The People Project

The Reader

This is the girl who is never seen without a book at her side. If she was it would seem so odd that people would stop and take a second look. The reader is the one unable to go anywhere without her glasses because she's strained her eyes so much trying to fit in one last chapter with the slowly dying sunlight. Her long, dark hair is often pulled back to keep it out of the way and unstyled because she has better things to do. She never bothers to wear much makeup, if she wears any at all.

I watch her curled up in the corner of the library, completely oblivious to the entire world around her, lost in the pages of her fictional characters. She looks so comfortable and at home here, surrounded by the tall bookshelves and the kids murmuring quietly while they do homework. I know for a fact that she has good friends; I see her with them all the time. So why she chooses to spend her free time here is a mystery to me. They're not the coolest or most loved or geekiest group, but they're friendly and can carry a conversation with almost anyone. They're genuinely nice people.

So why does she need those books? It's true that some people read just for pure fun and enjoyment, but the way she gets absorbed, the way she becomes lost to the world and the emotions her reading can bring out in her suggests it's something more than that. I've always wondered this about her but have never had the courage to ask. It almost feels invasive, like I would be asking something very private about her life. Not that she would be rude or refuse an answer if I did ask. She's too nice for her own good.

Some people use books to escape, to forget the troubles of their life and try to solve someone else's. But if her life is as good as it looks, why would she need that? The answer- perfection is just a pretty illusion for fools.

Maybe she has bad things going on at home, which is why she spends so much time here. To me libraries have always felt like a safe place. A place you can escape to where you can just relax and think. Or maybe she isn't as close with her friends as it seems. Maybe she feels like she isn't as close to them as they are to each other, so she feels excluded, detached from the group. She's like the black sheep; still a part of the herd but distinctly separate.

Or maybe she just finds the worlds in her books more interesting. If they're better and happier they provide the perfect place to live for a while. If they're corrupt and messed up then they make the weight of this life seem just a little more bearable.

If any of these are true they are all forms of escapism; hiding from your problems instead of facing them. And some day she's going to have to look up from those pages and deal with whatever she's bee hiding from. It won't be pretty. It won't be pleasant. She'll probably try to dive back into her novel. But there is only so much a story can shelter you from.

I wish I could think of a way to help her when that time comes, but the truth is that I don't think I can. I'm in no position to because I really don't know her or her situation This is something she needs to face on her own.

But she'll be ok.

Readers are stronger than they know.