As We Suspected, No Reading for Pleasure at the Maxwells

[VenusJS]

Yeah, basically what pomology said: you have to read a lot to develop your writing skills. I think every english and/or creative writing teacher has said that to me throughout my education. You can't write well without having read a thing besides the Bible. Sure, you can follow grammatical rules to a tee, but that still won't make it concise and interesting. And it certainly shows in Sarah's posts and from the excerpts I've read of the Moody books.

[mirele]

steve is the only idol in that house

Quoted for truth. +10 Internets.

[TMS]

My (adult) daughter's all-time favorite book is Anna Karenina, which she read when she was 14. Unabridged. Autumn Days would have been first or second grade material for her.

[uber frau]

My 7 yo would be bored shit-less with Autumn Days (unless there's some major differences between the full text and the free excerpts). And she's not even particularly 'worldy.'

This whole topic just makes me sad. They have no identity outside their faith, but that's so brittle that it can't stand up outside of their very, very small world. What's going to happen when it all comes crashing down?

[darkplumaged]

Yeah, basically what pomology said: you have to read a lot to develop your writing skills. I think every english and/or creative writing teacher has said that to me throughout my education. You can't write well without having read a thing besides the Bible. Sure, you can follow grammatical rules to a tee, but that still won't make it concise and interesting. And it certainly shows in Sarah's posts and from the excerpts I've read of the Moody books.

Absolutely. One of the primary reasons I am an editor today is that I love to read. I have a degree in English, but I learned most of what I know about the mechanics of writing, as well as logic, rhythm, and style, from being an almost compulsive reader all my life.

I would not want to live without books, simple as that.

I have to assume that the Maxwells have very dull interior lives. I mean, they do nothing but family activities, they meet no one but fundies and elderly people, they read nothing but the Bible (and textbooks and Moody books). There is no food for the imagination there. Which is, I'm sure, how Steve likes it, but how sad.

[Lillybee]

I would love to send Mary a Twilight book disguised as a primary school Christian story.

[ADoyle90815]

I'm also one of those who couldn't live without reading, and I even prefer an actual book to a Kindle or other gadget. One thing I especially like about books besides the smell is that you can read during takeoff and landing when flying. One of the reasons why my ex-husband IS my ex is that he hated that there were times when I would rather read than watch crap on TV. My boyfriend on the other hand, loves to read just as much as I do, and also prefers actual books to gadgets.

[Artemis]

Another crazy bibliophile here. We have so many books they overflow everywhere . . . they spill out of the bookcases and climb in stacks up the walls, and sit in piles at the top of the stairs and are tucked beside beds and under them.

I have a couple of books on the go in the bathroom, and a few in my bed at any one time. At the moment bathroom books are Geoffrey Trease's 'Cue for treason' and William Cobbett's 'Cottage Economy'. In bed I've got a genetics book called 'Mutants', Dickens' 'Bleak House' which I'm re-reading after a discussion of the 'Books fundies would hate' thread, 'Ministering Children' which is a Victorian tract book, Dawkins' 'The Ancestor's Tale' which I love and keep going back to, and a biography of John Hunter ('The Knife Man'). In my handbag I have 'Gate to Women's Country' by Sheri Tepper, and a book about netsuke.

I couldn't live without books. But I know a lot of families that don't have any.

I find it hard to get rid of even the most battered and broken copies.

[apple1]

(To use a massively overused word) SAD.

I truly believe that reading books (among many other things) saved my sanity as I was growing up.

When my kids were preschoolers and we had no money, we still bought books. Our trips to the mall (for cheap recreation, for air conditioning when our house wasn't) usually ended up with buying each girl a book. Books were SPECIAL TREATS (caps because they viewed them that way). (And yes, libraries are wonderful, and we made great use of the library, but there is nothing for a kid like having books that are entirely their own).

I bought my first (and only so far) grandchild her first books while she was still in utero.

I really have no words. I would say that this one has out-fundied any fundies I know, except... I really think this is one more evidence of the depth of psychosis that exists in this family.

[Antigone]

Another bibliophile here, and mother of one as well. Anna Karenina was my favorite book to read at 14 as well as The Brothers Karamazov. I actually did a report on that book in 9th grade I think.

Sevy would not touch that book with a 10 foot pole much less LOOK at it. Her goal is to be able to read "the 39 clues" on her own, and the other "cool" books like Artemis Fowl, Septimus Heap and Harry Potter. She's just starting to read the easy beginner's chapter books, and she pouts a little that she isn't ready for the "big" chapter books yet. A trip to the library usually yields 5 books for her and 2 for me. Many people now know to buy Sevy books or sports equipment for her presents. No dolls for this girl.

Hubby and i are polar opposites in reading tastes- he reads more non-fiction and work-related subjects while I read pretty much anything that appeals to me. Right now his office at home is cluttered with books, and our shared bookshelf is bursting as well as Sevy's own. We think we might have to invest into a few more bookshelves in a couple of years...

