Back into reading…in an obsessive kind of way

I’m beginning to think I’m obsessive/compulsive or something.

The other night, I went to not one but two movie stores, hoping to find something interesting and engaging to watch. I couldn’t find anything, and decided instead to visit Bentley’s Books, a sizeable used bookstore here in Cochrane.

I used to be quite the avid reader, but since I finished college and got into the working world — and the fact that I’m a real film addict — books just got pushed to the wayside.

I honestly had no idea what I was looking for at Bentley’s. I initially picked up a copy of Sherwood Anderson’s complete works, which included Winesburg, Ohio, a really readable novel I’d read in college and really enjoyed. I think I also grabbed a Twain novel before thinking, “Am I really going to get back into reading with these books, or will they die a quick death on my nightstand?”

I started looking for some thrillers: a page-turner that would really get me excited about the exercise again.

I’m horrible at making decisions, especially when I’m on a limited budget. I just wanted to grab a great big bagful and read them all.

I finally settled, however, on All the President’s Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. I’d seen the film, but supposed the book would cover infinitely more material. I also grabbed The Gangs of New York, a book documenting the rise of gangs in the Five Points area of New York, and inspired the Martin Scorsese film. I also grabbed Foucault’s Pendulum, a supposedly “heady” Umberto Eco thriller.

I started reading Gangs first, and found an interesting anecdote about a missionary there, who is attributed with really beginning the process of turning the Five Points around.

I decided last night, however, to read a few pages of the Woodward and Berstein book. For those of you who haven’t read it, it’s the account of the authors’ work in uncovering the Watergate scandal while working for the Washington Post. Their stories basically led to the full-scale Senate inquiry which impeached Richard Nixon.

I thought I’d read a few pages and see what I thought.

Well…after a solid day of being buried in the book, literally, looking up every so often to acknowledge the existence of my wife and children (okay, it wasn’t that bad. I did take them all to McDonald’s today…and I was really playful at home from my fixed position on the lounge chair), I finished the 365 pages of the book, which was honestly a thrilling ride beginning to end.

What gets me about the book is that it reads like an old spy novel, but in the center of this old edition were the photos of the real men involved. I don’t know…their photographs made me realize what an amazing abuse of power the whole Watergate scandal was. The very presidency was used to squash opponents, launder money, thwart Democratic meetings and candidates. In the midst of the reading, I was just enthralled with the detective work, the reporting, the behind-the-scenes of the Washington Post.

On reflection, I had to remind myself they were real people — real leaders of the free world. No wonder the late sixties and early seventies were so confusing, so full of upheaval. If you can’t trust your government (something we don’t really take for granted anymore), who could you trust? I can’t imagine the shift in values, the bewilderment, the permanent scar of cynicism it must have left on the people.

I also can’t imagine how sore I’ll be tomorrow from sitting in such a fixed position for the entirety of the day…

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 25th, 2005 at 9:04 pm and is filed under Rants and Raves. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

One Response to “Back into reading…in an obsessive kind of way”
  1. Patrick Mulvehill Says:
    June 30th, 2005 at 11:58 am

    That is better, I am glad to see that you have your commenting back online. I wanted to mention that the reading bug has kinda bit me too. Recently I figured that I needed to go back to reading before my mind turned to mush with all the movies that I have been watching. So I started reading…several books. Problem know is that I get them all confused. Of course the titles of my books are much more interesting…”Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” by Bill Martin Jr. & “Where Is Baby’s Belly Button?” by Karen Katz. =)