Spreading the Word

The Internet turned 40 on October 29. Video games have been a mainstay in people's homes for around 30 years and have become an all-encompassing gateway into personal fitness, music appreciation and knocking off hookers with an Uzi whilst stealing the car of your dreams. By comparison, books don't seem to hold a lot of appeal anymore, and save phenomena like Harry Potter and the inexplicable Twilight series, they're not coveted the way they used to be. You don't see kids building their social lives and connections around, say, a Carson McCullers book the way they do with the latest gaming sensations. And it's a shame, really, because a recent re-read of a McCullers novel really reminded me of the power contained within the pages of a good book. An image of the book's heroine standing on a rooftop, surveying the landscape around her, has lingered for weeks, supplanting visions of falling Boom Blox on the Wii and Keyboard Cat on YouTube. Former First Lady and family matriarch Barbara Bush has long recognized the cultural and intellectual value of the paper dinosaur and celebrates the written word when she comes to Dallas to host an evening of readings by authors Mary Tyler Moore, Julia Reed, A.J. Jacobs and Jeff Engel. A Celebration of Reading kicks off at 7 p.m. at the Meyerson, 2301 Flora St. Tickets are $150, and proceeds benefit Bush's literacy foundation. Visit barbarabushfoundation.com.
Mon., Nov. 16, 7 p.m., 2009