The Rights of the Reader

 

 

I saw this illustration on FB and thought I would opine on it. Remember to click on the picture to make it bigger.

 

The right not to read

You should never be compelled to read. Although I never had that problem, except with dry school text books. Reading has always been a joy when I can choose what to read. Doing book reports for school wasn’t a thrill, but I gladly read the books. And if you want to play a few games or watch TV, that’s OK. Just don’t neglect your book…it gets sad…

 

The right to skip

This can be a two-edged sword. Skipping ahead can be OK, but don’t get mad if it ruins the surprise. If a book seems like it’s heading toward an unhappy ending, I might take a peek at the end in order to prepare myself. I hate it when the surprise at the end is my favorite character’s death. DON’T READ OLD YELLER!!!

 

The right not to finish a book

In the case of the above illustration, it seems to mean you are near the end of the book, but don’t want it to be over just yet. You want to delay the completion of the book. Although if I’m just plowing through a sucky book to get it over with, I might abandon it altogether. I hate doing that, but I also hate wasting my time on a sucky book. I might skim the pages to the end just to see how it all turns out. There have been times I’ve been surprised by what the end implies and go back to where I left off and truly read it all.

 

The right to read it again

Some books are just so good that you have to read them again, even though you know how it ends. Classic children’s books fall into that category a lot. I read a lot to my kids and my granddaughter, and they never seemed to tire of certain books.

 

The right to read anything

You might have a go-to list for the majority of your reading (sci-fi, mystery, biographies) but try to sample the books outside of your standard list. And comic books are totally acceptable, too.

 

The right to mistake a book for real life

I think most serious readers have gotten so enmeshed in the world of a book that they are almost stunned to get to the end of the book and find out they aren’t in that quaint English village or inside that space ship anymore. They’re back in the “real world” and what a disappointment that is!

 

The right to read anywhere

If there is even a hint of having down time somewhere (doctor’s office especially) I MUST have a book available. Yes, we now have phones to occupy our down time, but I’m a rebel traditionalist. I need a book IN MY HANDS. And having spent EONS on a school bus, that was the only way I could survive. I am SO thankful that I’ve always been able to read in a moving vehicle.

 

The right to dip in

When I’m at Good Will looking through their books, I like to take a peek inside to see how tiny the print is. Too small and I pass it by. I also take a quick look and scan a few pages.

 

The right to read out loud

I have never done this when reading by myself. With the kids, always. And when sometimes I

come across a phrase or paragraph that just has to be shared, I will read it to Marv.

 

The right to be quiet

I don’t know exactly what they were going for with this one. The picture shows a person just sitting and holding their book like it was a small beloved child. And that’s how some people see their books. I’ve done that too. Especially if it’s one I’ve read before and loved. I can just sit there holding the book and remember all the great stuff within.

 

There you have 10 rights and 1 warning: Don’t make fun of people who don’t read – or they never will.