Why books will never die (Quick Read)..

In an era where everything is (seemingly) digital or online, it would be easy to assume that books are going to follow in the same direction. Indeed, e-books are becoming more and more abundant as the days go by (A Pew research study found that 12 percent of Americans own some sort of e-reader.) But, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that books will never die. And here’s why:

If books died, reading would die too. E-books are alright on occasion, but nothing beats the feeling of a crisp, shiny book in your hands. Or even a well-loved, worn out one. Just the act of holding something makes the story more vibrant, and easy to immerse yourself in. Other studies have shown that the screens on e-readers cause the eyes to flicker across the screen, searching for key words and terms. This is due to the internet exposure most people have experienced, when they are forced to scour sites searching for information quickly. In a book however, each word is read and absorbed.

For years, people in my hometown have been saying things like: “that bookshop won’t be open much longer,” or “books are dying.” It hurts to hear and no one needs that sort of negativity in their life, especially avid readers. I usually just remind them that they’ve been saying that for the past decade and still nothing has changed!

Others argue that books will die because they are “unsustainable.” However, I read the following passage over at NewsPedia:

“One book, simply by being produced, transported and retailed, is made responsible for producing about 8.5 pounds (about 3.85 kg) of carbon emissions, whereas iPads only produce a mere 0.005 pounds (about 0.0025 kg) of carbon emissions per hour of use.

Although, after one quick glance at these figures, most people will instantly swear to never buy a book again, a closer look will reveal the truth.

On one hand, after having produced the said 8.85 pounds of carbon emission, the book is pretty much done with polluting the environment; on the other hand, the iPad will slowly but surely continue to harm the natural world throughout its entire lifespan.”

Isn’t that something to think about.

Let me know what you think, I’m interested to hear other opinions! 

-L.W