By Nina Banks
It has been several years since I participated in the Dancing Mind Challenge. Since I regularly read novels, I assumed that this would be a breeze until I remembered that my reading device – a tablet – is an electronic device. Luckily, I managed to find a paperback that I purchased in July at a wonderful, iconic bookstore in Montague Massachusetts. Before getting to it, I passed by a magazine sitting on my shelf that I picked up at a historic landmark in Lafayette Louisiana in August but had not found the time to read, so I read it nearly cover to cover. The magazine, 64 Parishes, is published by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and reading it made me reflect on the great importance of the Humanities in enabling people to see their commonalities. The magazine celebrated awardees who reflect Louisiana’s racial, ethnic, and sexual diversity and did not shy away from its history of discrimination. One of the articles in the magazine actually stated this, in a quote by Jim Davis, a librarian who received the Lifetime Contributions to the Humanities Award, “”‘To see others’ perspectives and to have a better understanding of others – reading brings us closer together.” Books matter. I thought about this in the context of Bucknell closing its renowned university press and wondered what it says about a university that does not appreciate the role of humanities as the heart of liberal arts education.
I spent most of my time reading the Pulitzer Prize winning 1964 novel, The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau. As I read it, I remembered the joy of feeling the paper in my hands, smelling the familiar scent of a paperback, and the habit of going to the last page to see the length of the book before beginning to read it. Reading a paperback connects to senses in a way that electronic devices do not. I felt very old school as I drank a pot of tea while reading.
The 8 hours went by quickly and I did not miss being interrupted with text messages and phone calls. It was a relaxing experience – better than using a tablet and having electronic distractions. I will try to disconnect from electronics more often when reading for pleasure.
Title: "64 Parishes" and "The Keepers of the House"
Hours read: 8