The Benefits of Reading for the Young and Old
Like many of you, reading books helped me survive the past 16 months of Covid-19 with at least a modicum of sanity. I ran through book after book, sometimes reading three simultaneously: one for intellectual pursuit, another for naive curiosity, and yet another for unadulterated pleasure. The joy they provided made me grateful that there are so many talented writers—past and present—to satisfy our craving to learn, to experience other realities, and to challenge our perspectives of life.
Coming to it late in the game
My love of reading was rather latent. Unlike most of my friends, I did not grow up in a household of readers. Yes, my mother read an occasional paperback book but usually it was a popular thriller or romantic novel, rarely something I would consider serious literature. Additionally, I don’t recall being read to as a child, a big regret.
When a longtime friend Christine Lumb told me about her husband having a weekly phone rendezvous with a granddaughter to read her a chapter of a book, I was nostalgically envious but also curious about the details.
Reading the classics over the phone
It all started with the success of a recorded Hallmark “card” with The Night Before Christmas which Philip had sent Elodie (now age 10) and William (age 7), his two grandchildren who live in Montreal, Canada. That encouraged him to next try out a weekend reading session with them. The kids were thrilled with the idea, although William, as his grandfather lamented, “was the first read attendee to abandon the experiment in favor of Legos.”
As Philip explained the process, “We started with Swiss Family Robinson on Saturday, April 18th, 2020, and have continued regularly on Saturdays and Sundays for one and a half to two-hour sessions ever since. There have been breaks for vacations and other scheduling conflicts, but overall, we have been consistent. Following this first book, we continued with the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series; King Arthur (Elodie bailed after a month given all the jousts became depressingly similar); selections from Sherlock Holmes (she liked the Engineer’s Thumb and The Speckled Band); The Silver Arrow; The Prometheus Trilogy; and now, Intangible. Percy Jackson and the last three are all far-fetched adventures that have equal attention paid to young heroes and heroines with engaging and exciting outcomes.”
Multi-tasking while listening to books
What amazed Philip was Elodie’s ability to retain the story line and location. “I read from a Kindle and if I have inadvertently tapped a page by mistake, she will either remind me we were there last week or indicate I am ahead of the story! She multi-tasks while listening and it has taken me a while to realize that apparent fidgeting, drawing, playing with the cat, etc. don’t correlate with a lack of attention or loss of intricate details.”
Philip and Christine will see their Canadian-based grandchildren in person later this summer. Naturally, he looks forward to reading to Elodie in person. But Philip is also curious to see whether “the 3-D experience is as gratifying” as the one over the phone.
Benefits of reading aloud to a child
What better way to instill in a child an interest in reading? Making the connection between a fascinating book and a person the child loves is a powerful formula for success. But it is much more complex than that. Experts say that babies are initially more interested in the sound of a voice than the actual words on the page. Once the child is older, the parent-child-book activity helps cultivate communications and early literacy skills. Additionally, the back-and-forth interaction helps shape the child’s social and emotional development. If that were not enough, a recent study discovered that reading to a child helps control problem behaviors such as hyperactivity, difficulty in attention, and even aggression.
When I asked friends how they developed their love of reading, many of them pointed to an early experience of either having been read to or of reading on their own at a particularly young age. For example, Christine (Philip’s wife) shared that her grandmother read to her and her siblings religiously when they were young.
Simultaneous translation
Christine was raised in Mauritius, a French-speaking island off the coast of Madagascar. Her grandmother selected Grimm’s Fairy Tales which she would translate simultaneously from English into French as she read out loud. “I remember exactly where I sat and how there would be a pause in her reading from time to time. Was she looking for the translation of some words or skipping the scary bits,” Christine pondered during one of our phone conversations?
Reading in the bathtub
Barbara Hanley, former real estate expert and cheese producer, can’t recall NOT being an avid reader. She gives credit for this to her favorite great-uncle who taught her how to read when she was three. Growing up she shared a bedroom with her sister who wanted nothing to do with her ever-increasing pile of books. As her sister wouldn’t let her keep the light on at night, Barbara would take her book, quilt, and pillow into the bathroom where she would install herself in the bathtub and read to her heart’s content or until she fell asleep.
A late day literary prowl
Like Barbara, wine writer Eunice Fried also had a passion for books at a young age. She loved Little Women and would lose herself in the story. She would cry with abandon at the sad parts. Her family could not comprehend how a book could have such an impact on her. When they would say, “Eunice, come to dinner,” she would ignore them and continue reading. She told me that one of her greatest joys growing up was going to the library with her father in the evenings. “We would go around 7 PM after dinner. As I recall, the library was huge and normally we would be by ourselves at that late hour. It was heaven for someone who loved to read as much as I did.”
Learning to love books at an early age
Linda Gist, retired broadcaster, and media training expert shared some early recollections of reading. “My parents always read to me. I’m trying to remember what they read to me when I was a young child. Heidi, who lived with her grandfather in the mountains. I remember a big book of Grimm’s Fairy Tales (totally unacceptable today, I think), Aesop’s Fables, and The Secret Garden. Even in the 1940’s there were picture books — Robert McCloskey’s Make Way for Ducklings and the Dr. Seuss series.
