“Simpletons! Yes, yes! I’m a simpleton! Are you a simpleton? We’ll build a town and we’ll name it Simple Town, because by then all the smart bastards that caused all this, they’ll be dead! Simpletons! Let’s go! This ought to show ’em! Anybody here not a simpleton? Get the bastard, if there is!”
― A Canticle for Leibowitz
― A Canticle for Leibowitz
Books and what they contain do not need to be destroyed if they are simply ignored, or if enough of a population believes that the past has nothing to teach the present.
Most of the books in the public libraries are changed to support the LGBTQ+ Michaelangelo, Da Vinci, Helen Keller were gay…etc,etc, etc.
Most of us grow up.
Perhaps we need to establish our own libraries, on the model of the first modern “public” libraries, known as “subscription libraries”. Nowadays, a centralized “bookhouse” isn’t even necessary. An online catalogue of books owned by the members which they are willing to lend, as well as a pdf list of links to public domain works for downloading. Find your book, put in your request, and set up your meeting to hand it over. (“You want this book? See you at Mass. I repeat, at Mass!”) Could also meet over coffee and actually have a discussion. Would also need a Wall of Shame to notify those who, despite polite requests, have not yet returned their books. I speak as one who, in the past, was as guilty as anyone in that regard. An unfortunate side effect of being able to get books out of the local university library on unlimited loan. My Mom was a librarian there. Anyway, that’s my insane idea of the week.
Not insane, SouthCoast, not at all.
I consider myself a private depository for worthwhile books, many for the sake of my homeschooled children.