TOW 5: Reading the world in 196 books

            “Reading the world in 196 books” was written by Ann Morgan, a writer and avid reader who contributed this article to BBC.com. Ms. Morgan’s story began one day when she was eyeing her personal library and came to the realization that the majority of her collection of novels came from British or American authors. In an attempt to change her narrow literary perspective, Morgan set herself the goal of reading one book from each of the world’s 196 recognized countries in one year. In spite of the difficult task of tracking down literature from countries where stories are rarely written down and the trials of sticking to her strict timetable, Morgan’s literary quest ended up teaching her not only about the world around her, but also in helping her to define and understand her place within that vast network.

            The enlightening effect of her “trip around the world” inspired Ann Morgan to write an article detailing her experiences. Morgan’s purpose in writing this article was to inspire her audience of average first-world citizens to do something similar to what she did, and venture into new experiences to learn about the world around themselves in ways that they would not normally. The author effectively utilized anecdotes to achieve her purpose. Using personal stories of her own experiences helped the reader to feel connected to the mission, and also made the accomplishments that she ultimately achieved seem attainable for each individual member of her audience. For me, this article undoubtedly achieved its purpose of inspiring me to involve myself in the greater scope of the world around me by partaking in new experiences. As an avid reader myself, Morgan’s own mission was an attractive option to me. Reading books from all over the globe seems like it would be extremely rewarding investment of time and energy.