One of the more interesting subjects I had in the Journalism graduate school required no face-to-face classroom contact with a professor and classmates.
It was the Readings Class, which required us to go over 10 to 12 books covering 5,000 pages. It was a self-managed academic requirement that allowed us to choose from a list of pre-selected titles, after which we wrote book summaries, critiques and learning insights.
I remember walking into a number of the about 30 smaller libraries on campus, which is considered today as the second largest U. S. academic library, to choose from among the recommended list of dozens of volumes which to borrow and read.
A book lover, I considered the academic experience to my liking as I was shooting a bird with two stones – earn class credit and, just as gratifying, explore the boundless horizons offered by renowned journalists away from tabloid front pages to hard-bound materials documenting first-hand experiences which served as down-to-earth and invaluable lessons for aspiring journalism practitioners and educators, like me, from, what my professors often described “far, far away, across the Pacific, the Philippines.”
Aah, how I recall relishing those crisp, oft fresh-from-press pages of the books up to post-midnight hours at the nooks of the Student Union, which was open 24 hours daily. The Student Union is an activity center in American universities, which provide a wide range of services – from libraries, recreation, dining, hotel, travel arrangements and others.
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One of the books I read for that class was “Crazy Salad” by the late Nora Ephron, a journalist, award-winning writer, blogger, producer and director of romantic comedy films. Among her popular screenplays there were “You’ve Got Mail”, “Sleepless in Seattle” and “Silkwood”, which starred the legendary Meryl Streep. She was considered at that time as one of the pillars of the then ‘New Journalism’ era.
The book offers slices of women’s way of life and empowerment in an engaging and hilarious way that are distinctly the brand of writing that Ephron has been known for.
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I remember, too, how my parents influenced us on Bible reading, which has ensured for decades as part of my daily fare.
In high school, one of the remarkable books I encountered was Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”.
The Pulitzer prize winner is a fictional story that addresses the enduring issue on racial prejudice and social justice from the eyes of a young small town girl – which preceded the rise of the civil rights movement in America.
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While reading 5,000 pages seemed like a pressure, I took the course as a pleasure that resulted in a highly-satisfactory grade.
My pleasurable Readings Class experience reverberated in mind with the thought that the global community marks on Sept. 6 Read a Book Day, which “encourages people to read either for themselves, for children, or for elderly people.”
Promoters of the event say that just as important as the fun, learning and expanding one’s vocabulary derived from reading is the fact that it promotes one’s well-being as it improves a person’s health by relaxing, lowering stress levels, stimulates brain activity, improve memory and promote mental wellness.
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A number of writers, however, are lamenting that in the midst today of screens and digital platforms, reading books seems like it has become a lost art.
Writer Dave Boehi cited studies by David Ulin and Nicholas Carr who are looking into how the social media culture, popularized by Google, Facebook and X, previously Twitter, may be affecting people, including among others, their reading habits.
A big shift seems to occur “in the way we gather and process information,” he said, adding that each new media invention through time, including the internet, “inevitably affects the way people read and reduces the time they devote to it.”
A recent Facebook post of a friend, a self-confessed book lover, last week re-affirmed the observation when he wrote he is passing up and invitation to a big-time book discount sale as he still have a number of unread ones purchased some months back.
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The early September “cerebral event” is not the only observance if a ‘lost art’ at this time of the year.
There’s World Letter Writing Day on Sept. 1 and the Newspaper Carrier Day on September 4.
Letter Writing Day, was started 10 years ago by an Australian photographer, Richard Simpkin, who must have felt the ground emails have started to establish with the rise of the digital era.
The event focuses on handwritten letters, which Simpkin believes, are more personal than emails.
The day aims to bring to a pause digital communication’s online rush and celebrate one of the oldest ways bridging the distance between two persons and among people.
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Newspaper Carrier Day is marked in some countries, especially the United States. It commemorates Barney Flaherty, the first newspaper boy who was hired by the New York Sun on Sept. 4, 1933 – or 191 years ago.
While the event brings to focus the role delivery persons have in information dissemination, their task has been relegated to the minimum with the takeover by online editions.
It is great that these three events, which had been popular among earlier generations, are being observed at this time of the year, reminding us of the value and meaning of these human activities otherwise known now as fading forms of art.
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I take the opportunity to greet friends and associates in Malaysia and Vietnam, which are celebrating their national day.
Hari Merdeka, or Independence Day, in Malaysia is observed on Aug. 31 highlighted by a grand parade, fireworks and speeches.
Malaysia d coated independence from the British Empire on Aug. 31, 1957.
Vietnam is marking is 79th National Day on Sept. 2, when it declared freedom from France and Japan in 1945 at the end of WWII.
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Another early September event is International Day of Charity, which rallies people to work voluntarily and beneficially.
The day is observed on Sept. 5, which recalls the death of Mother Teresa, known for global charity work, who passed away in 2012. She was 87.
The day aims to sensitize and encourage people and organizations to take action toward a humanitarian cause.
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All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) | NWI
