Why We Need Books

By Alina Lui

For some, reading is a way of escape— a way to reduce your surroundings to nothing but quiet murmurs and soft echoes of footsteps. Whether it is flipping through a few pages on the subway during rush hour, or being burrowed in blankets and spending the day in literary hibernation (my personal favourite on Sundays). Cranking open a book and controlling the pace in which pages are turned, drifting into a fantastical dimension where dragons roam and your ‘what-ifs’ becomes reality seems too good to miss. 

Needless to say, we are constantly surrounded by a never-ending stream of information, where we force our brains to process significantly more than it was adapted to. The constant news of political injustices warred with human rights activists, microtrends and aesthetics on social media that shifts every week or so, and even the invisible yet chronic mental load carried by many— “turning off” our brains and not dwelling on reality a second longer than necessary feels like the right thing to do. 

Books provide a sense of relief and escapism that few other media achieve. However, it is important to step out of that zone every so often. In an era where literacy rates are declining, attention spans are collapsing, and individuality is fading, we are not posing questions anymore. Instead, we are consuming the same information that is being fed and regurgitated over and over again. Consequently, it is important to sit with a book not only for comfort and escapism, but to allow ourselves to think deeply and reflect, and let it spark thought within us. 

Whenever a regime feels challenged, literature and books are among the first things destroyed. This could be seen all throughout history. In 213 BCE, Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, ordered any book that is not for the purpose of agriculture or medicine to be burned. Meanwhile, in the 1930s, infamous book burnings occurred in universities all across Nazi Germany. To this day, systemic book bannings still occur. In certain American states, this number has reached an unprecedented amount. 

The vast majority of banned books feature protagonists of colour or address societal issues, such as well-known classics To Kill a Mockingbird (banned for its “uncomfortable” language— surprisingly at the request of Black parents), 1984, and The Handmaid’s Tale. Why do these systems resort to book banning and censorship? Well, literature is seen as dangerous and is feared for igniting change. Reading is an act of resistance, as it often leads to rebellion, realization, and escape.

Image Credits: The New York Times

“The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience". 

-Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird

The Freedom to Read Week takes place from the 22nd - 28th of February, with the goal of raising awareness regarding intellectual freedom and the harms of censorship, as speech and writing should be a fundamental human right. Although defending banned books does not necessarily indicate one’s agreeableness towards them, it supports the right and opportunity for others to explore these perspectives. This week, you are encouraged to read or purchase frequently challenged books, support libraries, and use platforms and hashtags to raise awareness. 

The moment you stop turning towards books and stories, you are limiting yourself. What better ways are there to learn about the world around you but to put yourself into their shoes and inhabit their minds? Keep on reading, for the joy, curiosity, and wonder of it all, but also for your own capacity to learn, for in every chapter lies the potential to change your perspectives. 

Image Credits: The Bookery

Works Cited

Caron, Christina. “‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Removed from School in Mississippi.” The New York Times, 16 Oct. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/10/16/us/to-kill-a-mockingbird-biloxi.html.