Published in The Tecumseh Herald, Dec. 3, 2024
I’ve always had a passion for reading and writing, going back as far as I can remember. The first book I remember reading was “Hop on Pop,” the classic Dr. Seuss I mastered before entering kindergarten at Tecumseh Acres in 1963.
I remember reading the Beverly Cleary and Carolyn Haywood books in elementary school, going into the library and finding my favorites, “Beezus and Ramona” and “Eddie Makes Music.” Madeleine L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time” was an early favorite and I also read Nancy Drew mysteries, the “Sue Barton Student Nurse” and “Cherry Ames Student Nurse” series, The Boxcar Children series, “Little Women,” “Little Men,” The Chronicles of Narnia series and “Winnie the Pooh.” Many of these came from the Tecumseh Public Library.
I read romance and historical fiction throughout high school and college, as well as the canon of literature that we begin studying in high school English and read through college and grad school–although the latter two were because English was my major. Still, I loved to read and these 40+ years later, those classics continue to inform my reading as well as my writing.
As a college professor, I could not emphasize enough to my students how important it was to read. Reading opens up a whole new world. It helps us be better communicators, whether through our speech or our writing. In journalism, I instructed students to read the paper every day and quizzed them with reporting on the latest news. As directed, they read the paper and when it was time to report on the current news of the day, it typically revolved around sports or popular cultural figures. I’m not certain if that was exactly what I was hoping for, but as it turned out, it likely didn’t matter. They were reading.
In recent years, however, majors in the humanities are shrinking. Parents, who are co-signing on substantial amounts of student loans, want their kids to make enough money that those loans can be repaid. English, history, philosophy, literature and writing aren’t considered areas where a high-paying job will be the result.
One of the reasons this has been such an issue for me is that it’s through reading and writing that we learn how to think for ourselves–we learn critical thinking skills that make us informed citizens seeking to help each other, regardless of color, creed, or nationality. We learn to question. We learn to distinguish fact from fiction and have reasonable discussions with each other that can help bridge the growing chasm between groups. We learn to see that we can agree on small things and that can lead to more peaceable interactions between us. We can learn from each other and lean on each other, regardless of our political and religious beliefs. We learn the folly of judging one another, too.
It seems impossible to think of reading as being able to accomplish so much. But I believe it can. Right now, we live in a world filled with war, poverty, hunger, fear and chaos. We are still divided over our politics. But, I believe we can find our way back through reading.
I challenge you to consider forming a book club with a friend or friends of differing political views. You may have been keeping your distance from them since the election and if so, it’s time to give that up. Find a book you all want to read, even if it’s a trashy romance novel. Having trouble finding one? Go to the Tecumseh District Library and ask for some ideas. Read the book and then get a cup of coffee at Musgrove & Co. with your group and talk about it. I think you will find a lot of common ground that you might not have realized existed.
It may not be the way back to a more unified community–and world–but deep down, we know more unites us than divides us. Let’s focus on the things that matter–our relationships with each other–friends, family, community.
And coffee.
SQUIBS 
Absolutely