Books vs e-Books: A Family Holiday Debate.

It just wouldn't be the holidays without family, friends, good food, cheer and some sort of argument. This past holiday season, a contentious debate broke out between my father and oldest brother about the newest member of the family.... Kindle.

My father is an constant traveler for his work, and is weirdly proud of himself for owning one of the first Kindles ever sold on Amazon.com, since he purchased his on the release date back in November, 2007. He has gone through two more Kindles, since he tends to drop them a lot.

My brother, Brendan, is a constant reader (non-fiction, of course), and is weirdly proud of himself for having read all of the Pulitzer Prize nonfiction winners of the 20th Century. Far and away, his biggest monthly expense is books. This boy can't stop buying books. Despite the economic recession, I think he single-handedly keeps Amazon in business.

So my dad had this great idea: get Brendan a Kindle for Christmas. Even with the initial $230 you swallow for the purchase of the Kindle, it's actually more cost effective for the avid reader. Digital book downloads cost anywhere from $10-$20 while the actually hardcover of the same book costs anywhere between $20-$35. My dad thought by covering the biggest expense, he would saving my brother a lot of money and adding a lot of convenience.

Brendan feigned excitement at his gift, but it was obvious he wasn't pleased. The conversation went something like this:

Dad: But I thought you'd love a Kindle. You read so much you're running out of space on your bookshelves.

Brendan: But I like books. The actually, physical book. I write in margins, I make notes, I cross reference, I organize them on my shelf by theme.

Dad: Get with new technologies! Books will all be digital in 20 years! (This is also the man who used an ATM for the first time in 2005 and thought it was 'Fabulous!').

Everyone in the room not born during the Eisenhower administration: Eye roll.


Personally, I love books. Much like my oldest brother, I like to feel them and hold them and make little notes I'll find in 10 years when I read them again. Plus, you get to show off with the books you're reading. You can flash titles while you hold the book under your arm. "Oh, you're reading 'The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire?'" asks someone sitting next to you in class. "Why yes, yes I am." No one can tell how erudite you are by the white cover of your Kindle.

Well, my brother is getting married the end of May. Hopefully, on this family event, we can keep technology debates out of it.