ways. So, if you have audio books on your “TBR List,” I will be happy for you for all the wonderful stories you are getting to enjoy. If you are excited by graphic novels, I will be grateful you have found a way to connect with characters and experience worlds beyond our own in a way that works for you.
Because, in the end, all that matters is that we fill our lives with stories.
Night Owls, what are your thoughts on “reading?” Are you a bit of a purist, or are you very liberal with your personal definition of it?
