To read or not to read

Reading is one of my passions. Great hobby, although a bit expensive, particularly for my parents when I was a kid. Bookstores in my home country are not...let’s say...en vogue. All they have are books from Paulo Coelho, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabel Allende, Spanish translations of self-help books and textbooks. Not being a big fan of either of those books, and having read all the books in my parents’ bookshelf - including an encyclopedia on pregnancy and motherhood, another note to my future husband ;) - my dad became a member of Club de Lectores, a Spaniard club, who would send him monthly catalogs of books. I cherished the days when my dad would bring me the catalog, and asked me to choose which books I wanted him to order. I had to restrain myself from not ordering the whole thing.

I remember once, Dad came home for lunch carrying 2 books, fresh from Spain. I vividly remember the titles: “The Dead Poets’ Club”, and “Dying Young”. He was beaming as he handed them to me, and said “Enjoy”. His first premature wrinkle appeared that night when, as he came back home from work, I said: “I’m done with those 2 books you brought earlier. Didn’t you get any more?” That was probably the moment he dismissed any dreams of wealth he might have ever had. 

Reading turned me into a freak in my home country. Apparently, the only books people read there are textbooks. Hence, people would always ask what class I was studying for whenever they saw me reading a book. I felt much better, though, while living in Denver, and everyone would be reading a book while riding the bus or the train. I felt like I was finally among my own. However, living in Vegas made me realize I may be more alone than I thought. My first month here I had to ride the bus more than I wished to. A lot of latinos also ride the bus. That’s when I realized the non-reading habit is a latin epidemic. One man asked me while on a bus stop: “Is that the Bible you’re reading?” Seriously?! Is that the only book you have ever heard of? What has the world come to?!