Recently, after reading An Experiment in Criticism by C.S. Lewis for my Seminar in Literature, I’ve decided that I want to become a better reader of books. I desire to be in the lives of thousands of other people while remaining myself at the same time. I long to master the art of surrender–to look, listen, and receive–all the while getting myself out of the way. I want to move out of the “majority” of readers into the “minority” as Lewis describes and then be consistent when I arrive. The truth is that I am not completely an illiterate person, but I do carry some tendencies that Lewis presents. Luckily, I’m in a great class about great literature that is not necessarily forcing me but rather teaching me how to make this transition. The real “teachers” have become the books assigned to me, not the professors themselves (no offense). They, my professors, instead have created the space, the opportunity to learn and be transformed–to become part of the “minority.” So, I’ll keep reading and let the books speak to me; I’ll let them shape my reading life.  I don’t know if this is safe or the proper route to take in becoming a more literate person, but I have enough trust in other authors and in stories.

And one more thing. I not only want to get better at reading books, but more involved in reading people as well.  I believe the two factors that will influence me in the most in the years to come are the books I read and the people I am around.