About Young Voices
Our team of young bloggers comments on culture, politics and the world today.
Subscribe
RSS FeedOur Bloggers
RECENT COMMENTS
“Hola Tamika, I've spent many hours meditating on the rocks at Isla Negra. In fact my documentary on Neruda just received a grant from Latino Public Broadcasting, so hopefully it...”
“Government takeover of the health care system is the worse thing that can happen. Remember the story of how the government incorrectly gave out $98 million to government contractors? Look...”
“Jeremy, "time has told" that Susan Boyle's 15 minutes are clearly not up and will not be for some time. Best of luck to you and that your 15 minutes...”
ARCHIVES
E-mail a friendE-readers? Feh.
I no longer have stacks of newspapers sitting in a bin in my dining room. The basket that my magazines once sat in is now filled with unopened mail that I haven't gotten around to. I have an MP3 player and bold plans to download all of my old CD's to my virtual music library and dispose of the discs and CD players (responsibly). I have no idea what I will do with my cassette tapes. I don't own a radio. And the only movie that I own is a VHS copy of "It's a Wonderful Life."
If you've been paying attention, you will notice that in about a year or so, I won't own any form of media that can't be accessed from my computer.
Except for my books. I just can't give up my books. I won't give up my books. And against a small but rapidly growing e-reader market, I'm standing firm. Let me repeat: I am not going digital with my books!
Unlike the 1.6 million people who are carrying e-readers around with them, I don't own an Amazon Kindle, a Sony Reader or the just-revealed-today Nook from Barnes & Noble. And, no, I don't have an e-reader app on my cell phone.
For my books, I go to a real bookstore or to a real library and buy or borrow real books.
I have stacks and stacks of wonderfully wonderful hardcover and paperback books! And I have no plans to get rid of them.
I enjoy turning pages and feeling the paper in my hands.
I like buying obnoxious bookmarks.
I cherish my book collection and the lovely bookshelves that house it.
I. LOVE. COVER. ART.
But, most importantly, I lend my books to my friends and family. And to me, that is the value in real books. The desire and ability to share real books set them apart from all of the other media that I've discarded.
I would never give a newspaper or magazine as a gift (a subscription, maybe; but I digress). And if I wanted to give music as a gift, I can burn a CD. But what to do about sharing Octavia Butler's Fledgling, Toni Morrison's Love or J. Nozipo Maraire's Zenzele?
Now you're beginning to see my point! Now our mission is clear! We must stand firm in our fight against making books digital and take back the ...
What?! You say that the Nook will allow users to lend digital books to friends?
Oh, good grief!
Check back tomorrow for part two of my "E-readers" post. KC Blake, of USC's Entertainment Technology Center, gives me the skinny on what all of this "digital book" business will mean for my lovely bookshelves.