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Why Reading Is Essential For Your Quality of Life.
I wrote this a while back after an HR manager told me she only reads the Bible.
I was walking with a colleague the other day to the parking lot. She was not very talkative—maybe an introvert. To fill the void, I started talking to her about a book I had just finished reading that left me with a residual intellectual high. It was Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I thoroughly relished reading this book because it was so nakedly honest about us as humans, love, and race in America and Africa. My colleague had never heard of Chimamanda. She had never read any of her books or any books by Nigerian authors. Curious, I asked, “What type of books do you typically read?” The reply was, “The Bible.” I was shocked that someone with such an essential human relations job did not seek knowledge other than The Bible. Besides, reading is crucial for a good quality of life.
When I relayed the story to my friends-co-workers, they said the individual just wanted to shut me down. She did not want to talk. I knew that at the time, but I could not get over the fact that they were not a reader. Salman Rushdie once said in his MasterClass that when he visits a house and sees no books on bookshelves or even books lying about, he worries that the person he is visiting could be shallow to the point…
