I am Kyle's self-indulgence

I heard this essay this morning on the way to work, and I thought it was absolutely wonderful. It's a part of NPR's "This I Believe" essay series.

I believe in the absolute and unlimited liberty of reading. I believe in wandering through the stacks and picking out the first thing that strikes me. I believe in choosing books based on the dust jacket. I believe in reading books because others dislike them or find them dangerous. I believe in choosing the hardest book imaginable. I believe in reading up on what others have to say about this difficult book, and then making up my own mind.

Read (or listen) on.