Last week, an article by Mark Oppenheimer was posted on Slate.com titled “Judging a Girl by Her Cover.” Oppenheimer discussed the social implications of removing books from our lives. He reminisced of the days where one could tell if they had something in common with a complete stranger just by a book laying on their coffee table or what they were reading on a crowded subway.
This idea has plagued me for quite sometime, and I was more than enthused to read his article. A book, a physical book, can mean so much more to a person than just the text that fills its pages. It can lead to your first love, a best friend, or break the ice during an awkward moment. It can be the best gift you will ever receive or become a family heirloom passed down through generations.
I have friends who’ve lent me and bought me books ever since I can remember. One of Oppenheimer’s lines hit me hard:
“If by some chance you do end up with the right one, what do you buy him a month later, when it is time for that first, tentative, not-too-expensive present—a gift certificate for a free download?”
I can’t imagine getting a gift certificate for a book download next Christmas. To me, it doesn’t just scream impersonal, but it’s almost an insult. It’s as if the person who gave me the gift card knows nothing about me—not even enough to choose a book that I would enjoy.
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Sonal…
I think that there are many that would agree with you but then again, it all depends on the person. For instance, a friend of mine “travels light” in the sense that she only carries her purse from place to place and so she doesn’t have the space (or the patience, I might add) to tote around a book (say, Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov).
In her case, downloading the book, using her gift certificate or gift card, would make much more sense. So, using this example, I would actually consider a gift certificate or gift card for a book download a very thoughtful and considerate gift.
For me, who likes to flip pages and mark up books, eh, not so much…
Giby–I agree with you. Logistically, an e-reader makes perfect sense. But I think what Oppenheimer was trying to get at is that we are getting comfortable in how technology is making our lives easier logistically, and are forgetting the social implications it has brought on.