Bookish: How Reading Shapes Our Lives

There’s something downright magical about finding a writer who articulates the quiet, internal shifts of your own life. In Bookish: How Reading Shapes Our Lives, Lucy Mangan moves beyond the simple love for books and explores the deep-seated necessity of them. Mangan’s own reading journey then lets readers map their own from the wide-eyed wonder of a child to the protective reading habits of an adult.

Books bring us joy and comfort all our lives. It’s possible the former dominates in childhood (or at least a happy childhood) and the latter probably comes into ascendance as adulthood wears on. Escapism is fun as a child. In adulthood it becomes a frequent necessity.

As readers, we are reminded that we read as children to see the “great out there” from the safety of our bedrooms. As we grow into adulthood, books take on a new and meaningful role in our lives. It transforms into a sanctuary and takes us to a place where the world stops demanding things from us and begins making sense again.

What makes Bookish so profoundly reassuring is Mangan’s ability to turn the lonely act of reading into a communal experience. Multiple anecdotes throughout the book will make lifelong bibliophiles wince with recognition at things they’ve done just to get a bit more time with their book. Even the physical pain of being interrupted during a crucial chapter isn’t something that one goes through by themselves. Letting us know that we are all indeed in the same boat, Mangan assures us that our bookish tendencies aren’t a social failing, but instead a membership into a global, invisible club of kindred spirits.

Bookish is a rare piece of non-fiction that truly feels like a conversation with an old friend who knows you too well. Because for us, reading isn’t just a pastime; it is a survival strategy.