Should I Read Physical Books

Dear Rabbi Daniel and Susan,

I have heard that reading a physical copy of a book is an immersive experience. I love to read and though I read books on an iPad as well, I sense a unique pleasure in reading a physical copy. I can’t quite place my finger on this; what is the difference and why is this important?

Mona F.

Dear Mona,

Have you ever seen small disclaimers that inform you that an influencer receives a small fee if you order a product from their review or that a journalist is employed by the same company about which they are writing? We are being told that there might be a conflict of interest.

In that same tradition, we are issuing a warning that there is no way that we are able to deal objectively with this subject. Like you, we gratefully use e-readers in many situations, but we relate to them entirely differently from how we relate to physical books. We admit to shuddering when a young woman we know told us that she owns no physical books even though she is an avid reader.

Here are some things we have noticed.

1. We have better memory retention with physical books. This includes knowing the author’s name and the artwork and layout of the cover. Each time we pick up the book we see these features in a way that impresses itself on our minds.
2. While it is ridiculously easy to search for a name or word within a book using technology, physically flipping through the pages to recall a past incident or phraseology employs multiple senses. In addition to the visual, there is also a tactile impact. There is even a subtle smell to a physical book. All of this leaves a stronger impression as well.
3. There is a powerful sense of ownership when we possess a book that sits on our shelf. Electrons in space and pixel patterns on a screen do not compare.
4. We read books by ambient light reflected off the page to our eyes whereas reading on devices beams light directly into our eyes. Is this an important distinction? We aren’t sure but it surely should be considered.
5. Most devices such as e-readers and tablets can do far more than merely allow us to read a book. While we are absorbing sentences, subtle nuances, and rhapsodic phrases from the flickering page, the device itself is actually distracting us by silently summonsing us to look up the exact meaning of a word, pull up another app to find out more about the author, or change the color of the typeface we read.

Do our observations resonate only with those who grew up solely with physical books? Our very oldest to very youngest grandchildren exclusively read physical books on the Sabbath and holy days when technology is put away. We have a sneaking suspicion that this in itself is a gift of the Sabbath that will yield innumerable advantages to them in the years to come.

We welcome hearing counterpoints to our view. Our guess is that just as studies are now showing that typing notes is not the same as writing in longhand and that meeting someone in person is not the same as having a relationship on Zoom, as the years pass, we will find that e-readers are not the equivalent of nestling into a chair with a dog-eared tome.

Happy reading,

Rabbi Daniel and Susan Lapin

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