Gratia

I can trace my love of books/bookstores back to Shakespeare & Company, an English bookstore in Paris.  Before I went on study abroad, reading wasn't at the top of my preferred activities. In fact, it may not have even made the list (sad, I know).  But something about Europe steered me towards literature and perusing the many little bookstores, Shakespeare & Company especially, became one of my favorite things to do on any given day.

One afternoon in particular stands out in my mind... It was a rainy autumn day and I headed over to Shakespeare & Co to wait out the storm, thinking  I'd be there for maybe a half hour and then be on my way.  Instead, I spent the next three hours browsing the floor-to-ceiling stacks of books, choosing the ones that peaked my interest, sitting in an over-sized chair tucked in the corner of the store, reading as much or as little of the books as I wanted, returning them to the shelves, then starting the process all over again.  During my last browse-through, I happened to pick up a book entitled Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.  I read the back, then a few pages inside, and thought it sounded interesting.  By this time, it was getting pretty dark and the practical voice in my head told me I should start home before it got too late.  Immediately my impractical voice retorted that it wasn't too late and I should stay a little longer.  I compromised and bought the book immediately, dismissing the fact I would also have to haul this book, along with many other purchases, back across the ocean at some point.  It was one of the best impulse buys I've ever made.  That book changed my life.  It changed what I want out of life, how I view of the world around me, and to this day, it continues to influence for the better (in my opinion) many choices that I make.  No price is too high for that kind of transformation.    

So why am I talking about this today?  While reading the paper this morning, I came across an article announcing the death of the founder of this beloved bookstore. Admittedly, I didn't know who Mr. George Whitman was before a few hours ago.  But know I know to whom I can direct my thanks.  So Mr. Whitman, who unknowingly facilitated the development of my love of literature, I thank you.

It is entirely probable that I would have stumbled across this book in an American bookstore sometime later in life and had the same experience with it.  But I didn't.  I found it in at 37 Rue Bûcherie, Paris, at Shakespeare and Company.