For hundreds of years, men and women and even nations have been shaped by influential books. If it’s true that we are what we eat, then it’s equally true that we are what we read.
In both serious and delightful ways, good books expand our worldview and inform our thoughts and opinions. Good books also entertain and enlighten us. They help us see and understand others—and, ultimately, ourselves—in new ways. Anytime we read a good book, we make new discoveries that can stretch us, transport us, and teach us how to marvel.
Through a good book, a person who has no hope of traveling the world can visit distant lands—even some that exist only in the imagination. The whole world unfolds to readers. Books engage the mind and the imagination in ways that other media can’t quite duplicate. As the beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss said: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”1
This is why few of life’s endeavors are as meaningful as teaching someone to read—whether a child sounding out words for the first time or an adult who never had the chance earlier in life. Unlocking the world of letters for another person is one of the greatest gifts we can give.
How fortunate is the child who regularly snuggles on the lap of parent with a beloved book. Over the years, picture books are exchanged for chapter books, paperback novels, college textbooks, perhaps an e-book or an audiobook, and eventually a large-print edition for older eyes. Whatever form they take, good books become a cherished source of knowledge, relaxation, and happiness. There’s a reason the printing press is considered the greatest invention of the past millennium. Without books and articles and publications, we would be left to wonder about the past and feel uneasy about the future. Great books can even give us a sense of security and wise understanding—they become like trusted friends that we turn to again and again.
With good books more accessible today than ever in history, now is the time to discover again the joy of reading.
-Lloyd D. Newell
1. I Can Read with My Eyes Shut (1978), np.
Oct. 25, 2015
Broadcast Number 4,493
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Orchestra at Temple Square
Conductor
Ryan Murphy
Organist
Richard Elliott
Host
Lloyd Newell
How Great Thou Art
Swedish folk melody; arr. Nathan Hofheins
Psalm 150
César Franck
Improvisation on Hymn to Joy
Richard Elliott
When You Wish upon a Star, from Pinocchio
Leigh Harline; arr. Michael Davis
Simple Gifts
Shaker song; arr. Ryan Murphy
O God, Our Help in Ages Past
William Croft; arr. Mack Wilberg