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Well, I didn't grow up around libraries because
in Afghanistan
they didn't exist, when I was there. In the 1970s
I went to bookstores, really, to be around books and I was a big book lover from a
very young age.
So I went to bookstores to be around shelves of books and spend time
in their company, but I discovered libraries in
France, when I moved there in 1976. And I remember walking into one the first time
and just kind of being in disbelief that I could
walk out with a book without having to to pay for it. I could borrow it and read
it...
and then I could come back and get another one. So it was really kind of a novel
idea for me and I was like a kid...
a proverbial kid in a candy store, because I read so many books growing up.
I love books. I love being around them and so
my first experience with libraries was actually in France
and I've loved them since.
Well, now I'm a parent so I take my children to the library
and, you know, we'll lounge around and read,
we'll get on the computer, we'll browse.
I spent part of the writing process of my first book in the library.
I was in Sunnyvale, Northern California,
and I went there to just get a booth
and sit down and work on "The Kite Runners." Part of that book was written in a public
library.
I when I was in full practice as a physician,
I went to the library every single day that I worked. I spent my lunch hour
across the street at the Mountainview Public Library.
I was...it beat the conference room in the medical clinic,
so I ate lunch then I walked across street,
went to the library, went upstairs, read books, newspapers, and just kind of
sat in a lovely space. So it's a
integral part of my life and I want it to become a part of my children's
lives. I do want them to
see the library as a has a shared communal space where they can go and be
safe and
enjoy books. Well, I think...
communities that don't have libraries, communities that
limit their libraries end up suffering
as a result. Libraries are very special places. They're
sort of the ultimate egalitarian institution.
People from all walks of life, all socioeconomic backgrounds
can come and use the library is a place to learn,
as a place for information, for education for opportunity.
You know, libraries are more than just place where you can go and check out a book.
They're places that promote
social discourse, that promote social justice,
places that promote free thought, curiosity in children
They're often at the front line of identifying
a community's problems and its needs.
So, you know, they're...
it's really difficult to overstate the value of a library to a community.
[On censorship] Well, my first novel, "The Kite Runner," has found itself as
frequently appearing on the banned books list and frankly,
it's something that's always perplexed and puzzled me
I'm never really quite sure what children are supposedly being protected
from,
because by now I have received thousands and thousands of letters
from both middle school and high school students, children who...
kids who read the book, either at home
for themselves or in classrooms and I think,, judging on the content of those
letters
they're far, far more sophisticated than we give them credit for.
They get the context. They get
the reasons why certain scenes are put in.
They really understand that and they articulate that to me.
I feel that,
far more harmful to kids is so much
of the pop culture that they're exposed through television,
through the Internet. Things that promote
seeking fame, seeking money
and being popular... whereas
the kids who've read my books, for example, "The Kite Runner,"
frequently tell me that it was the book
that set them on the path to reading more and that they've
decided that they actually like books after they read
"The Kite Runner," and yeah, there are
things in the book that are of a serious nature,
but I feel that kids have the intellectual capacity
to deal with those things. Ultimately, the decision does lie with the parents,
not all kids are the same. sony's at the conversation that parents need to have
their kids when they're reading a book
like "The Kite Runner." But I think to flat out ban it
is doing the kids a disservice, because the book has served
as a window into Afghanistan as a window into that regional of the world for the kids and
allowed them to feel connected to a part of the world that is so distant from their own lives.
[America's libraries play a vital role in connecting readers and authors--encouraging literacy, discovery and exploration of different topics and genres. As books are increasingly made available in digital form, libraries are continuing to do this via ebooks. Do you have thoughts on this transition or how libraries and authors might create new connections with readers in the digital age?]
Well, I think that's something that we're going to see happen in the future. I think right now publishers are
experiencing an upheaval in their usual
business practices and everybody is trying to understand,
really, the full impact of the electronic revolution on the
publishing industry including publishers, authors, and to some extent,
libraries, as well.
I think the dialogue between publishers and libraries
on the availability of e-books will continue. My guess is that at some point
e-books will become available to libraries, electronic content will be
available to library patrons.
I think, ultimately, that's for the best for both publishers and readers
and in line with the core mission of libraries.
I'm currently working on finishing my book tour, which I'm actually
almost done with. I'll be done tomorrow, but
I plan on settling down when I get home and
think of a new book. But right now I haven't started working on anything.