There is no greater divide in life than the one between kids for whom the experience of learning to read is a painful or tedious one, whose rewards are remote if real, and those for whom the experiences of reading and writing are addictive, entrancing, overwhelming, and so intense as to offer a new life of their own—those for whom the moment of learning to read begins a second life of letters as rich as the primary life of experience. [Abraham] Lincoln was as clear a case of that kind of child, and man, as anyone who has ever lived. His hand and pen were the axis of his existence even as he made his living, and his reputation, first from his body and later with his mouth. He lived to read.
—Adam Gopnik, Angels and Ages: A Short Book about Darwin, Lincoln, and Modern Life (Vintage Books, 2009)
Three thoughts about this book:
- I was one of those kids. My second life (Gopnik calls it the “life of letters”; I’ve always called it the life of the mind) began when I was three. I feel sorry for people who don’t, won’t, can’t read books. I live most of my life in my head.
- I’m a Gopnik fan, having read Paris to the Moon after I visited Paris in 2006 and was devouring, that summer, every Paris memoir I could find, and The Table Comes First, because I love cooking and eating and, well, Gopnik’s writing. I’ll read more.
- I choose books for a variety of reasons, though often because I am on a quest to learn about a particular topic. So it is with Angels and Ages—the quest being to understand persuasive writing. It’s a fabulous book.
Tweet: “The moment of learning to read begins a second life …” I couldn’t live without it.
Tweet: Angels and Ages: #WhatImReadingNow #myreadingyear
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”