San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1926-01-23
LISTEN, WORLD!
Why Is a Good Book?
BY ELSIE ROBINSON

nevertheless she feels a. II she hal
dropped into another world.
Elsie. you would think I was a
perfect dumbbell the way sit around.
They might as well be talking Chinese
for all Of me. ] got a lot of the books
they talk about and decided I would
wise myself W. But honest. they gave
me a pain in the neck. suppose 1
am an awful low brow. Elsie, but /
couldn't see thing to them.
81 always was crazy about reading
too. But my idea OF reading is nice,
snappy love story or else thrilling
detective understanding with y
kick 10 it.
If | didn't know these people so
well ! would think they were just
putting on front when they say they
like these books. But ] know they
mean il. They really see something in
those books that I don't. Aud it isn't
because they are such a lot brighter
than ] am. don't mean 10 hand my
self any compliments. but | was draw
ing down a salary of 500 q month
before ! married and you can't do thar
il you've a solid ivory dome. Then
why can't ] get interested in the kili
VI UObhS tutNf NNuyllN hhf
'Of course the real reason I'm wor-
ried is because ] am afraid that Will
will get tired Of me il ! never can talk
about the things he likes. Aud I'm
crazy about Will"
Myrtle is an honest little soui,
Many more Of us get "a pain in the
neck" when We try to read high hat
books" but we're afraid TO aeS1owl-
edge il. Let the desire 10 read those
books persist. We know we'd add TO
our own value if we could read them.
And il humiliates us TO feel that We
can't read them. Yet how in heck arc
we going 10 really like TO read them?
The first step toward learning to
like good books is 10 understand what
good books really are.
Good books are not collections OF
long words and tiresome thoughts.
They are cross sections of life.
Good books are really much nearer
to life than bad books.
They have more color and kick IN
them. They have more surprises, more
daring. They take you farther away
from your hum1rum. daily life and
lead you on infinitely more amazing
adventures than the trashy novel or
the detective stories.
Good books are good because they
are true TO life-they interpret the
impulses. reactions and dreams that
lie in ourselves.
Bad books are bad because they are
untrue TO life. Their authors have not
thought deeply or brayely about life
and people. They can't tell the truth
because they don't know it. So they
substitute sticky sentimentality and
mushy platitudes for the red beef and
dynamite of honest thought.
For example. Iolsoy's Anna Kari
eniIa" is an infinitely most thrilling
account of the feeling and fate Of q
fallen woman than the most lurid sex
novel of the day. 1t is more thrilling
because il shows you what actually
happened to Anna and what would
actually happen 10 30 women out OF
hundred instead OF presenting the
imaginary explosions Of some impoe-
sible giddy female.
But if that is so, it would be very
easy to understand and like good
books" says Myrtle. Aud homes
Elsie, they look just about as good
to me as a dog biscuit"
OF course they do. You've con-
sumed so much paprika and taffy that
you've lost your ability TO react to
reality when you do see it in books, or
in life. And therein lies the deep vie
iousness of bad books. They not only
make you look for the wrong things
in print. They make you look for the
wrong things in people. They give you
wrong scales whereby to judge expert
ence.
But good books give you gooo
scales. They help you fight tronbl-.
within and without yourself. They
help you build power. They help yoi
find happiness. They set you free.
Copyright, 1895, King Features Syn, Inc.