Valid reading

     I really liked the part in You Gotta Be the Book where Wilhelm talked about valid reading. Many people have the idea that there are certain books, certain themes, or certain content that is considered "valuable". For exanple a Shakespeare piece is more valuable than a Twilight book to many people. I do not agree with this. Wilhelm states, "personal meaning will differ from reader to reader and remain valid". I completely agree with this.
     Although Shakespeare pieces are more difficult to read and make you think a lot harder, I feel that does not automatically make it more valuable than a fantasy book. In my opinion what makes a book valuable is what a person takes away from the book; if they were affected by the book, if the book teaches them a lesson, or if a person can relate to their book in a way that expands their mind. For some people that may be Shakespeare, or it could be Twilight. I do not feel the value of a book is determined by the level of difficulty required to read it, or what the education system deems valuable.
     I have a few personal examples that help shape my opinion. In high school when we read Catcher in the Rye, I found it boring, pointless, and an all around terrible book. I took nothing from this book, and honestly remember little to nothing about the contents because I was only reading for the grade. I do not consider this book valuable to me because it did not affect me or teach me anything. I have a few friends that loved the book and feel it was very beneficial to them to read. Another example is something that happened in class last week. I enjoyed the book Lord of the Flies, and felt it taught a very valuable lesson about how society is. I feel it opened my eyes to just how dangerous and terrifying the human race can be in times of danger. Kaitlyn (I hope I spelled your name right if not I'm sorry): ), hated this book and did not see any value in it. Both opinions are completely okay. It is completely okay to dislike a book other people see as valuable, just as it is okay to find value in books others may not.