Maybe this is why we read, and why in moments of darkness we return to books: to find words for what we already know.

Readers are bullied in schoolyards and in locker-rooms as much as in government offices and prisons.

Those who spend the greater part of their time in reading or writing books are, of course, apt to take rather particular notice of accumulations of books when they come across them. They will not pass a stall, a shop, or even a bedroom-shelf without reading some title, and if they find themselves in an unfamiliar library, no host need trouble himself further about their entertainment.

Statistically, if you're reading this sentence, you're an oddball. The average American spends three minutes a day reading a book. At this moment, you and I are engaged in an essentially antiquated interaction. Welcome, fellow Neanderthal!

The way a book is read- which is to say,
the qualities a reader brings to a book- can have as much to do with its worth as anything the author puts into it.

Reading is like magic--I think I've made my case. Without the gift of words, this world's a crazy place!