alo Alto's wide world of reading

Students and staff here at Palo Alto College are reading everything from “House of Bush, House of Saud” by Craig Unger to Maxim magazine’s most recent issue.

Most said that they like to read because it helps them escape, opens their mind and/or helps them understand other points of view. Some simply said that reading is a tool to help them learn more about a specific interest or subject.

Dr. Dorothy Haecker, Philosophy professor, said, “Reading is private in an increasingly public world. Reading takes me into my own inner rooms

where I can take in someone else’s ideas, images, visions, and stories as quickly and as slowly as I like.”

Charles Montoya, a sophomore Accounting major here at Palo Alto College said, “Reading is only fun if you’re interested in the subject.”

“Valor and Discord,” a book about the Vietnam War by Eddie Morin, is what he’s reading now. Montoya is only 22, but he says that kind of “old stuff” fascinates him. He also counts the New York Times as his favorite newspaper to read in between novels.

Robert J. Ramirez, Coordinator of Veteran’s Affairs was also reading “Valor and Discord.” Ramirez served two tours of duty in Vietnam.

Dr. Ana M. “Cha” Guzman, Palo Alto’s president, is reading “Middlesex” by Jeffrey Eugenides. It’s an award-winning novel about a hermaphrodite, a person who possesses both male and female organs, named Cal. The book follows Cal as he/she decides what sexuality is right for him/her.

Ernest Guerrero, 22, a junior History major, is currently reading “1984,” a classic by George Orwell. Guerrero said the book is the author’s view of a “Negative Utopia,” which is what the author thought the world was becoming back when he wrote the book in 1949.

Some of Guerrero’s favorite books include “The Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller, “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck, and “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Guerrero, like many others interviewed, said reading has to be hands down one of his favorite pastimes.

“Reading makes me realize that my problems are not unique,” Guerrero said. He also said that he would love to join a book club but he just doesn’t have the time.

For those that do have some time to spare, the San Antonio Public Library has ongoing book clubs at many of their branches. The Oprah Book Club is another option to think about. It’s national and you get 10 percent off any Oprah Book Club selection when you order from Amazon.com.

Colby Glass, Chair of the Ozuna Learning Resource Center, belongs to two book clubs: “The Mystery Guild” and “Book-of-the-Month.” Both can be found online by typing their name into the Google search engine.

Glass said, ”If you are careful to challenge yourself in what you read—mixing fiction and non-fiction—you will expand your mind and your world.”

Crystalyn Wolf, 21, a sophomore History major, said, “Reading is joy. I have yet to face any terror unless it is a boring textbook forced to read for homework.”

Many students sit alone and read in Palo Alto’s Student Center. A quick survey of 20 females and 20 males resulted in lots of mixed answers about what they were reading.

Six out of the 20 guys said they will only read if required by class. Five said they liked leisurely reading magazines, like “Maxim”, “FHM” and “Playboy”. The next four said they like to read magazines of interest to them, which included everything from “Psychology Today” to “Guns & Ammo Magazine”. Lastly, five novel-reading lovers surfaced. They listed favorite titles like “Fahrenheit 411” by Ray Bradbury, “Black House” by Stephen King and Peter Straub and even the popular “Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling.

“Reading is a waste of time if you’re filling your head with celebrity junk. I prefer to read things with no pictures, unless it’s an autopsy book,” said Jacob Martinez, 20, a sophomore Criminal Justice major.

The females were a different story. Fifteen out of 20 said they love reading of all kinds, including the backs of cereal boxes.

The remaining five females said that they prefer to read only when required.

“I don’t really like reading, unless it’s the bulletins on MySpace,” laughs Jennifer DeHoyos, 17, a freshman Kinesiology major from San Angelo.

So whether it’s MySpace, “The Scarlet Letter” or “Guns and Ammo,” it appears that many students, faculty and staff enjoy reading for pleasure. For more information on these books, please go to www.amazon.com