2B
Magazine Editor:
Ian DIllingham
Deputy Editor:
Natalie Gadbois
Design Editor:
Jake Wellins
Photo Editor:
Luna Anna Archey
Creative Director:
Cheryll Victuelles
Editor in Chief:
Jennifer Calfas
Managing Editor:
Lev Facher
Copy Editors:
Hannah Bates
Laura Schinagle
Emma Sutherland
THE statement
“My initial vision (for the store) was from growing up in New
York City, in Brooklyn, and seeing the Fourth Ave. bookstores.
It’s funny that I just happened to be by these famous
bookstores. What interested me was that the booksellers were
so knowledgeable about everything they had — the places were
often swamped with things you couldn’t find — but the owners
knew where everything was. I’m kind of the same way now. I
can locate anything if you ask for it. The difference between
them and me is that I am literate. They were illiterate, but they
knew books. They knew what the books were and what they
were worth, but they didn’t ever read them!
– JEFFREY PICKELL, owner of Kaleidoscope Books & Collectibles
Wednesday, November 25, 2015 // The Statement
In a sentimental mood
I
truly admire J.K. Rowling. I realize
this isn’t the most controversial state-
ment, and it’s probably a sentiment
that most people share. Her crowning
achievement, to me, was the ascension of
her books to actual pop culture phenom-
enon. Where today we line up outside
movie theaters for midnight premieres, we
waited then outside Borders for midnight
releases. Where we wait months for the
trailer of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,”
we waited years for the release of “Deathly
Hallows.”
This is what amazes me about Harry
Potter. The concept of books being a bona
fide national obsession among people our
age seems to have been a casualty from TV
and film’s rise to the top of the pop culture
food chain. More people binge-watch than
read for pleasure, and it’s not for lack of
time. Yet, we’ll always have Harry Potter.
And truthfully, the series’ quality is
irrelevant. The things we held close to our
chest in childhood we hold even closer in
our adulthood. An objectively bad movie
(“Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Men-
ace”) is considered an all-time classic (by
me) simply because of its association with
a faintly remembered youth.
The power of sentimentality is one of
my favorite things about life. It makes me
incredibly, inexplicably happy that we look
at everything from our formative years in
the most crimson of rose-tinted glasses. It’s
why I defend “The Office” so fiercely and
love Batman like I love my grandmother.
There’s a VHS tape of the Backstreet
Boys’ official Black & Blue tour sitting
somewhere in my house; I watched it over
and over as a child, and I’ll never get rid of
it. And no one will ever convince me that
“Space Jam” got bad reviews.
Is this worth it, though? Do we lose some
sort of critical edge if we turn a blind eye
to the things we grew up with? To grow
up playing football would likely lead to a
reluctance to answer uncomfortable con-
versations about concussions in the sport.
To spend one’s youth going hunting would
likely translate to a reluctance toward gun
control. Unfortunately, it seems senti-
mentality is often our biggest obstacle to
change, as well.
To be sure, this is a long line to draw.
Assigning sentimental value to certain
concepts is a naturally human occurrence,
but it can also be dangerous. I grow too
attached to movies, books, shows, people,
things from my childhood for which I can
often never see the other side, and I’ve been
alarmed at the degree to which this is true.
It’s odd, I know, to analyze the idea of being
attached to things from your childhood,
and it’s something probably no one has
ever done before because no one has ever
even thought about why it’s necessary, but I
think it’s worth noting. It’s a concept that’s
so universal, so ingrained that we never
stop to think about why it is such, and that
in itself is an important process.
B Y N A B E E L C H O L L A M PAT
LUNA ARCHEY/DAILY
THOUGHT
BUBBLE
COVER BY LUNA ARCHEY
BOOKS ON BOOKS!