Joyce Carol Oates

I always find it interesting to know why a person reads.  Is she reading for information, enlightenment or escape?  Generally speaking, I read in order to make sense or to make meaning.  While I am often nothing like the characters about which I read, they teach me or help me understand something in a new way.  Walking around in another character’s head for a while helps me develop greater empathy for my fellow humans.  It may even help me be kinder to myself.  I think this why I so frequently read b