Why I Read

The world feels incredibly chaotic right now. We all need pockets of comfort that we can lean into, things that can make us feel hopeful and energized. It's no surprise that when things get hard, I lean into reading. I always have. Whether I was struggling through adolescence, adjusting to a new city, grieving the loss of my dad, or stumbling through heartbreak, reading has been there for me in a way nothing else ever has.

There have been countless studies and articles finding that reading is on the decline --- which I find surprising and disturbing. Surprising because it feels like reading has exploded over the last few years, most notably through way of social media like TikTok; and disturbing because I worry of the longterm impact this lack of reading and reading comprehension will have on culture and society, especially among young people. There also has been a decline of young people partying and spending time in person together, and a rise in traits like neuroticism and introversion. Not only are young people not reading (which was normal when I was growing up), they're also not socializing or drinking or having sex or interacting with the world like they used to --- which I believe are very valid (and dare I say positive) reasons to not be reading.

All that to say, this combination of the world feeling chaotic and reading on the decline has made me wonder if there is some way I can encourage people to read. I share my love of books through posts on this website, but I started to wonder if I should be sharing more of why I read instead of just what I read. One of my favorite personal development books, Atomic Habits, shows that people are more likely to stick to something if they feel it is important to their identity and not just their habits. And I truly believe that identifying as a reader has made it part of my everyday life and shaped so much of who I am, and I wanted to share some of the reasons why I read and what it means to me in hopes it might inspire someone to pick up a book.

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I read to escape

When I started asking myself why I read, this is the first reason that popped up in my head. And it's a reason I think many people identify with, especially in the modern world of social media and the news cycle and being bombarded by difficult realities, both personally and externally. Reading gets people off their phones, away from the madness, and into a different world.

It's also a reason that can get kids hooked into reading early on. I've told this anecdote a few times on this website, but the first moment I remember feeling absolutely enthralled by a story was when my mom read me the first Harry Potter book when I was five years old. That series cemented my love of reading, and I have escaped into the wizarding world many times over the years, especially when things get hard.

There is something specifically about books that makes the escapism feel more encompassing. Movies and TV shows are great, but reading feels personal. You get to imagine every detail in your own head -- you become the director, cinematographer, casting director. It feels like you have agency, that this is your story, and these details are ones only you will ever know. It's why I typically never prefer a film or TV adaptation of a book I love --- they will never capture the magic in my head.

But what a joy it is to feel like this world is yours, precious to you and your heart. You get to escape the everyday challenges of life, but use your brain in a way that feels exciting, fantastical, and hopeful. And we could all certainly stand to use more of our brain, even if it's just for a fun escape.

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I read to build empathy

I wrote about this a bit in my post about the current state of the book world, but I am surprised to hear how many people don't connect reading to empathy. Studies have shown that specifically fiction reading improves empathy.

Getting into the mind and soul of someone else, even fictional, is a transformative experience. I'm not saying all fiction books do this, but the ones that do feel life-changing. My book club just read The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali, a story about two girls who become friends in Iran in the 1950s, and grow to become women during this country's tumultuous revolution. We were all deeply affected by these women and what they went through, and couldn't help but see a parallel of their loss of rights to what is happening in the US right now. We found more similarities than differences between the characters and our own stories, and commended their strength and grace even through the darkest of times.

Books like this exemplify how reading can build empathy. When it comes down to it, we are all more alike than we think --- we all love and grieve and care deeply. It can be easy to boil people down to their differences, but fiction helps us recognize what we all have in common, because it may just be the thing that stops the world from burning.

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I read because I am curious

I hear from some people that the time they spend reading they want to be learning (and typically these are men talking about hefty nonfiction books), and while I understand the sentiment, it defines learning in a way that is narrow and constraining. No matter the genre, reading can improve empathy or teach you something new about someone else, or if it's smut, it can teach you something you never thought you liked about sex... there's always something to learn.

And yes, nonfiction books are a great way to learn. But we all know people who read because they think it makes them seem more intelligent, or worldly, or ambitious. And while reading can absolutely improve those qualities, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to have those traits, I worry that some people read more for the aesthetic of productivity --- instead of the magic of curiosity.

When I read to learn, it's because I have a hunger to better understand a topic, a country, a theory. Have you ever found yourself down a Wikipedia rabbit hole, gobbling up the facts to better understand some arbitrary topic? That's how I am with reading, especially nonfiction. And I actually feel that more people have that hunger and curiosity than they realize, but a lot of nonfiction struggles to capture that excitement. It's why books like Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution and Under the Banner of Heaven are some of my favorite books of all time. These books dive into an esoteric topic that have engaged my attention so fully that I feel like a changed person after finishing them. These are the kinds of books that make me continuously ask why and how, and reach for more books on the topic because I am so fascinated and enthralled. These stories have molded me into a profoundly curious person, something that is probably equally as fun as it is annoying.

So for me, learning through reading is not about the facts or figures, it's about igniting the fire of curiosity that ultimately pushes me to want to know more, to ask more questions, to become more understanding and... dare I say, more empathetic. Because once again, I believe that empathy is the thing the world needs more of, the thing that can get us to a better place.

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I read because it's who I am as an Azar

I feel incredibly lucky that both of my parents loved and valued reading so much. Growing up, our home was overflowing with books, and my parents actively read and spoke about their favorite books and love of reading.

My dad was the one who made me love libraries. There's even an old home movie I found after he had passed, where my dad is talking to my mom in our Rockaway Beach apartment while one year old me toters about, pulling together the books from the library he needed to return and inquiring about what he wanted to borrow next. We didn't have a lot of money growing up, and many of my weekends were spent at the library with my dad, excitedly looking through all the books and painfully deciding which ones I would take home, damn those check out limits. I still almost exclusively read books through the library, an institution that is so precious in the modern world.

When I read, I am reminded of my dad. When I read, I feel close to him in a way that feels harder to find the more time passes. He was the biggest cheerleader of this book website, and the one who would call me every time I published a new post to talk about the books I had reviewed. Even now, over three years later, I still feel an itch to send the link to his phone contact, hoping for a call that never comes. My grief in those moments feels crushing, but that pain reminds me how excited he was that I put time and effort into something I loved, and I never want to forget that.

I am a reader because I am an Azar, a part of my identity I am incredibly proud of and attached to. It helps ground me, connecting me not just to my dad but the world around me. And it's that connection that ultimately keeps me moving forward, finding hope even when things feel dark, and it's one I will always try to share with others.

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Happy reading, y'all.