THANK YOU maxwells, for wasting the trees with your work and depriving us of a well written book that could have been written in place of yours...

[bananacat]

I just got a nook so I will no longer have to deal with overflowing bookshelves. It really feels more freeing than I could have ever imagined. I still have a bookshelf for books I have that I don't want to re-buy, but it will be expanding very slowly, if at all.

[contrary]

. I have a degree in English, but I learned most of what I know about the mechanics of writing, as well as logic, rhythm, and style, from being an almost compulsive reader all my life.

I would not want to live without books, simple as that.

word. i have learned so so much from reading...not just content, but grammar, spelling, vocabulary, rhythm.

i honestly cannot imagine a life without lots and lots of books. i have been an avid reader all my life, as was my mother. When we moved two times ago, i finally whittled down my book collection to the must-keeps (i don't really like to re-read books often, and when i do, it's favorites i consistently return to).

I've always been a big believer in passing books on, though. I buy used, and then give them away, encouraging the recipient to do the same once they've finished. keep those books moving, i say!

My kindle has changed my freaking LIFE. adore. I didn't think i'd be down with it, because as others have mentioned, i love and truly respect a "real book", but man, have i changed my tune.

we have massive bookcases, stuffed to the gills, and there are few things in life i love more than poking around a used bookstore, but for my rate of reading and varied interests, the kindle has been magical.

[Burris]

I would never trust a writer that disdains reading in the way the Maxwells do. They actually sell written materials for public consumption, but can't be bothered to read more than is strictly necessary.

They're so miserly!

[luckylibrarian]

I love reading (obviously.) As a kid, books were a very welcome escape from the misery and anger in my house. I read precisely because it would take me somewhere else. At 14, I was reading Stephen King and any Shakespeare play I could get my hands on. My favorite book was Zeitgeist, an obscure novel that featured a prostitute, a schizophrenic priest, and a radical black Muslim terrorist - I'm guessing it wouldn't have been Maxwell-approved.

I could accept the Maxwells being afraid of fiction, but there are plenty of nonfiction books out there on tame subjects that won't challenge their worldview. I can't believe Sarah can call herself a writer and then accept that the only thing she is allowed to read is an html manual. (Never mind that a 29 yr old shouldn't have her reading list controlled by her father.)

[gardenvarietycitizen]

As someone who built in bookshelves all around the main room of the house and reinforced the floor to compensate... yeah. I can't imagine a world without reading, either. Heck, it's nice to see on this thread that I'm not so odd! :D The lack of reading (along with the lack of enthusiasm for real education) is one of the most alien things about that family, to me.

After reading all their Corners and blog posts, I do think they feel that reading for any reason not related to either religious study or making a living is wasting time that you should be using for either working or religious study. It's a common theme for them, that merely not breaking God's law is not good enough, you have to actively serve and so every moment of free time should be used in service, which works out to either working (ideally as part of a "ministry," I imagine) or studying the Word. The whole "we're God's servants, and servants are supposed to always stand around waiting for orders or do work for the master" thing. Hence all the scheduling and the rest, you have to use your time wisely, and wisely means either work or religious study.

I would just die if transported there. But I grew up reading, always having at least one book going at a time. I'm naked without at least one book in my bag, and if someone leaves a newspaper around? I'll read it. The library was paradise, a place to escape into different worlds and lives AND a place to "ask questions" of books about stuff I would never in a million years admit to another human (let alone my parents!) that I was interested in. (You can imagine that the existence of Google has changed my life in a wonderful way!) I suppose poor Mary doesn't know any different.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

I also have an iPad, and the main reason I got it is that there are apps that let me read all the major news media from my other country on the other side of the Earth, in full image scan format with no delay. All the newsweeklies and the literary magazines, the day they're out I can read them (for a small fee) with no need to ship paper across the world. To say I am thrilled to death would be an understatement.

[Burris]

I could accept the Maxwells being afraid of fiction, but there are plenty of nonfiction books out there on tame subjects that won't challenge their worldview. I can't believe Sarah can call herself a writer and then accept that the only thing she is allowed to read is an html manual. (Never mind that a 29 yr old shouldn't have her reading list controlled by her father.)

Yeah, well these are the same people who rewrote the A+ Certification training manuals because secular computing courses are objectionable for some reason. They don't even trust non-fiction if it hasn't been run through the Maxwell meat grinder.

[luckylibrarian]

Yeah, well these are the same people who rewrote the A+ Certification training manuals because secular computing courses are objectionable for some reason. They don't even trust non-fiction if it hasn't been run through the Maxwell meat grinder.

I just read the nursing home thread, and between the two threads, I realized that I hate the Maxwells. They're evil. Pure evil.

