With many/most of us stuck at home waiting out the novel
Corona virus and generally freaking out because, I mean, plagues and earthquakes? Waking up and your bed is shaking and lights swinging from the
ceiling and now that the power is back on are you going to have a job
tomorrow? And there's no toilet paper on the store shelves, and more importantly, Harmon's is running out of Cadbury eggs!
Gah! So stop stockpiling already!
So, you could sit around frying your brains and shortening your attention
spans obsessively scrolling through social-media feeds, watching cat videos,
binge-watching Netflix...
Or you could maybe re-discover the pleasure of reading aloud--to your cat or your brother or your roommates or sister. Or to your fiddle-leaf ficus plant. Whatever or whoever you happen to be stuck inside with.
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| Ficus is a good listener |
Might as well make it a community thing. Loneliness can suck your soul as much as any virus.
Even alone with a book you're of course not alone. Studies like this one back up the idea (which always seemed intuitively true) that reading--especially literary fiction, or any fiction with complex characters--is one of the few ways to actually practice empathy for an extended time, as you spend hundreds of pages imaginatively experiencing life inside the brain of another human being. And that imaginative practice actually does translate into an increased ability to feel empathy for others in real life.
What could possibly be more important, especially as we slog through this crisis together? (Why does everyone keep calling it a war? It's a slog).
Back in the days before screens and wires, people generally agreed that reading aloud together was an indispensable form of nightly entertainment. In my experience, that sharing of literary delight and humor and drama and even trauma with somebody else invites greater connection and deepens relationships.
Two of my most vivid childhood memories, ones that create real feelings of fondness for and connection to my siblings: sitting on the back wall tasting dog food together (because we were curious) and one night curling up on my mom's bed as teenagers and demanding that she read aloud to us Roald Dahl's The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.
At that age we mostly thought we were too old for stuff like being read aloud to, but Henry Sugar was not a little kids' book. Still, it was magical. Sure, growing up in a family with six kids there were plenty of fights, but there was also Henry Sugar. And of course tasting dog food. But Roald Dahl left a more pleasant aftertaste.
When I had teens of my own, they discovered even Shakespeare was sometimes actually entertaining when you took turns reading aloud all the parts--because of course the Bard's stuff was never meant to be read alone in silence. And Huckleberry Finn made us hoarse when supposed half-hour reading sessions stretched into two-and-a-half.
Something happens when you read aloud together and practice that imaginative empathy simultaneously with someone else.
I believe it's a powerful way to counteract the sense of deep isolation many people are feeling after a week or two of
social distancing--to build instead a feeling of connection and community with family/roommates/friends/children; whether your reading aloud happens in person or
through online hangouts.
If your thing is non-fiction, that's great, too. Experiencing any good book aloud together is one of the best ways I can think of to connect with other humans, in fact.
And seriously, guys. It's seriously fun.
If you're going to buy something to keep busy with while you're stuck at home, buy books. So many great ones out there! So, in honor of social distance, our family has decided
to close the emotional gap beginning with the deliciously readable Dickens and nightly reading-aloud sessions of
David Copperfield.
What are you reading during your quarantine?
If you need read-loud ideas, contact me. I'm happy to help connect you with your next book.
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