Every year, news outlets both large and small churn out their somber treatments of 9/11 and underline the importance of acknowledging the anniversary of those horrific events.

I never understood how people could cry from reading a book.

I used to think that it was impossible to cry because of books because there were no pictures; you had to make them up in your mind. Crying because of movies seemed more plausible because you would see the events happening before you, making them appear to be realistic.

After having spent more than 10 years in school, I have developed a deep appreciation for textbooks. At times, they cleared up what a bad teacher was trying to get across. Other times, they supplemented what I was doing in class.

A few days ago I encountered one of my classmates reading an installment of the "Gossip Girl" series.