Most readers would probably agree that reading is a solitary activity.
It makes sense: after all, one generally can't get down at a book reading the same way one can at a concert, and since books are so heavily dependent on individual interpretation, it's difficult to rally a lot of camaraderie around them like at movie premieres (Harry Potter"" excepted). In some ways, it's something I really appreciate about reading: the peaceful silence of the room, the escapism of it. I'm not as pressured to stay current on literature the same way I am about music or movies, since most people don't talk about books the same way they do about television, bands, even YouTube. When someone asks if you've read any good books lately, it's probably to break the silence, not a sincere question.
Yet if there's anything I've learned while living abroad, it's that the isolationism of reading isn't something that's completely universal. Although, certainly, readership is diminishing in other countries the same way it is in the United States, people in other countries talk about books in a way that Americans don't. Of course, people Stateside still discuss literature occasionally, but it's seen as an elitist activity, rather than just an activity.
I can't even count the number of times I've mentioned an author or book and gotten a response of ""I just don't have TIME to read,"" or the blunt ""I don't read"" from people. And it's a pretty normal answer, unlike ""I don't listen to music"" or ""I don't like movies much."" These answers are often accompanied by looks of bewilderment or even condescension. Now, I understand that some people don't have the patience for reading, but it sometimes seems like it's more acceptable to not read in America than to read. I mean, look at who our president has been for eight years.
That was why when my Norwegian roommate asked me a series of questions about reading when he saw me looking at ""Henderson the Rain King"" I was at first astonished. Was he testing me? Would he scoff at me for being tasteless if I mentioned that I don't like a lot of poetry? I admit, even I am often suspicious that people who do read in the States do so to say they enjoy reading, rather than because they really enjoy it (hey, it happens with music, too). But he was genuinely curious, and our conversations about books have always been frank and unpretentious (a word that doesn't often go hand in hand with literature).
The thing that's strange about the elitism around reading in America, however, is that it's a place where reading is more accessible than it is just about anywhere else in the world. Books are a lot cheaper in the States than they are in Europe, and literacy is relatively universal (here in South Africa, around 15 percent of people can't read at all). I mean, we even have Oprah's Book Club (I guess it's only okay for people to read if they learn about books from someone on television).
I don't think reading should be the measure of how smart someone is, but can we at least make it expected that when someone gives another person a book for a gift, they will read it within the month, the same way people are expected to listen to CDs they receive within the weekend? Because I'm tired of seeing novels I gave people in 2003 still glossy and untouched on their image-only bookshelves.
If you just realized that you still have one of Frances' books gathering dust on your shelf, let her know at provine@wisc.edu.
