Books
More Than Just Information: Why Books Are the Best Gift in the Age of AI
A good book is a wealth of knowledge and is irreplaceable
Growing up, I was discouraged from owning books. My mother always told me that “Books collect dust and mites”, she would add non- chalantly, “People who read books are boring, they are such introverts”.
Back in the ’80s and early ’90s, it wasn’t cool for Southeast Asian girls to read books. Girls were encouraged to have as many friends as possible, to be slender, and popular, and not spend their days lost in a book. Even at eight years old, my friends and I were already auditioning to be the best tradwife possible.
For the past 30 years, I have never had books as a part of my life. When the Harry Potter phenomenon took the world by storm, I only purchased one Harry Potter book. I told myself that watching the movie was equivalent to reading the books. After all, who has space for books in their home anyway?
I started reading again after watching the many book recommendations on #BookTok. The first book I read after a thirty-year hiatus was Bravely. A Disney book that was a continuation of the movie Brave. Although the book was Young Adults (YA), the lessons and the emotions I felt were anything but YA.
I decided to explore BookTok further. The books I discovered there have been life-changing. I never realized the many genres that exist today such as Romantisy (Romance and Fantasy) and Fae (fairy). Growing up, there were only three book genres: Children, Adult Fiction, and Adult Non-Fiction. That’s it.
Discovering these books and stories has changed and enlightened my view of the world. I can’t help but think I would have loved to have read the books my parents read. Books that made them who they were, what they learned from them. Instead, I have none of that.
Any life wisdom I have today, which I learned from my mother, was passed down to me verbally. I don’t have any thought-provoking passages or scribbled notes in the margins. Things that would have made me understand my mother more and how she navigated the challenges of life.
This is why I have decided to create my library so that my children and their children, will always have a piece of me, my knowledge, and my thoughts with them even long after I’ve gone.
In my view, we may not live long enough to share our knowledge and life experiences with our children. There aren’t enough coffee chats, Sunday Dinners, or Thanksgiving lunches to talk about everything we’ve gone through in our lives. But we can leave them our thoughts, scribbles, and notes and have them walk in our shoes long after we are gone.
My mother frequently read scripture when she was facing challenges in her life. There were certainly plenty of challenges when I was growing up with her.
During those days, studying scripture wasn’t as popular as today. There were no journaling Bibles, illustration Bibles, or note-taking Bibles. There weren’t many Bible study guides or study Bibles. But today, not only are there endless ways to study scripture, but companies like Dayspring have so many books and tools that Bible study can now be a part of modern life and learning.
Today, resources are abundant when it comes to books. We can take notes, and highlight passages with an array of tools that were not readily available before, both online and offline. Now is the best time to take advantage of the advances in the book world and leave a legacy for our children.
Having a personal library is not just about having a collection of books; it’s about leaving a legacy, a testament to our values, interests, and life’s journey. It’s about preserving knowledge, fostering education, and leaving behind a treasure trove of wisdom and stories that can enlighten and inspire future generations.
“Show me a family of readers, and I will show you the people who move the world.”
— Napoleon Bonaparte
In an era dominated by digital media and artificial intelligence, the preservation of physical books takes on greater significance. Libraries have historically been bastions of knowledge. Take, for example, the great Library of Alexandria. According to legend, humanity today would be far more advanced had the Library of Alexandria survived through the ages.
Libraries are a way to safeguard humanity’s intellectual and cultural heritage. Physical books offer a tangible connection to the past, allowing us to engage with ideas in a way that digital formats cannot replicate. Books serve as a bridge between generations, fostering a continuum of learning and discovery.
My goal with my library is to preserve the written word. I’m a firm believer that words have power. There’s a reason the Buddha said “Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.”
Curating a personal library involves thoughtful selection to ensure the collection is meaningful and beneficial. I choose books that resonate with me based on my journey and educate through practical knowledge.
Some criteria to selecting books may include:
Historical and Cultural Significance
History may be considered out of fashion and archaic; however, I believe that when we don’t know our history, we can’t move forward. Take, for example, Lao Tzu’s “The Art of War,” a classic military strategy book that is considered to be one of the best of all time.
Many people think this book only pertains to battles and armies, but as with all Eastern philosophy, I find that this book is beneficial in our daily lives. This book is not only a military strategy; in my opinion, it is a guidebook on how to survive life in whatever situation, country, or even economic situation we are in.
Literary Quality & Personal Resonance
Works of literature that are timeless and resonate with me. Right now at the top of my list is “A Court of Thornes and Roses” (ACOTAR) by Sarah J. Maas. Although the series is a romantisy, I find that the series resonates deeply with me and many others since we can see ourselves in the main characters. Another book I am eyeing to buy a hard copy and pass down is First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston.
These books resonate with me on so many levels. Their challenges and triumph, joy and sorrow, give me hope for a better tomorrow. They are also a reminder that no matter how impossible a situation may seem, tomorrow is another day.
Educational Value
I am passionate about valuable knowledge in various fields. Sewing and cooking are my favorite pastimes. Over the years, I have collected several books on these subjects. Whether they are traditional cooking and sewing books passed down to me from my mother or the more international cookbooks I use for my daily meals, I want my children and future generations to have access to this knowledge.
Sewing has always been a family tradition. My mother learned to sew from her mother, and I learned to sew from mine. Now that I have a child, she too will learn how to sew one day. My child often accompanies me when I sew and knows the basics of pattern modifications and drafting. In a world dominated by fast fashion and fast food, learning how to cook healthy meals and sew sustainable clothing is crucial not only for our survival but also for the world’s.
If you’re thinking about leaving behind a legacy in the form of books, it’s best to be selective about which books you choose to purchase in physical form.
Thanks to technology, we now have the option to read the electronic version of a book first to determine if it deeply resonates with us and has a lasting impact, or if it’s just a one-time read.
With the various options available for reading or listening to books, such as Kindle, Google Books, Audible, Libby, and Spotify, we no longer need to immediately commit to purchasing a physical book unless we’re certain it’s a must-have.
In my view, the books that truly belong on our shelves are the ones that we constantly re-read on a daily or weekly basis. In my case, these are scriptures, Bible study guides, and metaphysic books.
“One glance at a book and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time.”
— Carl Sagan
Not a day goes by that I don’t wish my mother had left me her wisdom through her notes. There are so many questions that I want to ask her that I never had a chance to when she was around. Questions that I didn’t need to ask then but now I need to know the answers to. Questions about aging, raising a child, heartbreak, and heartache. The longer we live, the more life throws us challenges along our journey. No matter how good we get at playing the game of life, there’s always another level to unlock.
Having learned and lived life the way I have, I aim to leave behind a treasure trove of wisdom and inspiration so that my children and their children never have to live through what I did and have questions that are left unanswered. Through these books, I want my loved ones to feel that even though life may be full of challenges, they are not alone. Single or solo maybe, but never alone.
I’m starting my collection with Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses. How about you?
