Z and I review books for VOYA. We take this task seriously, but lately Z has been distracted by a few things:
1. Football
2. A new laptop
3. A new phone
4. Old faithful (the Xbox)
5. Girls
After homework time, I suggested that he read Mike Lupica’s new book, The Underdogs. I was in my room reading Wolf Storm imagining him lying on his bed gripping a copy of The Underdogs, being truly immersed in the story. Boy was I dreaming! After a while, I took a peek into his room.
To my horror, I saw a boy with a laptop on his lap, huge earphones on his ears, and the spine of Lupica's book jutting out from under a pillow.
K: (With all the disappointment she can muster.) I thought you were reading.
Z: Huh?
K: You hear me, boy! You should be reading. You’re missing out.
Later, I mention the death of reading a few times--at random moments--of course.
At bedtime when he yells, “When’s the review due?”
I put away my thoughts of eulogizing his reading life.
