Not long ago, stuck in "my" nursing home's library waiting for a computer reboot, I picked up one of the scores of donated books to pass the time (and, I suppose, to check out the competition; this one had "Bestselling Author!" plastered on front and back cover alike).
Imagine my shock to find that the opening chapter was nothing less than hard-core pornography. I quickly stashed it on an upper shelf and picked up another, by a different best-selling author, only to find the same thing. And then a third -- not quite as bad, but it still probably qualified as soft porn.
If this sampling is at all representative of what's selling today, it would seem that many of the most popular books have become popular not in spite of but because of their focus on sex and violence, to name two common themes. I asked some of the avid readers among the residents how they felt about this sort of thing. "I hate it," said one. "I just skip over those parts," said another. "Guess that's just how books are today," said yet another.
It doesn't have to be that way, however. If you're a reader who appreciates wholesome fiction, classic devotionals, thought-provoking non-fiction, or biographies of important people, why not offer those you've finished to your local nursing home instead of automatically packing them off to Goodwill?
Large-print editions are especially welcome -- particularly if they're paperback, which can be easier for the frail elderly to handle.
Imagine my shock to find that the opening chapter was nothing less than hard-core pornography. I quickly stashed it on an upper shelf and picked up another, by a different best-selling author, only to find the same thing. And then a third -- not quite as bad, but it still probably qualified as soft porn.
If this sampling is at all representative of what's selling today, it would seem that many of the most popular books have become popular not in spite of but because of their focus on sex and violence, to name two common themes. I asked some of the avid readers among the residents how they felt about this sort of thing. "I hate it," said one. "I just skip over those parts," said another. "Guess that's just how books are today," said yet another.
It doesn't have to be that way, however. If you're a reader who appreciates wholesome fiction, classic devotionals, thought-provoking non-fiction, or biographies of important people, why not offer those you've finished to your local nursing home instead of automatically packing them off to Goodwill?
Large-print editions are especially welcome -- particularly if they're paperback, which can be easier for the frail elderly to handle.
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