The bookstores that pop up nowadays are geared toward the biggest demographic of reader, women. Not just women, women that read vapid romatacy nonsense. It's almost impossible to find a decent bookstore as a dude that loves literature. The only one close to me is a used bookstore and there you can find quite a bit of good stuff but you have to look through piles of old books. I'm sure the owner doesn't make any money off of selling any of those great, old books though. Pretty sad.
Eighth Day Books on Wichita, KS manages to defy this trend. They carry only what’s worth reading and have done well for years. They even have a section of the store devoted to The Inklings (Lewis, Tolkien, Barfield, Williams) and inklings adjacent folks (Sayers, Chesterton, etc.).
There are shades of this in most if not all bookstores I now walk into. Even B&N isn't immune. Each section has become populated by folks who fit very well within specific customer personas. I first noticed this with the fantasy/sci-fi sections, but now it's the whole shop. I used to love bookstores, but now I feel that most of them aren't for me anymore.
Amazing article. I agreed with everything you had to say, and I’m so glad that you’re pushing back against all the evil out there. God bless you, and your mission.
Some kinds of reading are actually deteriorating to the mind. It's one of the biggest lies in the modern educational system..."It doesn't matter what you read, as long as you are reading."
Not snarky at all but could you expound on that? Are you saying this from a morality viewpoint? I'm currently homeschooling my oldest son who has severe dyslexia while trying to foster a love of reading. Obviously, I don't want him reading subjects that he's not mature enough for but honestly, I just want him to read...
I totally understand where you are coming from, and kids with difficulties like dyslexia are of course an added layer to todays reading challenges. My main point is simply that what we place before our students should be content which is edifying to the heart and mind and it is simply not the case that "reading is reading" and one books is just as good as another. Let's give an example. Lois Lowry's The Giver is a pretty easy-to-read book, just as easy as The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but the former invites the reader to think about what makes human life valuable and meaningful whereas the latter...it's hard to say what its goal is really but kids learn some crass words along the way.
I, in no way, make light of the challneges you are facing and I understand and applaud your desire for your son to come to love reading. Putting Shakespeare in front of him, at this point in his life, might be too overwhelming and discouraging and work against creating an affection for reading in his heart, but there are really good books and stories that would be more accessible and are written on an easier reading level which, nevertheless, provide real steak rather than rotten fish.
The Chronicles of Narnia is another great example. The Golden Compass is like an anti-Narnia and its filled with not only bad prose, but includes creepy ideas about sexual relationships with very young children. What we choose to read matters.
A few series your son might enjoy, which are good quality and offer good things to think on, in case you don't know them:
As a mom with several dyslexic children, please don't give up on reading! Audiobooks were a huge help for me. They could "read along" and/or listen. The good books with deep ideas stick! Fun poetry too. My boys love Shakespeare - it's an audio and visual opportunity, especially if you can get them into a group that tackles it together. Reading aloud books together and talking about them is LIFE CHANGING. I got out of every book just as much as they did. It's wonderful. I can't believe all the lessons and principles I missed out on as a kid because I didn't know how to read a book.
Ohhh, I feel this. I've passed through a few new "bookstores" just like that and it's so deflating!
The bookstores that pop up nowadays are geared toward the biggest demographic of reader, women. Not just women, women that read vapid romatacy nonsense. It's almost impossible to find a decent bookstore as a dude that loves literature. The only one close to me is a used bookstore and there you can find quite a bit of good stuff but you have to look through piles of old books. I'm sure the owner doesn't make any money off of selling any of those great, old books though. Pretty sad.
Eighth Day Books on Wichita, KS manages to defy this trend. They carry only what’s worth reading and have done well for years. They even have a section of the store devoted to The Inklings (Lewis, Tolkien, Barfield, Williams) and inklings adjacent folks (Sayers, Chesterton, etc.).
That's really cool. It would be nice to have more bookstores for the real books.
There are shades of this in most if not all bookstores I now walk into. Even B&N isn't immune. Each section has become populated by folks who fit very well within specific customer personas. I first noticed this with the fantasy/sci-fi sections, but now it's the whole shop. I used to love bookstores, but now I feel that most of them aren't for me anymore.
My favorite bookstore (that I no longer live close to). https://share.google/PLpmVxgUXssoKOpej
Amazing article. I agreed with everything you had to say, and I’m so glad that you’re pushing back against all the evil out there. God bless you, and your mission.
Thank you, Catherine!
I used to love going to bookstores, but no more.
Libraries too, unfortunately.
Our library is becoming this way.
Libraries are typically gay and Marxist propaganda centers these days. Sad.
At least the kids seem to be reading 📖 😎
Some kinds of reading are actually deteriorating to the mind. It's one of the biggest lies in the modern educational system..."It doesn't matter what you read, as long as you are reading."
Not snarky at all but could you expound on that? Are you saying this from a morality viewpoint? I'm currently homeschooling my oldest son who has severe dyslexia while trying to foster a love of reading. Obviously, I don't want him reading subjects that he's not mature enough for but honestly, I just want him to read...
Hi Jessica,
I totally understand where you are coming from, and kids with difficulties like dyslexia are of course an added layer to todays reading challenges. My main point is simply that what we place before our students should be content which is edifying to the heart and mind and it is simply not the case that "reading is reading" and one books is just as good as another. Let's give an example. Lois Lowry's The Giver is a pretty easy-to-read book, just as easy as The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but the former invites the reader to think about what makes human life valuable and meaningful whereas the latter...it's hard to say what its goal is really but kids learn some crass words along the way.
I, in no way, make light of the challneges you are facing and I understand and applaud your desire for your son to come to love reading. Putting Shakespeare in front of him, at this point in his life, might be too overwhelming and discouraging and work against creating an affection for reading in his heart, but there are really good books and stories that would be more accessible and are written on an easier reading level which, nevertheless, provide real steak rather than rotten fish.
The Chronicles of Narnia is another great example. The Golden Compass is like an anti-Narnia and its filled with not only bad prose, but includes creepy ideas about sexual relationships with very young children. What we choose to read matters.
A few series your son might enjoy, which are good quality and offer good things to think on, in case you don't know them:
The Green Ember (and following books)
The Wingfeather Saga
100 Cupboards (and following books)
The Giver (and following books)
Blessings!
As a mom with several dyslexic children, please don't give up on reading! Audiobooks were a huge help for me. They could "read along" and/or listen. The good books with deep ideas stick! Fun poetry too. My boys love Shakespeare - it's an audio and visual opportunity, especially if you can get them into a group that tackles it together. Reading aloud books together and talking about them is LIFE CHANGING. I got out of every book just as much as they did. It's wonderful. I can't believe all the lessons and principles I missed out on as a kid because I didn't know how to read a book.
Love "real steak rather than rotten fish".