Gerak Cepat

I love reading because it helped bring me, quite literally, to where I am today. I probably wouldn't be in Indonesia were it not for the influence of books. Reading was my first ticket to other worlds, other perspectives, other possibilities. As a kid, books are what develop your creativity, imagination, and curiosity. 

As you get older, books are also keys to help understand and engage with the world as a whole, and your place in it. I remember my high school literature teacher introducing us to Invisible Man (by Ralph Ellison) and talking about all of the symbolism and metaphors, and it was like a whole new door had been opened.

You mean there’s a whole world behind some stories?! The ability and desire to explore the history, symbolism, and meaning behind books really provides one with the structures, perspectives, and tools that are so helpful as you continue to develop more knowledge about the world around you, and closer relationships with certain people in it. 

Books are also of course an important preserver of our past, and show our thoughts, hopes, and concerns about the future. Although we have greater access than ever to books today, we have just as many distractions. It’s easy to find yourself surfing the internet or messaging friends during moments you might otherwise use, or would like to use, for reading. Events like World Book Day help remind us how fun and important books are, and that reading can also be quite social. 

Written by: Steven Ellis

Co-Founder POST Santa - at Pasar Santa South Jakarta

Favorite Books: " One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Slaughterhouse 5"