Unread books remind us of what we do not know
Each year around New Year’s, Ernest Hemingway gave away some of his books. He did so to prove to himself that he owned those books and they didn’t own him.
My dilemma with books is somewhat different. Several years ago, my wife walked into my church office and said, “What will you do with all your books after you retire? You realize you have 3,000 or more, and we have room at home for only some of them.”
I began to wonder: Which books should I keep, and which should I give away? But that led to a more complicated question. Should I keep only the books that I have read, written in and loved, books that are like old friends with whom you can pick up right where you left off even years later? Or should I also keep books that I fully intended to read but never cracked the cover, strangers craving conversation?
Like many people who value books, I carry around some guilt about the unread ones. You wouldn’t have a car if you never drove it, a bike if you never rode it, a gift card if you never used it. Why would anyone keep books you’ve never read?
Recently, a friend shared with me an article that absolved much of my guilt. Published in a psychology journal, the article suggests that unread books are a good thing, because they remind us of what we do not know. In other words, unread books embody a certain modesty or humility, suggesting that there is so much still to learn, so much that I do not know.
One area about which I know very little is the latest craze in book banning. Across the nation, people are asking school boards to ban certain books from classrooms and libraries. A quick internet search reveals that school boards banned some 1,600 books during the 2021-2022 school year. The bans affected
138 school districts in 32 states. Florida and Texas lead the nation in book bans, according to the article.
How should I respond? Like some people, I could ally myself with political and social conservatives and insist on the banning of these books. On the other hand, I could join forces with progressives and object to all book banning as a violation of free speech. Yet I wonder: How many of these people, conservative and progressive, have actually read the 1,600 books they are either protesting or defending? I am wary of people (myself included) who are tempted to believe that we already have all the knowledge we need. Maybe that’s why so many of us favor only the news which reinforces what we already believe. We rarely expose ourselves to news and opinions which challenge our values and push us outside our comfort zone.
My New Year’s resolution is to read some of these banned books for myself. Maybe individuals and book club members will make similar resolutions. Perhaps we will learn something we do not know about the people and controversial themes of these banned books, allowing us to form our own opinions rather than get caught up in partisan hype.
The one book that I know and love more than any other is the Bible. For all its virtuous verses, the Bible also contains “R-rated” stories about murder, incest, decapitation, rape, genocide, erotic seduction, and gruesome death by crucifixion. Curiously, no one is trying to ban the Bible from school libraries. Why? Because as a society we have learned to value the good that the Bible conveys more than we fear its unsettling parts. If only we could be as graciously openminded about other books as we are about the Bible.