Imagine...

Today is somewhat of a national holiday… one not for jolly fat men or fluffy white rabbits. Rather, it is a day for evil to be conquered and good to prevail. It's a day that many (including myself) acknowledge as an end of an era. I'm not referring to some political agenda, or the war on terrorism, although we could use some good news right now. Instead, I'd like to recognize the efforts of Ms. J. K. Rowling and the world she so perfectly created in "Harry Potter".

There you have it, now you've seen me in all of my geekdom (or is it dorkism?). I couldn't let this day pass without writing something about it, now could I? While the final installment of the Harry Potter saga will most definitely induce celebratory-like reactions in some people (and some eye-rolling I'm sure), the truth of the matter is that it's all fiction folks. It doesn't matter if Harry beats Voldem… he who must not be named, or vice versa. In the end, the credits will roll and we'll all go home- thirty bucks lighter I might add. So what's all the fuss about?

I love a good story. Even more so, I love a good book. In my opinion, the written word is far more powerful than any recorded image, hands down. I can't begin to imagine what my life would be like without this simple joy. Just the other day my brother-in-law, who is fourteen, saw me holding a book and made the comment, "I'm glad I don't like to read". This type of attitude seems to be common among the younger generation and it disheartens me.

Now, I realize reading is akin to having a hobby; some people work on cars, some tend to a garden, others read. What I don't understand is the negative connotation associated with books and literature. I know that most people don't wish to read everything they can get their hands on, but at the same time, I feel as if we shouldn't be able to count the number of books we've read during our lifetime on one hand.

While on the subject of reading I would like to take the opportunity to share some interesting (but disheartening) facts:

• The U.S. Department of Education reading tests for the last 30 years show boys scoring worse than girls in every age group, every year.
• Eighth grade boys are 50 percent more likely to be held back than girls.
• Two-thirds of Special Education Students in high school are boys.
• Overall college enrollment is higher for girls than boys.

I found the above statistics (along with many more) at website for an organization called "Guys Read". Guys Read is an outreach to try to engage boys in reading. Statistics show that boys do not read as much as girls do. In fact, reading is something that boys associate as a female activity. Now, I must say that I did not receive this memo when I was a young boy, because I loved to read, and still do. However, I can attest to the fact that boys and men alike will absolutely refuse to do something if it is considered "girlish". The Guys Read program is a grassroots movement to get men to engage the boys in their communities to pick up a book and get lost in a story. This program caught my attention because I truly believe that reading saved my life. During my childhood, reading a book was my only connection to the outside world. Because I was not allowed to attend school, reading taught me things that nothing else could have. No matter how bad things got in real life, an immediate escape was only one page-turn away.

The Guys Read program has been successfully implemented in schools and libraries throughout the country. I have only recently begun to work with our local chapter, but I think it is a program worth looking into: Guys Read

To sum it all up, it's my personal belief that reading makes good use of an imagination… and a good imagination is a powerful tool.

In just a few short hours I will watch the final installment of the Harry Potter movies unfold on the big screen (of course I already know how it ends- I've read the book). The story will do little for my reality, except to provide a good solid two hours of escape. Perhaps when I return from Hogwarts I will have visions of my own, and my imagination will be ready to venture into the realms of "what if"… perhaps. I'll just have to wait and see. So until then, to Harry and Ms. Rowling, literacy, and imagination... I raise my glass.