Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out

Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out

Shannon Reed

Published by Hanover Square Press in 2024

336pp / $27.99 / 978-1335007964

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Reading has always been an important part of my life. When I was a child, our house was just three houses away from the public library, so it felt like a second home. Additionally, my mom, an English professor, filled our house with books and always encouraged me and my brothers to read. 

I was immediately drawn to Reed’s book, “Why We Read,” because Reed, like me, identifies as a reader. In each chapter of the book, Reed explores different reasons why we read literature. While some authors might approach this topic in a straightforward or formal manner, Reed’s book is casual, down-to-earth, humorous, and deeply personal. I particularly enjoyed the little jokes, quips about herself, and sarcastic footnotes. 

Her humor comes through in the chapters she writes about the tropes and stereotypes in books; these were some of my favorite chapters. For example, she discusses “Signs you may be a character in a Shakespeare play,” with answers ranging from being dead, not dead but will be presently, having daddy issues, or having a habit of falling in love with close friends when they’re in drag. She also talks about “The five people you meet when you work in a bookstore,” sprinkling in references to great literary works, which I found relatable as I had read those books too. 

Throughout the book, Reed shares stories from her life, including her childhood and when she was finally allowed to have her own library card. She also discusses her experiences during her school years, where she was assigned to read literary classics that she initially disliked. Furthermore, Reed shares stories from her current teaching career and what she learns about the books she loves from the insights her students share with her. 

Reed shares with us the wide array of reasons why we read. We read to feel less alone, to cry, to feel loved. We read to be motivated, to be shocked, and to be comforted. We read to please our English teacher. We read because it’s fun. We read to learn how to live, and how to die. 

Reed’s last chapter is named “Because We Are What We Read.” Her point is that reading teaches us about the world around us. It fills us with stories, new friends and characters, and life lessons. Reading this last chapter made me realize that all the books I’ve read, I carry with me. I carry the stories of Anne of Green Gables and To Kill a Mockingbird, Pride and Prejudice and The Runaway Rabbit. They become a part of who I am, including their stories, morals, and endings; they become like my own memories. Reed has shown me and I hope you, that reading is so much bigger than words on a page. She writes in her final chapter, 

I know that the monster is at the end of the book, and he means no harm. I know the Lorax speaks for the trees, and I should too. I know I ought to stay away from lollipops, and that sometimes there are terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad days, even in Australia. I know that kindred spirits are the best friends. I know that not all lotteries are good. I know why caged birds sing.

This is why we read.