Long before I ever thought that I could sit down and churn out eighty thousand words into some sort of cohesive work of fiction, I was in love with stories. I was the kid whose parents would beg and bribe to have friends over, only for their entreaties to be met with, “Nope, I want to go up to my room and read.” My Christmas lists have always included a vast number of books and to this day, a Barnes & Noble gift card is the delight of my soul. I sit in movie theaters, watching stories come to life before my eyes and my heart sings. I cry under the covers with my Kindle and I can be in a funk for days when a character I love dies. I’ll read until four in the morning to find out what happens in a story, my eyeballs burning red and my head aching from the strain.
In short, I’m a total nerd.
And I know I’m not alone. These labels exist for a reason: book nerd, bookworm, reader, fangirl, fanboy, and bibliophile. There are millions of other people in the world who sink into stories like one of those body-sized cushy pillows you see in the mall. Books, TV, and movies—these means of getting stories into our frenzied hands are sacred to us. They’re our culture.
But why? Why do we obsess about Tris and Tobias from Divergent? Why have The Fault in Our Stars, The Hunger Games and so forth all become so pivotal in both adult and young adult society?
Because stories connect us to our humanity and to everything else that makes us much more than simple bones and flesh.
They speak to us and help us understand the world around us. They make sense of the pain, they point toward hope, they shame evil, they allow us fantasize; they say all the things we want to say and do and be—they go there.
Think about listening to a lecture in school. Lectures are boring, right? Even if you’re super interested in the subject matter, a talk that only presents the facts will have you nodding off in no time. Now imagine the lecturer coming to the other side of his or her podium. The cadence of their voice changes, they speak softly and their eyes hold yours for a moment. Then they launch into a story. They tell a tale about their own experiences with Algebra, history, amoebas, or what have you. The story might be funny or it might be sad or it might be ironic…but can’t you imagine how your concentration might shift?
We have all experienced this. When someone tells a story we sit up, we pay more attention—we actually listen. There is something about sharing stories that is woven in the fabric of our beings. It’s how we learn and connect and relate.
I’m so energized about the recent enthusiasm that kids, teenagers, young adults and adults have exhibited toward storytelling. I get pumped when I see a teen reading a book on their iPhone or giggling about the latest Hunger Games movie. I love how stories have once again become an integral part of our everyday lives and can’t wait to see how they will continue to shape our future.
What books do you love? What movies speak to your soul? Share these stories with your friends, your family, with anyone—and help the art of storytelling continue to become more valued in today’s world.
