[digital drifter]

Lots of people say a certain book changed their lives and affected
them deeply.  Me, my circumstances decided the books I would read.
I never knew what I'm going to read at any point.  You see, I had no
choices in deciding.

I grew in a small place in Tirunelveli, where a small textile factory
was being operated by Coats (Now Coats Viyella Plc).  Dad used to work
in the mill and I went to the company school.  School was good and
upon reflection now, excellent as the teacher student ratio was in
1:10 ratio.

So, I was started off on Noddy and Ladybird books; my teachers telling
me to read them to better my English.  My recollection of my school
library was a single room where there were a four rack shelves with
books.  I could never understand those books in the sense of
"understanding".  What was a golliwog?  Yes, I can see from the
pictures, a black man with outsized lips.  But why the funny name?  No
one told me.

I found the Ladybird books beautifully illustrated, some sort of
water colour pictures.  The text fonts were clear,though I can remember
nary a story.  I zipped through them and clamoured for more;  My
teachers initially never believed that I had read them, told me to
write about them.   I stupidly thought I had to copy the stories
verbatim; started and then did a precis as my hands were getting
tired.  Incredulous that I had actually been reading all the books, my
teachers let me read.  more.

Then the Enid Blytons, the Bigglesworth war stories; Sopwiths and
camels, dogfights though I had no idea what they were (as in what kind
of planes).  The only books I could get were the books in school.

I never bought a book till I was in my twenties(well into my first
job).  Even my college books were hand-me-downs as I could never
afford anything luxurious.  No one told me what to read and what to
avoid.  Well, don't read any Mills & Boon and Sidney Sheldon, my
English teacher said, that's all.  I hadn't even seen either of the
books even as she said that.  So far, haven't read them either.

Weirdly, when I was in the UK, people in my age group did not know any
of the books I mentioned but people in their late 40s/50s did.   No
one knew, except Bill, the ancient IT guy, "Oh he's been in the
company for ages" chap.

The books were all weird.  Time Life books were there, a lot of
futuristic space travel stuff.  A shelf full of books Classics in
black and red spines, hardbound; unabridged versions it said; Opened
Huckleberry Finn and didn't understand a word in it though I had the
same story in my English class textbook.  Jonathan Livingston Seagull
was, for a long time the best short story I ever read.  Though I
didn't know it was a book at the time.  Heaven was when I saw the
complete Sherlock Holmes book and short stories all in 2 huge bound
books.  Pleaded with the school staff and ran home with it. Used to
read it till 3 in the morning.

Then a relative of mine who used to work as a lecturer in a college
got me some "Pan" books; Can't remember a single thing apart from the
logo of a black piper and thinking the books were slim.  Perry Mason
books, I read a few; James Hardly Chase, I think the covers seemed
titillating.  

I can't remember, "Pan book of horror stories"?  I think
I fell out of bed literally after reading one too many of ghost
stories.  One was about a leg of lamb used to kill the man and then
the leg was cooked to give to the Policemen.  For years, watching the
butchershop on the way to school, there used to be a single thought,
was it this goat's leg?  Finally, a few years ago, found it in the
"Best of Roald Dahl"

When I went out to the wider world, none of my college friends had
read what I read; They kept dropping names of books I'd never heard
of.  A loss of confidence followed.  But I seemed to know more than
them, how was that possible?  Everyone said, read Ayn Rand,read it;
What a bore and utter vapidity till whatever page I read. never
finished any of her books and never plan to.  Years and Years later,
read the Skeptic's "The unlikeliest Cult" and felt vicariously
vindicated.


I still don't know what to read, what I should have read.  All I do is
read.  Come to think of it, I could have been brainwashed easily, all
you had to do was print it in a book.

It was gospel to me.  I never questioned the premise behind them.

Never.


Till I spent a weekend on a Unix machine reading fortune cookie files
for the quips.  Till I came to the Atheism cookie file.

I grew up.  At 23, I sorta figured, the printed word is not
necessarily the Gospel.  You know how difficult that is, to go from
Trust to "pfftt", the writer is pulling things out of his ass?  


Today, whenever I'm in the USA or Europe, I get a local library card,
spend the evenings reading.  If I'm on a short 3-6 months, I try to
read as much as possible using someone's card.  Non Fiction.  The
world seems strange, the Hows, Whys and Whos are fascinating.  I only
wish they'd not close down those libraries citing budget constraints.


How else done one learn?

[WonderWomanUSA]

Like you, I read everything that comes by ... or at least, I try to. I am a regular at the library for 9 months of the year -- and the librarians love me, since their funding is based on circultaion, and I can easily read 5 books a week!

The other 3 months (when my work is very busy), I read erbacks from the thrift stores, and donate them to charity when I've finished with them.

I grew up, of course, reading American books; Enid Blyton wasn't available here, though I've read a few since then. Yes, Huckleberry Finn, and even Ayn Rand (when I was 16).

None of this stops me from having a life; I think books are a great supplement to life, especially for those with limited education or exposure.

[dzibead]

Great post, dd!

[Shiver me Timbers]

Read a lot of fantasy when I was a kid - 'Lord of the Rings', stuff like that. Also Mark Twain, Roald Dahl, etc...

Now I really can't read fiction - every so often, I try reading something 'classic' like 'Heart of Darkness' or 'Crime and Punishment', but it's really more for the sake of it than an actual interest.

So now, it's all really history for me, just finished reading 'The Trial of Henry Kissinger' by Christopher Hitchens, and have just started 'The Third Reich: A New History', by Michael Burleigh.

Plentiful supply of books in my house - my mother works in a library.

Edited by Conor M, 14 January 2008 - 09:39 PM.