I read to learn. True - that is the nerdy teacher answer to the question, “Why do you read?” Yet it is much more than that. I read for inspiration. I read for ideas.
I am currently reading several books, one of which is A River Runs Through It, by Norman Maclean. I was inspired by the movie and wanted to read the book. This has happened before with other films and their corresponding “books”: Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer; No Ordinary Man, by Paul Rusesabagina, and many others.
It is sometimes disorienting to watch a movie before reading “its” book. I find myself not reading the book for what it is. Instead, I attach scenes of the movie to the author’s work. It almost seems to rob the reader and the author, because all I am able to see is someone else’s interpretation of how the book may have been played out. The flipside of this - reading the book before watching the film - can also be disorienting, if not disappointing. The audience is often left thinking “this is not the way it happened in the book” or “the book was definitely better than the movie.” I find it challenging to remember that a movie is just one person’s interpretation of a book and not the book itself.
However, at times you can find a movie and a book that are excellent works by themselves. I have found this to be the case with A River Runs Through It. I watched the movie first and enjoyed the scenery- the beautiful mountains and crystal, clear rivers of Montana. The desire to re-enter that calming and inspiring world sparked my interest in the book.
On the other hand, through his book, Maclean challenges me to create my own backdrop of how the “story” might look. A River Runs Through It is much more than a story about fly-fishing in western Montana. The author uses this setting to create a tale in which the main character strives to better understand his own family. On a deeper level I am left wondering not only how his story might look but also what it might mean. I am inspired to think of my own family and how my story relates to his. Through Maclean’s words and imagery I become part of the story.
I also found it easy to place myself in the book Long Way Round, written by actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. It is a nonfiction travel book that tells the tale of two bikers and their motorcycle travels around the world.
I recently purchased the book on my Kindle. I never thought I would enjoy reading a book electronically. I thought it might take away from the experience. I thought that books must be printed and they must have a place on a bookshelf. However, the Kindle has allowed me to read in a different way. It hasn’t taken away from the experience at all. It has opened up new possibilities. For example, if I don’t know the meaning of a word I can quickly scroll my cursor down to the word and it is immediately defined for me. If I am inspired by an idea in the text I can research it with the web browser or find other books that relate to the same concept. I still prefer the feel, the smell, and the texture of an old-fashioned paper book. But I enjoy the experience of reading electronically for the simple reason that it is different and convenient.
The idea to read Long Way Round was inspired by an event that happened to me this past summer. While traveling through Honduras I met a guy who was taking a trip of his own - a motorcycle journey around the world. I was amazed when he started telling me about his trip. He started in Great Britain, his home country, and shipped his bike across the English Channel. He then rode east across Europe and into Russia. He ferried his bike again to the coast of Japan and rode south until he ferried his bike a third time to the continental U.S. He then rode north to Alaska and then south again through the U.S. He crossed into Mexico and worked his way down the Pan-American highway. When I met him in western Honduras he was planning his route through Nicaragua and further to the tip of South America. He was somewhat unsure of his plans after that point. He wanted to ferry his motorcycle a final time into South Africa and ride north back to England. I couldn’t believe what he was telling me.
When I returned home from Honduras I did a little research of my own and found that many people had made similar trips. I scrolled through title after title on online library catalogs trying to find the right book. I was surprised to see so many works. Finally, I decided on Long Way Round because I was familiar with Ewan McGregor as an actor and I was curious of what stories he might tell. It was interesting to find that his trip was very similar to that of the man I met in Honduras.
Long Way Round hasn’t inspired me to take a trip of the same magnitude as its authors. Yet it has given me ideas for plans and adventures of my own. Perhaps I could ride into Mexico on my motorcycle one day...or maybe I could ride a train through Patagonia...or maybe I could hike through the Andes mountains. The ideas could go on and on.
To me, a good book doesn’t have to inspire me to do the same thing as the author or the characters. It simply needs to give me ideas...give me possibilities that challenge me yet are still within my grasp. Ideas that make me think - “what if”? Ideas that inspire me to learn about new things and think about new paths.
Sometimes those new paths are needed simply to escape the environment I am in. They give me a view of something different. Sometimes I need a setting, an experience, or an adventure in which to place myself in. It could be a culture, a destination, or a story. This is the role that Long Way Round plays for me. This is the role that reading plays for me in my life.
Questions for Further Writing:
What role does reading play in YOUR life?
What book/article/poem has been particularly inspirational to you? Why?
Have you ever watched a movie that you thought portrayed a story more eloquently than the book upon which it was based? If so, what story was that? If not, what is an example of a book that was clearly superior to its subsequent movie? Why?
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