[VodouDoll]

I can't believe Teri has managed to homeschool them properly if the family thinks fiction is a sinful waste of time. That means the kids never read literature, because it would expose them to other viewpoints and ask them questions they don't have answers for. You know Steve wouldn't let his kids get within twenty feet of To the Lighthouse or Wuthering Heights or The Odyssey or even Hamlet. What did they do in English class? Diagram sentences for twelve years straight?

I have to assume that the Maxwells have very dull interior lives. I mean, they do nothing but family activities, they meet no one but fundies and elderly people, they read nothing but the Bible (and textbooks and Moody books). There is no food for the imagination there. Which is, I'm sure, how Steve likes it, but how sad.

Yes, this. If they don't have imaginations, they'll never be able to question their faith and lifestyle because they won't be able to conceive anything outside of what Steve tells them is true. He and Teri are keeping them ignorant under the pretext of keeping them innocent.

[Patsy]

I can't believe Teri has managed to homeschool them properly if the family thinks fiction is a sinful waste of time. That means the kids never read literature, because it would expose them to other viewpoints and ask them questions they don't have answers for. You know Steve wouldn't let his kids get within twenty feet of To the Lighthouse or Wuthering Heights or The Odyssey or even Hamlet. What did they do in English class? Diagram sentences for twelve years straight?

I don't understand why they even bothered with homeschool, if it's all about selling family products, cleaning and reading the Bible. Surely they could have been on the road 12 months a year, no homeschooling, and their only education learning how to read, if that's all they're going to do for their ENTIRE LIVES. What a hideously depressing family.

[fundiefan]

I'm also one of those who couldn't live without reading, and I even prefer an actual book to a Kindle or other gadget. One thing I especially like about books besides the smell is that you can read during takeoff and landing when flying. One of the reasons why my ex-husband IS my ex is that he hated that there were times when I would rather read than watch crap on TV. My boyfriend on the other hand, loves to read just as much as I do, and also prefers actual books to gadgets.

Were you married to my ex? Mine hated my desire - make that need - to read a book. And, the fights that ensued when he tried to force or guilt me into not reading were a major factor in the end of our marriage. It's not like I was going out whoring on the corner. I was sitting in a different room reading a book. Dude acted so extremely to that, you'd think I was having an affair in the other room while he watched Orange County Choppers. I also do not have a kindle or other gadget. I still get a great thrill when cracking open a book.

The Moody books are about a Christian, homeschooling family. So, I guess Sarah is writing what she knows. But it boggles the mind that at the age of 30, she knows nothing else; no life experience or imagination to even fathom writing about or creating a story around. Even the book titles are one dimensional and show zero imagination. She may as well name them "Book One", "Book Two", etc.

[Zoom]

Another bibliophile here...stemming from a long line of bibliophiles (my grandmother got out about 10 books from the library every week once she retired, I think she read them all). I cannot imagine living in a house where reading wasn't encouraged. :(

I am currently reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix right now and stole some reading time at work (it is dead there right now) and my colleague remarked that it was a big book, and that she had never read a book. She sounded proud of the whole thing. :(

I'm about to move into my own place (I currently live with my parents as I've just finished gradschool, I do work so no SAD here :D ) and I got a two bed apartment so that I would have a room for my books. At my parents we have books stuck in every single nook and cranny, and it is a BIG house.

I do have a Kindle that I love when I have fibro flareups. But I will never stop buying physical books.

Like someone else here, when I was growing up we didn't have much money but books were still bought. My dad would give blood and use the money he was paid to buy a book for himself and one for me. :D

[formergothardite]

Depriving your children (adult children at that!) of reading is a sin. Even Jesus made up fiction stories to tell his followers. Steve, Terri, I'm sure one of you read here and you should be ashamed of yourselves.

[MamaJunebug]

Great! Now the rest of the family can get rid of him and have fun once in a while.

The Maxwells, sans Steve. What would that be like?

Let's say that in God's Infinite Wisdom, God takes Steve home ... today.

Who takes over as CEO of Maxwell Books, DVDs, CDs and Touring Lectures?

Nathan? Christopher?

Does the family enterprise continue? if so, who delivers the talks that Steve originally gave?

Does Teri stand at the podium with one of her sons, or is that duty now passed along to Anna [Marie] or Melanie?

Is Sarah suddenly on the courtship market?

Does the family become more reclusive, save for the trips to Home Depot, the grocery store and lectures?

Or does John enroll at ITT Tech for a mechanic's certificate, does Teri subscribe to The Leavenworth Times and add Pepsi to the grocery list, and does ... well, the ideas go on.

Srsly! i wonder what Steve's succession planning is! All good CEOs have one.

[Rowan]

The quote on a bag I got at my (now out of business) bookstore that I worked at one day a week so I could get a discount....

"A home without books is like a house without windows."

On a shirt from the same store...(paraphrased)

"Books should come with warning labels: Caution, this book may change your life."

When I was in 6th grade, my parents punished me for getting a C (because I hadn't turned in/done all my homework) by taking. away. all. my books. For 9 weeks until the next grading period was over. It was Hell. :o