Why Reading Still Matters, Even If It Doesn’t Make You Rich
Being literate doesn’t promise success, but it helps build community and connection
Weren’t we all told as kids that knowledge was power? That the more we read, the more successful we would be?
It’s not true, of course. The best-read people I know are generally the least well-off, and I count myself in this group.
But I still think reading and writing are some of the most important things anybody can do. Not because they lead to money, but because they help us understand each other.
The need for stories
On Monday, I spoke about writing and storytelling to a group of kids at a summer reading program at a local elementary school.
I did not tell the kids reading and writing was the path to success. I told them how much we all need stories.
Stories are a human need that comes right after food, clothing and shelter. Long before we had books, people told stories around campfires. Today, we find them in books, movies, podcasts and videos.
And I told the kids that each of them could be a storyteller, starting right now.
One of the young volunteers asked me if someone from our small town could really become a writer. Didn’t writers have to live in cities?
That question broke my heart a little — not just because she asked it, but because she’s right to think that where you grow up can shape your opportunities.
My community is not affluent. But it made me sad that this girl already understood that where she grew up might hurt her chances for living a good life. She’s absolutely correct in understanding that where you grow up can have a lot to do with your later opportunities.
But I told her something else: that communities like ours are actually great places to be a writer because you can afford to live here.
“If I moved to New York,” I said, “I’d have to pay thousands a month for a tiny apartment. Here, I have a house with a yard in a safe, quiet neighborhood, and I don’t need to be rich to do it. So it’s a wonderful place to be a writer.”
Reading changed me
I told the kids that I write many different things — books, stories, articles online — and that I used to be a newspaper editor. I shared how I find stories in everyday moments (I concentrated on stories about my dogs, not income inequality. Know your audience!).
Growing up, I lived in a very small, very white, very conservative town. It was much like the one I live in now, except it had only about 200 people. We didn’t travel. I wasn’t exposed to many different ideas.
But I read voraciously. Books took me to places I couldn’t go — into the lives of Puerto Rican girls in New York, Black families in public housing, kids in other countries and gang members finding a new path.
Until college, I had only met one Black family, one Hispanic family and one Catholic family. I don’t think I met a Jewish person until I was an adult. But through books, I met the world.
The power of showing up
My part in the summer reading program only lasted about an hour. The real credit goes to Melissa, the school administrator who set everything up. She does so much both in her job and in her off-hours to support kids in our community.
I left feeling much more hopeful about the state of the world. It reminded me that even small acts matter. A few hours. A few dollars. A few kind words. They all add up.
I met Melissa through Altrusa,, a literacy group I joined a couple of years ago at a friend’s suggestion. We give away free books to young kids and award scholarships. I joined mostly to get out of the house once a month — I’m a bit of a hermit — but it turned out to be a great way to connect.
If I hadn’t joined Altrusa, I wouldn’t have been invited to speak. And maybe that little girl wouldn’t have heard someone tell her that she can be a writer, right where she is.
It was worth everything
One little boy was so thrilled to get a new Dog Man book! His eyes just sparkled when he found one he hadn’t read yet. Can you remember the last time you took such joy in a new book? It was worth everything to see that.
One of the young helpers asked me concrete questions about how to write and publish a book. That conversation was worth everything, too.
I’m never going to be able to be one of those powerhouse community leaders who serves on multiple boards and gets impressive things done. I don’t have the executive function for that, or the time, or the energy. I am not great at organizing things. I’m better at showing up and doing my small bit now and then.
This reminded me that the small bits matter. A few bucks here, a few hours there – it all adds up.
And I think it did me as much good as it did the kids.
Don’t miss my current special series, Poverty and Privilege, which comes out every Saturday.
Part 1, Unlikely Allies in an Unequal America
Part 2, The Country Club Lunch
Part 3, One Family’s Fall From the Middle Class
About Michelle Teheux
I’m a writer in central Illinois. If you like my work, subscribe to me here and on Medium. I also have a new Substack aimed at authors who want to self-publish books, called The Indie Author. My most recent book is Strapped: Fighting for the soul of the American working class. My most recent novel is The Trailer Park Rules. If you prefer to give a one-time tip, I accept Ko-fi.
All wealthy families are alike; each poor family is poor in its own way.
— Leo Tolstoy, if he had written about a trailer park
For residents of the Loire Mobile Home Park, surviving means understanding which rules to follow and which to break. Each has landed in the trailer park for wildly different reasons.
Jonesy is a failed journalist with one dream left. Angel is the kind of irresponsible single mother society just shakes its head about, and her daughter Maya is the kid everybody overlooks. Jimmy and Janiece Jackson wanted to be the first in their families to achieve the American dream, but all the positive attitude in the world can’t solve their predicament. Darren is a disabled man trying to enjoy his life despite a dark past. Kaitlin is a former stripper with a sugar daddy, while Shirley is an older lady who has come down in the world and lives in denial. Nancy runs the park like a tyrant but finds out when a larger corporation takes over that she’s not different from the residents.
When the new owners jack up the lot rent, the lives of everyone in the park shift dramatically and in some cases tragically.
Welcome to the Loire Mobile Home Park! Please observe all rules.
Small acts of kindness and community add up and can have a ripple effect. The kids were fortunate to spend time with you.
I like this idea. I think I will start looking into doing something like this in my community here. My local public library would probably know of any such groups in my area here. Thanks for this.