Part One
Work with a partner or group and discuss the following questions:
- Do you read? Did you read as a child?
- What role do books serve in your culture? Are they valued?
- Is technology endangering books and literature? Will books and bookstores someday disappear?
- Will future generations read? Does it matter?
Part Two
You are going to listen to a debate on the cultural significance of bookstores. A question is being asked: are bookstores still relevant?
Background
Amazon has caused an outcry in the literary community with a recent marketing stunt; the retail giant encouraged customers to use an app on their phones to check prices in bookstores and, if the customer then purchased the book from Amazon, they would receive a discount. Many have accused the company of being "predatory"; in addition, American novelist Richard Russo wrote an article in the NY Times condemning Amazon for trying to push bookstores out of business and claimed that the brick and mortar bookstore is the most important thing keeping literary culture alive. You will hear a debate in response to Amazon's price check app, Russo's article on the importance of bookstores, and the general state of literary culture. The debate is between Farhad Manjoo, a columnist for Slate magazine, and Joanne Saul, owner of a Toronto bookstore.
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