the danger of reading

[Michael Eisenstadt]

reading a pretentious book. interesting point made in
it though: to understand the suicider turn to Emma Bovary
reading romantic novels religiously so to speak.

to pick out some verses of the Koran as holy script AND
quit being a tailor or butcher is to do the same as Emma
Bovary did, fleeing from the utter tedium or dispair of
everyday existence into reading and taking literally what
one reads.

I met an interesting Austin taxicab driver soon after
9-11.

He was a super angry middle aged longtime Austin resident
of Iranian origin who had had several heart attacks.

He raged against the notion of expecting us to believe
that suiciders had done in the WTC, he raged about the
deterioration of Austin life in the 30 odd years he had
lived here. (all the way driving smoothly and safely from
Bergstrom to Austin via West 7th) Afterwards I went around
to his window to advise that he was going to get another
heartattack if he didnt stop being in a rage. He said
that it would be OK and that he ALSO participated in an
Internet Persian poetry group.

Now that's what reading is for.