Baron bibliophiles
BVH teachers and students find comfort in books
Both teachers and students on the Bonita Vista High campus can identify as bibliophiles. Many have been avid readers since their youth and have set new reading goals for 2023.
Bibliophilia is defined as a great or excessive love of books, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. The Bonita Vista High (BVH) campus has plenty of students, teachers and staff who are avid readers or book collectors. To some, reading is a pastime. To bibliophiles, reading is an escape.
English 9 Accelerated and International Baccalaureate (IB) Literature teacher Raymond Chhan has loved to read for as long as he can remember. Over the years, he’s collected “a couple hundred books” that fill up about multiple bookcases in his home.
“Each book has some relationship with me at some point in my life. I like to look back at the books that I have read,” Chhan said. “I like to lend out books or let other people borrow them, especially students.”
Chhan’s favorite genre is metafiction; a “form of fiction that emphasizes its own narrative structure.” Metafiction stories are written to remind the reader they are reading something fictional, but he enjoys various other genres.
“[Metafiction] questions a lot of philosophical elements. Like, ‘What’s life about?’ I also really like fantasy and dystopian texts and I read poetry here and there,” Chhan said.
Teachers like Chhan aren’t the only avid book collectors on campus. Junior Riley Shy has fond memories of the first book series she read and fell in love with. Though Shy loves to read, there are often obstacles in her life that have caused her to stray away from reading.
“In the first grade I remember my first series being Junie B. Jones and I loved it so much. I kept [reading] from there,” Shy said. “Now, in high school, because I’m so busy with academic work, I read a lot less than I would like to. It’s still my favorite pastime or hobby.”
Shy has a moderately sized book collection. She collects books to explore different genres and find the ones she is most interested in.
“You never know when you’re going to find your favorite book. I collect books because one day I hope to have the time to read and consume all this different literature,” Shy said.
Similar to Chhan, Shy looks out for her favorite genres when shopping for books. She enjoys historical fiction and has recently discovered a new genre that she enjoys: bildungsroman.
“Bildungsroman is ‘a novel dealing with one person’s formative years or spiritual education.’ So, it’s like the growth of the main character, or a coming-of-age genre. I think that’s in a lot of books and a lot of books can fit under that genre,” Shy said.
Bildungsroman focuses on the growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood. Shy likes the genre because she herself is a teenager in a transitional period.
“In historical fiction, I feel like I’m transported to that world. I love history and I love being able to apply my knowledge of history to the era the book is set in. But I love bildungsroman because the coming of age plots are a lot more relatable,” Shy said.
IB Literature and Theory of Knowledge teacher Jason Good is another BVH staff member who has enjoyed reading from a very early age. Though Good doesn’t think of himself as a book collector, he owns a considerable amount of books, mostly second hand. Good prefers owning his books rather than borrowing them from a library.
“I write in them. I see every book as [if it will have] a potential purpose in the future. I’ve got detailed notes about how I might use it or how I might interact with it, but I can’t do that if I don’t own it,” Good said.
In 2023, Shy’s goal is to finish the amount of books she already owns before purchasing more. On the other hand, Good bases his reading goal around a specific number of books he plans to read.
“My reading goal is to read the number of books that year ends in. So last year it was 22 books, this year it’s 23 books,” Good said. “It’s fun to look back and think about all the things that you’ve read and keep counting it up.”
For Chhan’s reading goal, he doesn’t count books or have an updated TBR. He tries to read at least 30 minutes every day or an hour before bed.
“It helps me destress and wind down,” Chhan said. “Reading also helps me with my vocabulary and it’s enjoyable.”
Similarly, Good finds reading offers various educational values. This includes the development of critical thinking skills which comes through processing a lot of information from one place. Good elaborates on why he believes books to be so powerful in certain aspects.
Anyone can find a book that they like, and that’s what makes reading powerful.
— IB Literature and Theory of Knowledge teacher Jason Good
“That’s a skill that we need to perfect,” Good said. “I don’t think reading is the only way to do it, but it has the most differentiation. Anyone can find a book that they like, and that’s what makes reading powerful.”
From a student perspective, Shy also thinks reading has helped her on an academic level. Reading not only introduces people to complex sentence structures and vocabulary, but broadens imaginations.
“Reading can introduce you to a lot of different things that you wouldn’t think you’d like. Reading is like escapism for me. When I read a book that I’m really interested in, I feel like I’m being transported into that book,” Shy said.
I am a senior at Bonita Vista High and this is my second year on the Crusader. Last year I was an Arts and Culture Editor and this year I am the Features...
I am a senior at Bonita Vista High and this is my second year as a staff member of the Crusader. Last year, I had a blast being News Editor and I am excited...
