QUESTION B - books are forbidden Write the text for a short radio talk where you explain the

importance of books in your life and in todays world.

I unfalteringly believe that books are an important piece of mankind and not only having an influential outcome on a communal level, I deem that it simultaneously affects people on a personal level. I believe that the importance of reading books is gaining new insight or perspectives on issues that matter to the reader that helps them to have a new perspective of the world around them. As Abraham Lincoln once said, The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I havent read. Readers can apply the insight in everyday life or as a way of building upon the knowledge that already encompasses their mind and enrich their lives. The importance of books are also found in how new discoveries pertaining to history are uncovered or revealed where the relevance of this the new information needs to be applied or amended in what already exists about a particular issue, topic or event. Books are a potent method of documenting significant moments of our history and maintaining them in our collective memory. Books are there so you can be taught, imagine and sometimes get away from the world around you. There is nothing like sitting down with a new book, the pages crisp and fresh, and reading about a love story, or a horrible murder; books are an outlet for many people. It is my conjecture that books are a cardinal factor in early childhood development demonstrating to them the power of words and tales. During the first months of his life, the baby listens to his mothers voice, his fathers voice or that of the person taking care of him. From these voices, the baby starts to build up his own voice and his personal language. At the same time, he learns to identify the voices of those who surround him. And while they tell a story, the child discovers the poetic voice of the people around him, the voice that is so different from the everyday voice that gives orders and information needed for everyday life. This poetic voice is not only more beautiful, it tells little stories too, sings songs and nursery rhymes that introduce the child in the universe of literature and prepares his sensibility for these artistic forms, the simplest ones, the

most archaic ones. Reading contributes in a concrete way to the very sense of our lives if it is endowed with meaning. We have to teach children not only to read, but to acknowledge the importance and actuality of knowing how to read within the context of their own life, teach them to grasp the true meaning of what is written, the role it can play in their personal lives and in the society they live in. Books are a tangible, valuable record of our world. Certainly we have the internet and computers with vast amounts of information stored in them but all of history is unquestionably not in a computer. The bible for example is a lucid example of why the presence of books is imperative to mankind. Many religions wouldnt be as cogent nowadays because the power of speech is not as convincing as the validity of the written word. In conclusion, I resolutely trust the fact that books are important in my life and in todays world because without them, history would have become merely myths and legends, important people in our history for example Da Vinci, Columbus and even Einstein would be long forgotten.