The epidemic sweeping through today's "modern" generation can be summed up in three words:

"Because it's work."

These are the words that my 14 year old cousin blurted out when I asked him, "Why don't you read any books?!?"

I was dumbfounded.

My mind raced through the catalogue of "favorite books of all time" that sat in the back of my brain: Pride & Prejudice, Anne of Green Gables, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Tale of Two Cities, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Jane Eyre... These were old friends, life long companions, who came to my aid when I needed to be swept away from the doldrums of the two-dimensional mundaness of life.

I can still remember the wonder that filled me when I first walked into the new Barnes & Noble store that opened next to my home in high school. Stepping in, being completely surrounded by books in all shapes, colors, sizes, on every possible topic, endless pages of mystery, romance, history, philosphy, music, science, love, hatred, passion... It was dizzying.

Hardly the soul sucking slave driver of mindless toil and labor encapsulated in the word "work."

When I gathered myself enough to ask him, "how is it work?", the answer was neither glib nor sullen-merely practical:

"I can just download the movie and watch it on my computer."

Indeed, with the same clipped efficiency with which he spoke his words, my cousin could have, with a few clicks of the mouse, found thousands of "Great Books" in "mpeg" and been sitting back with a soda and popcorn while I sputtered in exasperation. Knee-jerk reaction aside, however, I decided to ponder the question: "Are books becoming obsolete?"

In truth, this country is intensely focused on "efficiency"-"cost efficiency," "streamlining," "time management," "multi-tasking"-these are all words that populate resumes (I should know-I used to be a profesional resume writer) as badges of achievement. And should they not? Why pay $10 for something you can get for $5? Why take 40 minutes to clean out the garage when it can be done in 20 minutes? Why focus on just one task, when you can wash the dishes, catch the evening news, and have dinner on the stove all at once?

And of course, the bane of all writers-why say it in 5 words, when you can say it in 3?

As an English major in college and a practicing attorney for five years, I have been an editor for neary half of my life. If you walk into my office today, I have at least 10 red pens sitting neatly in a pen holder on my desk,

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