What is a Book?

A book is an escape. I go there to escape my crazy life, hectic schedule filled with things I sometimes wonder why they really matter at all. In a book I forget all of that. I’m someone else, anyone else, except me. A book is always there. Dependable. It brings forth new ideas. Giving. It never judges. Allowing. It can be kind or extremely cruel. A book is a best friend that you can carry in your pocket. Do I think that a book must be physical? I don’t really know. Personally, I prefer regular, old books because it feels like it is more personal. I really like how Tom Piazza describes information given by eBooks “When everything has equal weight, everything is weightless.” I agree with this concept. When everything looks the same, feels the same it has no weight although it should and therefore no importance. Joe Meno said “A book, in whatever forms it takes—paperback, electronic version…—a book is actually a place, a place where we, as readers, still have the chance to engage in active imagining…” I disagree with Meno’s opinion here. A true book should be on paper. It tells the history of everything. People should want to read it how it was meant to be read and not search for a more modern way to do it. While I appreciate the convenience of a Kindle, iPad, etc., I still think that the physical presence of the book is important, too. However, overall, what is most important is that you read something somewhere no matter what form it comes in. Too many people don’t read for pleasure at all and I think that they are missing out on so much of what they could have if they would just turn a single page.