Gratitude for the Gift of Reading

The most recent fictional work I have read is Diane Johnson's Lulu in Marrakech. (Author of Le Mariage and Le Divorce both of which I have read.) Lulu, our heroine, is a human intelligence agent for an unnamed American agency (most likely the CIA) who is on assignment in Morocco. Her purpose there is to discover how money flows from "legitimate" charities to terrorist organizations, while her cover is to gather information about literacy programs in the country.

While visiting a school for girls out in the area around Marrakech, Lulu enters into a discussion with the program's administrator. The administrator comments, "I'm committed to girls reading. Not everyone agrees" (p. 82). To which Lulu thinks the following, "It was hard to imagine a life without being able to read - the situation for three quarters of women and girls in rural areas of Morocco. If you couldn't read, you'd have to wait for people to tell you things - how unreliable that would be!" (p. 83)

I was so struck by that passage. How often do I forget how lucky I am to live in a country where education for women is not limited? I'm grateful that my daughter has the opportunity to learn and use her knowledge. How often do we forget and take for granted such simple things in life? It was a reminder to champion the cause of promoting literacy here and abroad.