My
wife and two kids are heading to Boston for Thanksgiving, a ritual that goes
back some six or seven years. My wife’s
aunt and uncle have greeted 20-something family members with open arms – and
lots of food and drink. My daughter, 11, wants to ask people what they are
thankful for. Here’s my list, as it
relates to books and life.
I
am thankful for…
·
The existence of
books in our world. Where would we be without the transfer of
knowledge all of these centuries? Books have been our way to connect
generations of experiences, discoveries, theories, fantasies, and thoughts.
·
The re-emergence
of independent bookstores and all of the retailers that now sell books. Without them, all that would be left would be
Amazon. A wealth of goods or knowledge
should not be concentrated in the hands of an all-too-powerful corporation.
·
Writers, who with courage
and conviction, want to pick up a pen or laptop in any given day to create something
from nothing, to give voice to an idea, to provide a means to transmit what’s
on their minds and in their hearts.
·
Teachers who make strides
to raise a literate society, and get students at any age to engage with books
and to read as much as possible.
·
Libraries and librarians, who are underpaid
and understaffed but manage to filter stacks of knowledge so that patrons are
exposed to the books and resources that will benefit them. Parents give us not
only love and safety, but a deep admiration of books.
·
The news media, for even though
it gets a bad rap, is a huge champion of books, truth, and knowledge. Without a
flourishing media, books don’t get discovered, and America gets dumber.
·
Book publishers, who in the face
of a huge self-publishing movement, manage to publish a record number of books.
They uphold standards but open the doors for our nation to be exposed to a
variety of thoughts and credentialed writers.
·
Literary agents, who tirelessly
seek to advocate on behalf of writers who deserve a good publishing home – and
to be compensated fairly for their good works.
·
Editors, who help make
good books great and great books legendary.
Editors have a lot of power but the truly gifted ones know how to help authors
produce a better book.
·
Book promoters and
marketers,
who give exposure to some interesting, important, and needed books. They can make anything sound better than it
is, so beware, but they do more good than harm.
·
Self-publishing, for even though
it allows for some real garbage to see the light of day, more importantly it
allows for new voices to be heard that never ever could have gotten past self-appointed
gatekeepers. Self-publishers innovate and force traditional publishers to be
even better than ever.
I am
also thankful for so many others involved
in the book world, from writing coaches, and book shepherds, to cover
designers, printers, distributors, and those who earn minimum wage to stack
bookshelves or who intern for peanuts at a book publishing company. Everyone involved in the process of seeing a book created, published,
promoted, sold, taught, and read is precious.
I am
especially thankful for those who remind us that free speech is not to be taken
for granted, that banning, censoring, or burning books can’t extinguish the
forces behind them.
I am
thankful for all who post reviews online about a book and those who donate
books to help those in need. I am thankful for, the invention of light bulbs to
read books 24/7. I am thankful for
comfortable chairs to settle into for the reading of a good book. I am thankful for Starbucks and good snacks
to consume while digesting an appetizing book.
I am
thankful to be alive and to be here to say Happy Thanksgiving! Eat up and go write, read, or buy a book!
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