If you know me, you know that I simply adore my Kindle. While my brother was visiting for Christmas, he saw me cuddled up with my Kindle and casually asked, “Do you use that thing a lot?” I shot him daggers as I snottily replied, “Um, yeah.” Obviously my brother does not know me at all – the horror!
My husband – the librarian – and I often talk about the perks of the Kindle, and one thing he has made me realize is that the Kindle is really good for motivating boys and men to read. It offers anonymity so that nobody else has to know what they are reading. Of course, as a female I have to admit that I kind of like that perk too, but I personally think it is probably even more important for boys as we try to foster a love of reading.
One day over Christmas break, we found ourselves at the mall. I wanted to spend some of that Christmas cash, and we also wanted Silas to expend some energy playing in the play area. After I’d done my shopping, I sat in the play area while Silas finished having fun. About five feet away from me sat a father completely absorbed in a book. At first he was reading something which didn’t really capture my attention, but then I noticed that he switched books, pulling a new one from his bag. I casually stole another glance, trying to determine the title of this new book.
It was Fifty Shades of Grey.
And at that moment I thought, “Somebody get this guy a Kindle.”
No, no, just get that guy some taste.
Actually, one of the things I like about the Kindle is that for me at least, it is LESS anonymous than paper books (I presume by that you mean that with a Kindle, normally onlookers cannot tell WHAT you are reading). But I share my Amazon account with my wife, and let me tell you, that greatly reduces the temptation to purchase or download inappropriate books.
That’s an interesting point, Wolf, which I had not really considered. Yes, what I mean by more anonymous is that boys who think it is not “manly” or “tough” to read can, in a way, do it in secret with the Kindle (or other devices). Of course I also enjoy that I can be reading something like Twilight and people have no idea, instead assuming that I am reading War and Peace