Chapter 10

   With the rise of TV and movies in the 1950's and 60's, people began to think that the book industry was going to take a large hit. However, they were wrong.  "In 1950, more than 11,000 new book titles were introduced, and by 2007 publishers were producing over fifteen times that number" (315). The book industry flourished and overcame its challenges, and it continues to do well today. Books serve a different purpose to people than movies do. They allow people's minds to wander, anything is possible with a book in your hand. When I am reading a book I can imagine what characters look like, what their surroundings look like, and wonder about the plot all at the same time. Movies and television shows have restrictions, they only allow you to see what is in front of you. With a book, its much more. One persons interpretation can be completely different than someone else's.
   I've said it for just about every type of media, and it's no different for books, the digital age is going to change the way we read books. Older books are starting to be digitized so that the information inside of them is not lost throughout the years. That's not the only thing that is changing though. In the not too distant future you may be reading and flipping through a book, without any paper. A book without paper? I know crazy right? However, Amazon introduced a new e-book reader...The Kindle is a lightweight, think reader with an easy-on-the-eyes electronic paper display" (329). With this new technology, people can download books from Amazon.com straight onto their Kindle and read full length books. Personally, I would love to read books on the kindle. I hate having to hold a bulky book in my hand and turn the pages just to have the book fold up on itself. It also eliminates the need to carry around a number of books. With a Kindle that's all you need, and you can read as much and as often as you like. On the contrary, I know some people like to actually physically have the book itself in their hands at times. I guess they will just have to either deal with the bulky book or adapt to new technology.
   Coming across the paragraph about banned books had me thinking about one book in particular, The Catcher in the Rye. This book is one of the most challenged books I know of and is said to have many underlying themes, that are seen by some but not all. I read this book in my junior year, and honestly I was confused as to why this book was so controversial. I read a book about a whiny kid who wouldn't stop talking about how phony everyone was, when all the while he seems like a phony. You have probably heard all about how the book is what prompted the shooting of John Lennon. The shooter was arrested with a copy of the book in his hand. However, my favorite look at the book was the South Park episode where the kids of South Park are assigned this book and told that it is very controversial. They all speed through the book reading it cover to cover only to realize that the book is not as controversial as they thought. I love it so much because I felt the same exact way as they did. I got through the entire book and thought "I just read a book". Then one of the boys, "Butters", finishes the book and says to himself "kill John Lennon". Only to find out from his dad that John Lennon is already dead. It is a funny take on the book and I easily connected with it.