Behind the Book, Patricia Sargeant

The Superpower of Books

I grew up in New York. Our house was walking distance from a library. Walking distance. Growing up, walking distance was considered as far as you could walk before your legs cramped up.

Segue: The first time I invited my husband to visit my family in New York – we were dating at the time – we walked from my house to the subway to catch the train into Manhattan. Once we were on the train, he asked me, “I thought you said the subway was walking distance from your house?”

Me (confused): Yes, I said that.

My husband (taken aback): That wasn’t walking distance. That was 20 blocks.

Me (even more confused): You walked it, didn’t you?

After that, I had to rebuild the trust in our relationship.

Back to my original story. Every Saturday, my sister and I would walk to the library. She was about 11. I was 8 or 9. One Saturday, she suggested I read Blackhearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken, and I’m so glad I listened to her. It was a wonderful adventure. Reading that story, I felt as though I’d left my bedroom and entered the world the characters inhabited. I know you understand exactly what I’m talking about.

That’s one of the superpowers books have. It’s a truly magical ability. Books have the power to pull us into a story. They pull us into the lives of the characters we’re reading about. Lives that are created, informed and infused by the perspectives and filters of the authors, perhaps even the lives of the authors. We are literally building a relationship, making a connection, forging an understanding between us and the others the author’s characters represent.

Books have the ability to break down walls and barriers by exposing us to a whole lot of others: other people, other places, other experiences, other cultures, other opinions. Books build bridges by allowing us to put ourselves in the situation of the others we’re reading about.

For example, I’ve never been a homeless, single parent, but when I read The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner – the story of his experiences as a homeless, single father – Mr. Gardner made me feel his fear and desperation. It was like a punch to my throat. That feeling motivates me to support organizations and policies that help people in similarly desperate situations.

In Suzanne Brockman’s Letters to Kelly, a contemporary romance, the hero had been a political prisoner. In the story, Amnesty International helped broker his freedom. After reading that story, I was moved to support Amnesty International’s mission. And I learned about post-traumatic stress disorder from a Harlequin romance long before popular media started discussing it. (Yes, I’m that old.) These are just a few examples of one of the many superpowers I believe books have.

Readers, what are some of the superpowers you’ve recognized in books? Have you read books that have introduced you to other experiences, cultures, places?

32 thoughts on “The Superpower of Books”

  1. Great post (and so funny about the walking). I always feel sorry for people who tell me they don’t read. How insular their lives must be. I’ve never been to Ireland, but I have seen it through the eyes of Tana French. And that’s just one example. Books transport us away from our lives and into the lives of another. One step at a time.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Judy, thank you for your kind words about my post. I love that you’ve been to Ireland through books! I think traveling is more fun through books than via TV or movies. I feel sad when people tell me they choose not to read. Books give people things to talk about.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  2. I think that books have the ability to give you ideas, learn about new cultures, experience a place you have never been and teach you a lot of things you did not know. Even when they talk of food there are some that I have never tried and it expands your horizons. Lots of fun and learning too. I went to a tea ceremony in Takayama, Japan, visited Castles in Scotland and Ireland and went on a Cruise. So much fun. Deborah

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Deborah!!!!! A tea ceremony in Japan!!!! So exciting!!!!! Oh, my word! Love it. And I agree with your statements about the superpowers of books – that they give you ideas and expand your horizons.

      Like

      Reply

  4. Side story: The Hubby and I went to Toronto for our honeymoon and walked from our hotel (on the lake) to Casa Loma and back. “It doesn’t look that far.” Little did we know…

    I’ve met all sorts of people and gone to all sorts of places through books that I’d never been able to see otherwise. When it’s authentic it’s magical.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

      3. Toronto is one of my hubby’s favorite cities. It’s a pretty popular destination for visitors from here in the Northeast, I think.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

  5. Walking distance for me is no more than ten miles, lol. But then again, my mom hated driving, so if I wanted to go somewhere as a kid, I had to walk.

    And I love this post so much, Patricia, because also as a kid, books were my life–especially in summer, when I’d check out the maximum of ten every week from the library. I lived inside those books, traveling to space, owning a horse ranch, investigating mysteries…. I do indeed wonder about those who don’t read. How sad.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much for your kind words about my post, Leslie. xoxoxo. We used to check out the maximum ten books, too! Ha! Now I love that my library system doesn’t have a maximum number of books to borrow each week. (Here, imagine me rubbing my hands together in glee.)

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. When I was growing up, I walked home from school. It was about a mile walk. The library was in the way, so that was super cool and convenient.
    When I think of superpowers in books, I think of Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels. His use of satire and social commentary was absolutely brilliant.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  7. Patricia, your story about your husband made me laugh, as a native New Yorker! 20 blocks?! I can clock 20K steps in NYC on a bad day!

    I’m reading a book right now that answers your question: The Great Mann by my friend Kyra Davis Lurie. It’s a reimagining of The Great Gatsby set in the post-war world Black Hollywood, and it is an absolute education on every level. I highly recommend it.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  8. Love this, Patricia! And I know exactly which library you mean, lol. I walked to it with my kids all the time from the other side of that park. They offered cool (and free) art programs, too. 20 blocks was well worth it–with plenty to see on the way. I read my dad’s bookshelves as a kid–so a lot of “time travel” through historicals, biographies and Irving Stone, a lot of war stuff. My favorites, though, were spy thrillers. A lot of the stuff went over my head, but I got the general idea.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. What a fun post! I read it this morning but I’m currently sick so I drifted off into a nap as I tried to think how to answer about superpowers! Even in this blog post, I was transported to a neighborhood in New York, and also back in time thinking back to nights where I walked 20 blocks (streets, not avenues) in NYC!

    Here’s to local libraries — I would love to have lived walking distance to one!!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  10. I recently read two books that educated and entertained me – a winning combo! I’ve never been to Iceland, but thanks to Death on the Island by Eliza Reid, I learned about the Westman Islands. I’ve never had my fortune told, but thanks to Death in the Cards by Mia P. Manansala, I have a basic understanding of tarot card readings.

    Like

    Reply

  11. Honestly laughed out loud at this: “You walked it, didn’t you?”

    This post made me think of going to the library as a young one. Ah, those were the days.

    Thank you, Patricia.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a reply to Judy Penz Sheluk Cancel reply