“When I was nine or ten, my cousin Dick’s girlfriend gave me her entire library of Nancy Drew books. It was like winning the lottery! I loved them.
Channeling Jo
“I bought my first paperback book, Little Women, about the same time when we were on a road trip in Colorado. My mother had taken me to the 1949 movie with June Allyson, Elizabeth Taylor, and Margaret O’Brien. Like every other girl, I identified with the Jo character. I then read all of Louisa May Alcott’s books (author of Little Women.)
“One of my clearest memories is the first book that made me laugh out loud, Patrick Dennis’ Auntie Mame. When I was twelve or thirteen, I would read the book on our screened-in front porch and laugh so hard that I would almost wet my pants. I was SO surprised. I didn’t know a book could make me laugh that hard.”
Sticking to the reading list
Alas, my early recollections of books I loved growing up are sparse. As a youngster my reading regime was mostly dictated by what the teachers assigned in class. Instead of reading for personal enjoyment, my preference was to spend my free time roller skating, singing in the church choir, or attending Girl Scout meetings. Earning more badges than any other little girl in my troop was more compelling than reading a good book, as I recall.
Ironically, I elected to study literature when I went to college. In graduate school I trudged through tome after tome of medieval French texts written in a language closer to Latin than modern French. As I never studied Latin, it took me forever to do my classwork. Another problem was a mild case of dyslexia. By the time I was through with university studies I was literally and literarily exhausted. The mere thought of reading for fun was inconceivable. Only later in my 30s would I discover the intoxicating empowerment of good literature.
The power of third-party endorsement
Long ago I decided if I were to spend valuable time reading, the authors had to be noteworthy. In most instances, my choice was predicated on what my friends recommended. This remains true to this day. Most of my pals are voracious readers. Many of them belong to book clubs too. I’ve convinced myself that being a slow reader would never permit my keeping up with any reading group’s exhaustive list of books. Instead, I’ve elected to live vicariously through my friends’ tales of their book club discussions and choice of literature. Their recommendations never disappoint: The Hare with Amber Eyes; The Henna Artist; and The Storyteller’s Secret being among the most recent books enjoyed.
Readers’ choice
So, what else do these avid readers recommend? Retired university food scientist Diane McComber claims her selection of reading material is diverse. At the top of the list, however, is historical non-fiction. Her current favorite author is Erik Larson’s who wrote The Splendid and the Vile. This is the saga about Winston Churchill and his defiance during the London blitz in World War II. You know, the book everyone is talking about. Diane also loved Larson’s other best-selling novel, The Devil in the White City. This was the book about the architect who built the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and the serial killer who used the fair as a lure for his victims.
Getting lost in Venice
For simple pleasure, I enjoy mysteries where I can lose myself in intrigue and foreign lands. A particular favorite—and a recommendation from my Italian teacher, Anna Squatriti—is Donna Leon’s contemporary detective series about Commissario Guido Brunetti whose turf is Venice. Brunetti is married to a nobleman’s daughter and university professor who spends most of her time cooking scrumptious meals for her family. It is the perfect combination for me: travelogue, mystery, and food.
During Covid-19 I found myself devouring books about French culture and living in France: Foreign Tongues; Paris in the Present Tense; Parisian Lives; and my favorite, Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong. Reading about France helped scratch the itch I had to travel during lockdown. At least it allowed me to mentally escape to a land I love, and, in so doing helped improve my mood.
Being mentally trapped by Covid-19
Ironically, Linda told me she had a difficult time reading books during the pandemic. “I’ve read long New Yorker articles and short stories but have not been able to focus on a book. Even mysteries—my strong escape genre for 70 years or so—were abandoned after a few chapters. I know I’m not unique in this behavior. Some people have escaped the pandemic through literature; some of us haven’t been able to.
“My LA-based Zoom book club couldn’t even prompt me to finish some things. Re-reading Isherwood’s Berlin Stories—nope. Re-reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (which we all loved in our 20s)—nope. We’re now attempting Stacey Abrams’ new political thriller, While Justice Sleeps. Will let you know.”
One thing for sure is that accessing literature today couldn’t be easier. Former Ladies Home Journal food editor and book worm, Jan Hazard, reminded me “Now there are many ways to enjoy a book: the physical book, on an iPad or Kindle, or on Audible. Plus, there’s the Selected Shorts series read by celebrities which can be heard both in person at various venues as well as on radio at one of the many NPR stations.”
Last month Jan encouraged me to borrow her hardback copy of Hamnet, the national best seller by Maggie O’Farrell. Jan couldn’t stop talking about how it was the best book she had ever read. It’s the all too timely account of the London plague centered around the lives of William Shakespeare and his family. The author’s skill with the written word and how she describes the remorse of a mother losing a child was devastatingly poignant but at the same time magical. Perhaps if Linda were to pick up this book her reader’s block would be lifted?
I promise to let you know if it works.