Reading is portrayed as a deeply spiritual experience, akin to a religious ritual, reflecting a profound respect for the written word. The practice of treating books with care, such as avoiding cracking their spines, symbolizes reverence for knowledge and personal connection to literature. This attitude towards books reveals a belief that literature serves as a transformative space, akin to a temple, fostering a sense of sacredness and personal reflection.
Author, lawyer, and poet Dwayne Betts talks about his time in prison and the power of reading with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Betts is the founder of the Million Book Project, which aims to put a small library of great books in 1,000 U.S. prisons. Betts discusses his plans for the project and how reading helped him transform himself.