Do We Need Books And Stories?

When we were moving over to Saudi Arabia, my mom bought me an iPad so I could start reading on that instead of reading paper books so that we could minimize the amount of stuff that I got to take overseas. And I tried really hard to read on it, but I am weak and can only really stand reading paper books. After about a month of being in Saudi, I had had enough. I got mom to ship me over a bunch of paper books that I could hold in my hand with pages that I could actually flip through instead of just tapping on a screen. Mom still tries to get me to read on my long-since-discarded iPad and every time she mentions it, I follow up with a cacophony of complaints and arguments against the iPad.

It's not that I have anything against technology. Actually, I rely quite heavily on technology to be able to communicate with my friends and family back in Canada and even here in Saudi. But nothing can compare to stories on paper.

I grew up with books. My dad used to read me The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. (A literary masterpiece. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.) It's this book about a world that was filled with magic and wonder. Orcs, Goblins, Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves, Giant Eagles, Giant Spiders, The Greed of Man, One Ring To Rule Them All, A Crazy Old Wizard, A Bunch Of Other Crazy Old Wizards (one of them evil), A Great Adventure, Trust, Friendship, Loyalty, Love, Evil, More Greed, Invisibility, A Small Creepy Thing That Calls Itself Smeagol, THIS BOOK HAS EVERYTHING!!! I read it through 3 or 4 times with my dad, letting him read one night and reversing the roles the next. It helped me learn about friendship, fear, love, morals, getting out of my comfort zone and how one person, even if they underestimate themselves, can do a great deal of good.

Reading books made me more articulate. It helped me learn big words and how to use them properly in a sentence. Reading is therapeutic to me. I can finish a 600 page book in a day because I get sucked into the story. Reading teaches so many lessons through the plot and characters, the influence that books have is ridiculous. The more you read, the better you'll be able to communicate. I have a passion for literature. It still amazes me how words can be strung together so beautifully it tugs at peoples emotions.

Reading and literature and books and the people who create those books and the people who read them and everyone who has ever felt something because of them are so important to the world that we live in today. We need books and stories. They help people cope, they help people feel, they educate people. They create wonder, they create curiosity and ideas and any range of human emotion you can think of.

Books have helped people communicate throughout history. Stories are how some cultures keep their ancestors alive. They teach lessons through stories. They're used for entertainment.

Reading a book on a long car ride. Sitting in a library with a book in hand, surrounded by shelves of novels. Sitting in your favourite chair, reading your favourite book. Sitting quietly with your family, each of you reading your own book. There's so many great scenarios for reading any form of literature.

Not to mention that often stories become other forms of art. Plays are stories told through theatre. Music is often described as a story. Movies and animation and television shows and poetry are all stories. For example, one of my favourite movies is Spirited Away by Studio Ghibli. Spirited Away is the story of a little girl named Chihiro who ends up working at a bath house for a witch named Yubaba because her parents wanted to explore a seemingly abandoned amusement park and after eating the food, turned into pigs. Her story is told through the art of film. Stories and books are incredibly important.

They let us feel, let us think, help us through tough times and more.

Stories give us a means of connection with other people. Half of the conversations we have are stories being told. Stories and books are essential to the human race.