So I finished my most recent book earlier this week, and had many projects and presentations to prepare for tomorrow's class, plus a life to live, and as a result...I have not begun my next book. And that was partially on purpose, for my next book is The Hunger Games, and word on the street is that THG is straight-up Pringles: once you pop, you can't stop. I am very excited to delve into this novel (thanks, Emily, for amping me up!), but am enjoying the chance to take a breather from the avid reading.
Speaking of which, has anyone noticed that a fair amount of the narrators in these books claim to be avid readers? So far I have read Shine, I Am The Messenger, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and in each of those novels the narrator/protagonist is a self-proclaimed book nerd. Now, my favorite book of ALL TIME is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, so I am quite familiar with the quiet-bookish-loner-type, but how might this characteristic be perceived by students, especially those who do NOT enjoy reading? Does anyone think this could be a possibly alienating trait for a hesitant reader? Does it bother anyone else like it does me that some of these characters seem to be the product of a "Create Your Character" boardgame? "You read Moby Dick for the fifth time. Collect one hundred nerd points and solve the nautical mystery in your hometown." I have a lot of books and bookshelves, and I don't participate in Goodreads as much as I could because I forget how many and which books I have read...but I would not call myself a book nerd. What do you readers think?
You know, I was hesitant at first to read The Hunger Games (I read it before the class) because I was told that it was a Young Adult novel, so that classifcation lead me to believe I would be bored by it... or at least not challenged by it. Granted, the reading level was not challenging, but it made me think about society and people in an entirely different light... and that was a challenge! I now also think differently about the young adult novel... it's not what it was.
ReplyDeleteI haven't noticed the trend about avid readers, but now that you point it out, it seems to be common even in the classic literature. Maybe the author assumes that if we are reading that book, I am also an avid reader. But you know what happens when you assume...
The other side might be that with characters as avid readers, the young adult reader might be more encouraged to read if they really like, or relate to, the character.
Or maybe it's simply the author's projection onto the character.
I'm hesitant about classifying an "avid" reader. Sure we know what it means by definition, but just like you, I've done my fair share of reading, but I really wouldn't call myself an avid reader. Sure I like it. Sure I do it. But, when all is said and done, I'm not committed to always having a book on my list. Is that the line? Probably not. So what is?
I guess I really don't see the harm in main characters having an inclination to read. I would only think that serves as encouragement. That perhaps reading is more popular than the adolescent reader would be lead to believe.
I know we talked a bit about this Saturday morning for a minute, but I think that it's a really interesting point. I seems like even the characters who aren't necessarily avid readers are at least a little book-ish, if you know what I mean. There are obviously exceptions (e.g. Katniss), but these characters seem to appear in novels where being an avid reader (or even a little bookish) isn't really a possibility in the world they live in. With exceptions like these, which we may read because of a pop phenomena or because they ARE so different and sometimes that's just what we need, maybe the whole "you are what you eat" idea applies to reading? We are what we read? Maybe as (mildly) avid readers we tend to gravitate towards novels with characters who are also readers? Or at least plot lines that incorporate settings that allow for readers and/or characters who would be readers. I mean...how quickly did we both toss Leverage (i.e. the book about a high school football player on steroids) aside?
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