Growing up, books were shoved down my throat—figuratively, of course. My mom would tell my brother and me every single day, especially during the summer, to carry a book with us everywhere. She would recite proverbs from her youth about the power of the book. We heard stories of people telling her after her migration to America, “If you want to hide something from a Black person, put it in a book.” The Williams household took literature very seriously. Now, I’m about to graduate with my bachelors in English, so I guess my mom’s tactics worked. I appreciate my mom’s encouragement so much because it pushed me to the field that I am pursuing today. As I get older, I’ve come to realize my mother’s genius. I think she was definitely on to something.
If there is anything I have learned about reading, it is that literature can build bridges. The operative word here is “can.” Literature can build bridges if you let it. I think this is really important to clarify this because we live in a world where anti-intellectualism is on the rise, books are being banned, and hate crimes are increasing exponentially. I am reminded of the Bible verse that says that during the final days of earth’s history, “the love of most will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). I think we can all agree that there are a lot of ice cold hearts out there. Recently, Florida governor DeSantis rejected the Advanced Placement African American Course from being taught in Florida schools. Florida also signed their “Stop Woke Act” that “essentially prohibits instruction on race relations or diversity that imply a person’s status as either privileged or oppressed is necessarily determined by his or her race, color, national origin, or sex.” This development and a slew of others across the United States, point to the rise in anti-intellectualism.
Anti-intellectualism is basically the rejection of intellect. Other scholars put it this way: “a social attitude that systematically undermines science-based facts, academic and institutional authorities, and the pursuit of theory and knowledge.” In other words, it's when people say “it's not that deep” when discussing discrimination in America. Or, when people don’t see the value of vaccines when they have been proven to work. It's the fight against teaching critical race theory and queer theory. Now, I’m not writing this article to prove that discrimination and privilege exist. I think that if you listen to the stories of people of color, LGBTQIA+ members, and other marginalized groups then you’ll see how messed up it is that America limits their already diminished voices. What I want to talk about is why to read in today's world.
Alright, so the answer is pretty clear. We should all read because it helps us to understand other worldviews and perspectives. Yes! This is so true! So many of us attended elementary, middle, and high schools that prioritized a white male literary canon. So yes, we should read to diversify our minds but let’s probe a little further. Why read today?
Ok, so I’m going to tell you a quick story. Stay with me here. This last academic year 2021-2022, I went to Spain. Btw, if you are thinking of doing a year abroad or doing ACA, do it! Hands down the best year of my life. Sorry, let’s get back to the story. So, there I was in England at like 3:00 am in the morning in an Uber. My Uber driver had arrived late but it was all good. My family was visiting me in Europe and our next destination was Scotland. I sat in the front on the left side which was a bit weird. I noticed that my Uber driver was Muslim, and it was May 2022 so I knew it was the holy month of Ramadan. I started to engage with him about his religion and story. I had read Salman Rushdie’s “Midnight's Children” and engaged with the history of India, Pakistan, and England on my own years prior. My Uber driver and I got into a deep conversation about his personal experience dealing with living in England after migrating there from Pakistan, and how his family was affected by the partition of India and Pakistan. He shared with me his concerns about raising his children in England and the racism that is so deeply entrenched in their institutions. Eventually we had to part ways.
I truly believe that reading “Midnight’s Children” specifically was not a big deal in facilitating this conversation with my Uber driver. But, I do know for certain that it was reading in general about the lives of others that helped facilitate the ease of this conversation. What I’m trying to say is that reading now is about practice. It's about practicing for better relationships and conversations even with strangers you will never meet again. Reading now is about opening up our minds and softening our hearts so that we will want to build bridges with our neighbors or strangers in the first place.
Diversifying the canon, and diversifying the genres of books that we read works to condition ourselves for comprehending that there are other worldviews out there. There are other people who do things completely different than we do and they are thriving. There are atrocities being done to people even now that demand our awareness and attention. There are people out there who are facing issues similar to you, who are feeling the same emotions as you.
To read now with intention is to practice and strengthen the muscle of empathy. I think the Bible verse that I mentioned earlier about the hearts of most growing cold is a warning against getting accustomed to staying in our own bubble. Without even realizing it our hearts will be hardened. I’m no protein bro but to continue the muscle metaphor, if you don't stretch and exercise your muscles then it will get harder to use them. Likewise, we must make it our goal to read widely to exercise our capacity for empathy and conversation with those we come in contact with so that we don’t champion ignorance as enlightenment.
A professor at New York University, Kwame Anthony Appiah summarized the effects of reading now, stating “Conversation doesn’t have to lead to consensus about anything, especially not values; it’s enough that it helps people get used to one another.”
Why read today?
To get used to each other.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.