Why are you passionate about books?

Question

Diving into the pages of a good book can ignite a spectrum of passions, and to explore this, we've gathered perspectives from twelve authors, librarians, and CEOs. From the gateway to growth and escape to books being tools for growth and leadership, our contributors share why they are fervently passionate about books.

Michelle Burke · Answer

I'm passionate about books because they have the power to ignite imagination, spark curiosity, nourish the spirit, and provide growth. They aren't simply words on paper; they connect us to aspects of the self, help us grow, expand, and learn, as well as provide us a place to escape reality. In the world of books, I find sanctuary, adventure, healing, peace, escapism, and endless possibilities waiting to be explored.

Trevor Allen · Answer

Books can be a passport, a time machine, a portal into the heart and mind, a storehouse of information, and they can connect people across time and space. What else can be all those things? I remember taking part in my hometown library's summer reading program each year. Even if my family didn't take a trip during the summer, I got to travel the world from the blanket I put under the tree in our front yard with the books I borrowed from the library. Books helped me learn about myself as a teenager who thought I was gay but grew up in a community where that was a subject I wasn't able to discuss with anyone else. A favorite book can even be a friend that one turns to over and over again—a friend that reveals new insights with each reading. Books have been a constant in my life, and I can't think of many other things about which to be more passionate.

Amy Brann · Answer

Books make me feel even more alive. I love learning things. The world is a fascinating place. Books enable me to see the complexity and beauty in ways that would otherwise remain hidden to me.

Beth Bonness · Answer

From my earliest memory of my mother reading A Wrinkle in Time to us as kids, books have provided an opportunity to explore life. My husband read The Little Prince to our daughters while I was pregnant and Blueberries for Sal when they were older. Now we're reading those same stories to our granddaughters. Books challenge. Books linger in our thoughts long after we've read them. Books are one of our most precious artifacts, lasting generations and describing how the world is, and what it can become. Books bring hope. Share the stories that you love with others.

Amy Lyle · Answer

I love the immersion. The moment I open a book, my blood pressure seems to drop, and I'm lost in the story, whether it unfolds in the past, the future, or anywhere in the world. Despite my love for the escape, I can barely wait to reconnect with my book club to dissect every detail of the characters and story. That shared experience creates such a unique environment for building connections and community. It's this blend of escaping into books and then connecting over them that fuels my passion for books.

Lisa Hammett · Answer

I am passionate about books for several reasons. Fiction is a great way to escape reality by taking the focus off of stressors. Non-fiction is an excellent resource for training and development. It's also a great resource for research, whether planning a trip or gaining insight into a particular interest. I'm old-school and prefer an actual book to an e-book or an audiobook. I love the smell and feel of books. That's why I decided to write one.

Roxana Rathbun · Answer

Books are the doors to worlds that allow us to breach time and space. When I am reading, I am gaining insight into another human's psyche, and I am learning more about myself in the process. Not only am I gleaning infinite knowledge, but I am also doing the impossible and traveling to another person's dream.

Cara Lopez Lee · Answer

I was a lonely only child with few friends but lots of bullies, with parents who often left me on my own and grandparents who bought me lots of books. So, I often sat alone in my mother’s overstuffed armchair to read or tell stories in my head. Books were my first friends. In third grade, I read Little Women and identified strongly with Jo, who, like me, got in trouble for having a big mouth and insisted on doing things her way, even though others found her strange. I decided I wanted to be a writer like Jo, which is to say, like Louisa May Alcott, though it took years to believe I could write a book, which seemed like magic. Since then, I’ve discovered that with enough love, time, and hard work, we can all make magic. For me, the magic of literature is that it creates a realm where we can all find comfort in the things that connect us, but also in understanding that what makes each of us different is what makes us special. The more we share stories, the more we create the compassionate community we all yearn for. I believe that storytelling, whether in a book or on a stage, is a path to kindness, which is the path to peace.

Nishtha Anilkumar · Answer

Books offer innumerable possibilities for us to grow. Books are a source of knowledge and wisdom. They open up new worlds to us. They give wings to our imagination. We experience what the author is sharing with us. It is almost like we are in that period or scenario with the author!

Kam Talebi · Answer

The one thing that all successful entrepreneurs have in common is that they all read every day. Reading is part of learning, which is part of retaining a growth mindset. We have to keep feeding our minds our whole lives to stay at our best. Reading entire books that explore ideas in depth is the best way to do that. And they shouldn't all be business books. So much information about different subjects is unexpectedly relevant to the business world. It's hard to believe until the history book you just read explains the tactics of a competitor perfectly in the present.

Agata Szczepanek · Answer

I grew up in a family of keen readers and have been a bookworm since I can remember. When other children wanted teddy bears, my favorite presents were books. And that hasn't changed much over the years, to be honest.As Umberto Eco once said, "The person who doesn't read lives only one life. The reader lives 5,000. Reading is immortality backwards." I couldn't agree more with these words. Literature allows me to travel through time and space. By immersing myself in it, I can vicariously experience countless situations, cultures, and perspectives beyond my own. Additionally, as each book offers a unique lens through which to view the world, reading expands my empathy, understanding, and horizons. I hope that the love for literature will continue to run in the family and that my son will feel the same as he grows up.

Dragos Badea · Answer

Books are the best way to get to know a person, both the author and the reader. I always felt like you could really get to know a person whose home you visit just by looking at their bookshelf, because if you see some of your favorites on there, then you know you have a good bit of common ground to build on. They are a great way to connect with people, something that is becoming harder and harder to do on a deeper, emotional level, so I have great respect and passion for books because of that. Sure, a Kindle is more convenient, but for my money, there is nothing better than a big pile of physical copies.

Rebecca Sylvain · Answer

I see books as something that gives us the potential to grow. Books allow us to learn new skills or hone old ones, through the multitudes of information we can gain from them. Whatever skill you can think of, there is a book for that—all you need to do is find it. A good example of this is that after reading a few books about how to communicate, I saw a noticeable improvement in my capability to lead my team. Another reason for my passion for books is that they help prevent stagnation; they keep us sharp and ensure that we will find new ways to do things. I can confidently say that books were the foundation of my business's success, and I will strive to continuously hone what I have learned to ensure it stays that way.

Why Are You Passionate About Books?