The most human capacity, I firmly believe, lies in our ability to tell stories. Many animals communicate, clearly and with empathy. But only humans tell stories.
Taking a break from blogging, I have explored my other areas of interest for the past 14 days: shopping for comics with my own children, providing grades and material for my students, selling books, and falling into the mystified trance of someone who has never read Gabriel Garcia Marquez before.
Over these days, I have made several notes on ideas for blog posts. I have some solid lines of thought I want to submit for your approval, but I haven’t gotten around to them yet.
Thankfully, one of my Facebook friends posted this article from The Guardian UK, a recent speech from Neil Gaiman, a man who has mastered the human capacity. If you haven’t read Gaiman, you owe it to yourself. His newest novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, came out this summer and is brilliant. But for now, please read this, which sums up almost everything I want to communicate about the power of reading, succinctly and in the manner of a true storyteller. That is, humanely.
The Reading Parent 