As an avid reader, I have been conscious from an early age of how books make us appear to others. Reading chapter books in the 2nd grade set me apart, as did reading poetry in third, and Stephen King in 5th. (Seriously, where the hell where my parents?)
In middle school I would raid my dad's bookcases for Robert Heinlein, Ayn Rand, Phillip K. Dick. My love of sci-fi hit hard and early, again drawing distinction between me and my Goosebumps loving peers.
High school brought Shakespeare, Austin, Chaucer, all the things people dreaded to read in English. (Gee, I wonder why I decided to become a lit major?) And again, I experienced how just carrying the right book could set you apart, get you attention, add to your geek cred.
I never read a book only because it would make me look cool. And I'm no book snob. I'll read anything-romance, pop fiction, mystery, whatev. But...that doesn't mean I always want to be seen as a reader of...those types of books :?
As an adult, I wonder if this has gone too far for me. I am writing a paper over Twilight, definitely not my favorite book, but a good topic for this paper. However, I don't want to be seen reading it! I don't want to be thought of as a Twimom, lusting after a barely pubescent man-vamp-thing. That's, like, so not my thing, to quote my loquacious students.
But this just all come down to a self-esteem issue? I mean, face it, who the hell really cares what books I'm reading? The mere fact that I AM reading sets me apart from 80% of the US.
Any thoughts out there? How do books define you?
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