so, i read a whole book yesterday--a long way gone by ishmael beah. it's a really good book: riveting, pressing, horrific...i was really moved by this guy's story of running away from the war in his country and ending up a child soldier. books like this remind me of the things i want my life to be about, which isn't comfort, though so often that's what i become about. i'm still figuring out what this will look like for me as a writer, too. i used to think i could have only one or the other--be a writer or get in the trenches for other people. i'm starting to think, these past two years, that both are possible, and maybe are totally interconnected for me, in some strange way. i just don't know how exactly yet.
but on a meta level, i wish i would have taken more time to read this book. it's really easy for me to consume books--read a whole book in one sitting. i'm realizing this isn't necessarily a good thing. this guy's story took years--whole years of his life spent in a crushing war--and i fly through it all in 6 hours. i do this sort of speed reading every once in awhile (i get hooked) but usually, when i'm done, i realize i didn't take the time to really identify with the author or sit with them, for awhile. sometimes even reading becomes about consumption--and i hate that.
anyway, you should pick up the book, and read it slowly, if you have a chance.
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