By Natalie Bradford, Special to Pine Whispers
Tempers can flare at the mere mention of a seemingly harmless topic: paper books or e-books? Both sides have passionate supporters, valid complaints and a multitude of merits.
In many cases, what people prefer often depends on where they are at the time.
“When I’m at the beach and it’s windy I prefer an e-book,” freshman Katy Rice said, drawing to attention to a flaw in the pages that many paper book loyalists hold dear. But e-books can also be more difficult to read out in the sun, as the screens can create glares which make it hard to see the words. In other situations, however, the exact opposite is true.
“Reading at night is more convenient on an e-book because they have a backlight,” freshman Ben Williams said.
Other, more sentimental factors also play a part in people’s consideration, especially those partial to paper books.
“They’re putting book stores out of business,” freshman Mackenzie Goodman said. This is an unforgivable aspect of the increasing popularity of e-books to many readers, who claim that walking through a bookstore with a cup of coffee and a stack of books is an important part of the experience.
Others disagree, saying that this “experience” only makes books more expensive. The price of books is another controversial facet of the debate.
“I’d rather pay for more expensive books because I don’t know how many books I’d buy on my Kindle,” Rice said, pointing out that in order to read e-books she must first purchase a device on which to read them. The cost of an e-reader would perhaps offset the money that could potentially be saved on the less expensive e-books. It’s also much easier to replace paper books than a Kindle or Nook.
Of course, people who plan on buying a large number of books might find it more cost effective to go digital, but that could lead to problems of its own.
“If you lose your e-reader you lose lots of books,” freshman Celia Karahalios said.
Although some might worry about losing so many books, the ability to carry around as many books as a person wants to in one lightweight device has appeal, especially when compared to the heft of some paper books.
“Books have to be heavy because they have the whole world in them,” Williams said, quoting author Cornelia Funke.
Another common complaint about e-books is their propensity to lose power. “I never have to charge my book,” Williams said. Some people even claim they spend less time reading because their e-books run out of battery power.
Environmental concerns play a part in which format some people choose, although there are disputes on which are worse to manufacture, books made of paper or the electronic devices necessary to read e-books.
“(Paper books are) a better way to kill trees than homework,” freshman Ashleigh Ranson said.
The reason behind reading also plays a part in determining what some people choose.
“The only time I prefer an e-book is if I have a book for school and a book for pleasure and I don’t want to carry two things,” Karahalios said.
While to some students this may appear to be the perfect solution to 50-pound bookbags, teachers aren’t so sure.
“It’s easier as a teacher if they’re all reading the same version of a book,” English teacher Nikèl Bussolati said.
Despite the politics and debate, there are still people who simply want to read no matter the device.
“I don’t really care the form the book is in as long as I can get the story,” freshman Logan Miller said.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? USE THE COMMENTS BOX BELOW TO WEIGH IN ON THE SUBJECT!
Editor’s note: Freshman Natalie Bradford wrote this story for her year-end Intro to Journalism project. She plans to join the Pine Whispers staff next year.