Recently, I stumbled upon this blog in which Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi, sent a novel to the Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, every two weeks. Each used, often-paperback novel was sent with a letter in which Martel explains why he chose the novel and what is to be gained from each. In one particular letter, about the book Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson, the opening paragraph caught my eye and all I could think was - YES!
"The great thing about reading books is that it makes us better than cats. Cats are said to have nine lives. What is that compared to the girl, boy, man, woman who reads books? A book read is a life added to one’s own. So it takes only nine books to make cats look at you with envy."
Very clever and very true.
I love how every book he sent the Prime Minister was used, just to show that even though the book is worn and old, the message and meaning is still the same.
If you were to send a book to a country leader, or even just a friend, which one would it be and why?
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