DIVERSIONS

I.

Apparently, there is a case to be made for reading fiction. You are surprised by this, I am sure. I read this week in the New York Times the following piece by Annie Murphy Paul:

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It is with chagrin, of course, that I recognize fully the reasons why studies like these may be necessary and entirely relevant. Remember, it was only weeks ago that we were informed that going to college is snobbish. So, it stands to reason that Paul can begin her commentary as such,

". . . the old-fashioned virtues of reading novels can seem faded, even futile."

I admit that I am old-fashioned and, yes, I did go to college and, snob or not, I have long seen that our culture has drifted away from most of the things that are slow and meandering sorts of pastimes, the kind that do not bring instantaneous gratification. Of course, the argument can certainly be made that this is a matter of perspective when it comes to reading a good book. I almost immediately find pleasure and thrill and delight as I read, but it does take time to finish a book, which is more and more something that few among us think we have to spare. There is also, of course, the growing (or has it been there for some time?) perception in our country that being well-read or literary in any sense is not necessarily a personal quality to which one should aspire or admit. See my previous comment above regarding college. I, on the other hand, would prefer at least a few more leaders and lawmakers who were readers and writers and thinkers. No, there is no requirement or wish that we all be brainiacs, but there is something to be said, I think, for intelligence and aptitude and perceptiveness. I understand the difference between elitism and elite-ness and I tend to think that it is quite patriotic and distinctly American to strive for the latter. But, I digress.

Paul discusses a number of studies that have considered the effects of reading fiction on our brains, the results of which corroborate what we readers have intuited for our entire reading lives, the idea that <gasp> reading enables us to better understand the world around and us and the people in it.

"Indeed, in one respect novels go beyond simulating reality to give readers an experience unavailable off the page: the opportunity to enter fully into other people's thoughts and feelings."

"Scientists call this capacity of the brain to construct a map of other people's intentions 'theory of mind.' Narratives offer a unique opportunity to engage this capacity, as we identify with characters' longings and frustrations, guess at their hidden motives and track their encounters with friends and enemies, neighbors and lovers."

I am the father of a daughter who is also an eager and devoted reader. I have seen from the earliest years of her life the effects of reading on her mind. She reasons, she empathizes, she connects issues, she thinks through. I can tell from her questions about books she has read and from our discussions of them that she is able to consider different and opposing viewpoints through her experience of and her understanding of a variety of characters. Thus, the following point also did not come as a revelation to me.

"A 2010 study by Dr. Mar found a similar result in preschool-age children: the more stories they had read to them, the keener their theory of mind -- an effect that was also produced by watching movies but, curiously, not by watching television."

 The article clarifies the second part of that quote, of course, and perhaps the clarification is a reach, but it does make complete sense that children can better learn and become equipped for encountering the many and complex layers of human nature the more they hear and read stories.

II.

I regularly check out audio books from our local libraries as a bit of a reading diversion. I am a shameless Bob Edwards Show devotee and his radio program is the first thing I tune to as I leave the house each morning. But, of course, there are other times throughout the day when I am in the car and there also may actually be times when I am not as interested in whomever Mr. Edwards is interviewing or necessarily in the topic at-hand and an audio book is a handy bit of entertainment for the journey.

I rarely listen to novels on audio, preferring instead to seek out things that might not require as much of my focused attention. I am supposed to be driving, after all. Also, most audio fiction is "performed" and I can do without the different character voices and sound effects and dramatic orchestral arrangements. So, I avoid these, with one exception. I am a closet fan of historical thrillers, Steve Berry being by far my favorite author in this category, and I consider this part of my reading life a bit of a guilty pleasure. I have read one Berry novel as well as one of the Dan Brown novels in printed book form, but it is a general rule of thumb to reserve these books for a special in-car-only category. Call it silly, and it is, but this has become one of the quirky ways by which I organize my life.

Anyhow, other than my penchant for the likes of Steve Berry (see The Templar Legacy, The Alexandria Link, The Venetian Betrayal, and The Charlemagne Pursuit, among many others), I generally stick to the realm of non-fiction for my audio book listening. I have "read" a number of memoirs and political books through my car's CD player, but the audio book category can also provide opportunity to discover books that I would otherwise completely ignore, as I tend to suppose that I would not find as much pleasure in actually reading a written copy of most of these books. Among them would be my latest audio book, The Pun Also Rises, by John Pollack.

As a reader, words and language are of particular interest to me. I am a lover of crosswords and word scrambles and other such challenges. The origins and roots of words and phrases are also a fascination. Pollack's book is a fun exploration of what I consider to be one of the gifts that language gives us, the capability to find multiple and playful meanings in words and phrases. Do not think, though, that this book is simply a catalog of eye rollers and groaners. Pollack delves pretty deeply not only into the history of puns, but also into the rise of the modern English language, the physiology of hearing and comprehending the spoken word, and the surprising importance of puns to our linguistic and cognitive development.