November 21, 2009
UTNE READER

The Purloined Library

(Page 2 of 2)

September-October 2008
by Denise Herrera, from the Sun 
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At least once a week thereafter, my dad would ask me a question about something he’d encountered in the newspaper, at work, or in a conversation. “Denise, where’s the state of Utah?” he might ask, and I would run to look up the answer. He and I read about U.S. geography, the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence—all the facts you needed to know for the citizenship test. Those two books became our family library.

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Last March I finally threw the books out. The dictionary’s cover was missing, and the social studies book had water damage. Before committing them to the trash, I took a long look and remembered how my desire for them had blinded me to the possible consequences. I also recalled all the information the books had given me. I decided they had been worth stealing.

 

Reprinted from the Sun’s Readers Write section (April 2008), which features nonfiction vignettes on predetermined themes. The Sunpublishes essays, stories, interviews, poetry, and photographs. It won the 2007 Utne Independent Press Award for best writing; www.thesunmagazine.org.

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  • chantal johannesson 9/10/2008 12:15:58 AM

    I truly enjoyed reading this article because of the strong message that it sends about how words bind us and keep us together. Education empowers us and opens doors for us that we sometimes never imagined was possible. Very often we take for granted that language is the key to communication and to helping move our global community forward. As a librarian in training who completely believes in the power of books and of libraries, this story has reaffirmed my convictions and commitment to making sure that every person has access to a library in their communities.

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