Thursday, September 11, 2008

Booking Through Thursday


Today is the 7th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I know that not all of you who read are in the U.S., but still, it’s vital that none of us who are decent people forget the scope of disaster that a few, evil people can cause–anywhere in the world. It’s not about religion, it’s not about politics, it’s about the acknowledgment that humans should try to work together, not tear each other apart, even when they disagree.

So, feeling my way to a question here … Terrorists aren’t just movie villains any more. Do real-world catastrophes such as 9/11 (and the bombs in Madrid, and the ones in London, and the war in Darfur, and … really, all the human-driven, mass loss-of-life events) affect what you choose to read? Personally, I used to enjoy reading Tom Clancy, but haven’t been able to stomach his fight-terrorist kinds of books since.

And, does the reality of that kind of heartless, vicious attack–which happen on smaller scales ALL the time–change the way you feel about villains in the books you read? Are they scarier? Or more two-dimensional and cookie-cutter in the face of the things you see on the news?

We live in Oklahoma City where a downtown Federal office building was bombed with a large rental truck loaded with homemade explosives. The Oklahoma City Memorial is a wonderful example of the efforts we have put forth to learn more about terrorism whether it is by individuals/groups locally or internationally. This is the key. Learning, then educating and then changing.

Currently my reading is focused on poverty and how it affects people's education and health. So I suppose yes terror attacks influence what I read but these are positive changes that I want to make within myself. As for my thoughts on book villians --- compeltely separate from the real world!

6 comments:

gautami tripathy said...

I can read about terrorism. Or wath movies on that but I can't accept terrorism.

Villainy is not the right word

SmilingSally said...

Okay, so you can read and segregate fact from fiction better than I. It affects me.

Kat said...

I can read books and watch movies that deal with terrorism and separate fiction from reality, but that doesn't mean I'd pick it over other books I want to read. :)

carrhop said...

I know what you mean about Clancy--his pre 9/11 writings now seem spookily prophetic.

Blessings~

S. Krishna said...

I lived in Tulsa until 2001, and I can remember the events of the OKC bombing like they were yesterday - how scared we were, how confused (I was in middle school). We just didn't understand.

Here are my thoughts.

Wendy said...

Another great and thoughtful post. I do love your blog and you have an award at my place. Check it out!