On Books and Reading

Literature is my Utopia.
Helen Keller

Random trivia: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" sold a record 8.3 million copies in the U.S. on its first day.

1 in 4 Americans admit to not having read even ONE book in the last 12 months.

What does this have to do with anything? Daddy used to love to read. He still "reads". How much is really understanding? Who knows. He has had the same James Patterson book on the table near his chair for months. He picks it up, looks at the pages, and turns them. To all outward appearances, he is reading. I think he can still translate the printed grapheme into meaning on some level, but I doubt there is much comprehension any longer. Certainly there is little, if any, content retention.

The enduring satisfaction of reading is yet another thing that Alzheimer's has stolen from him. I only hope, at this point, that books still make him happy, even if it is only for a few fleeting moments at a time.