reading the read, readying the reader

I haven't even read Specters of Marx yet, and I keep seeing the guy everywhere: my pastor's thoughts on public school schedules, a conversation with my dad over coffee, a Gchat rant about specialization and compartmentalization . . .

I may not agree with the man overall, but reading what he thought is kind of helpful in understanding the world around me, and in understanding the perspective of people who are living in Marx's legacy without even knowing it.

That being the case, I was happy to read this post from Tim Challies: Why Christians Should Read in the Mainstream.

If you want to understand the people around you, why they are the way they are, what influences them, why they make the decisions they do, you will do well to read the books they read. These books explain the ideas; the people live the ideas.

Now, it is kind of troubling that what I'm reading for school is a little further upstream than the mainstream. But it's all tied together (why am I thinking of Poohsticks?). And maybe one day (maybe next year?) I'll have time to read in the mainstream again.