The joy of reading

I may have mentioned my passion for reading in a previous post, but I think it deserves further attention. To tell you the truth there is nothing more enlightening for me than reading an academic text (or novel) that is really well written and draws me into the world of experience as understood by the author. It makes studying so much easier when it seems that the person responsible for putting all the words together has such a good understanding and insight into the subject matter, combined with a passion for the field of study, that it reads like a gripping story of human endeavor rather than a university textbook. I had such an experience at the beginning of my course in social work where I had just received my study guides from the university. After opening the package I thought that I would spend an hour just browsing the material. I couldn't put the book down and I lost all track of time, so much so that I had to phone and apologise for not making a meeting that I had scheduled and had to use words to the effect of "I got caught up reading." I think it may have been the first time that the receptionist had heard that apology but I did detect a smile on the other side of the phone and was given the chance to reschedule.

Another reason that prompted me to write about the joy of reading is Alan Paton, author of "Cry, the beloved country" and "Ah, but your land is beautiful." Alan Paton describes South Africa as it was in the 1950's and 1960's using the most exquisite prose and descriptions that I have come across. In both books the harshness of apartheid South Africa are spoken about and lived by fictional characters. Although fictional and the dialogue imagined by the author, the stories of these characters is so well described it is as if I am walking alongside as the story reveals itself. Although Alan Paton died in 1988 and did not see the transition to democracy, he leaves behind two powerful stories that tell part of the struggle for a democratic South Africa.