Reading Fiction

"Literature is the ultimate virtual experience—a truly mind-expanding trip to other times and places, seen through the eyes of someone other than ourselves.

"Literature encourages us—requires us—to identify with other people in a way that differs from movies and from most nonfiction reading.

"Ideally, we engage our imaginations over an extended period of time, acquiring a vicarious experience that can be more intense and lasting than a movie, because of the time it takes and the amount that the reader contributes to the experience – much more interactive than a movie or anything the Internet has to offer.

"I think of literature as an expansive owner's manual for life – how to see the world through others' eyes, how to avoid other people's mistakes, how to be thankful and recognize something about the worst kinds of pain that you know you haven't been through, and how to survive if that day comes.

"You can experience the past, present, and future of humanity, sometimes all at once, and dwell within the experience."

- David, high school English teacher