Eva Katz Eva KatzI had spent all afternoon studying at Bucks. It was a cold, chilly day and I thought there would be nothing more appealing than coffee to accompany my work. It was a midterm week and I was trying to utilize my time wisely. I finished a review sheet when I realized it was getting dark outside. I went up the creaking stairs to find used books. I have always been a fan of used literature. To think that the book I hold in my hands was once purchased and cherished by someone else a long time ago, is enthralling to me. I began to browse when I noticed a small novel with a light blue cover and the words written in bold: You Can't Go Home Again. Thomas Wolfe was a classic writer and I had always wanted the chance to read his works. But what was more interesting was the title itself. Everyone is always talking about moving away from home, about leading new lives, and meeting new friends. But can you ever go home again? I took the book out of the shelf. The pages were yellow and thin. I took the book and held it in my hands. I smelled the thin paper. I ran my hands along the cover. The smell was overwhelming. It was the smell of old paper, but it was also insight into a past. I checked the publishing date: 1940 in New York City -- over 50 years ago. It was published during a time when the world was filled with anguish; it was published during World War II. And to think that some American entered a book shop and purchased this heralded novel while my grandparents were being sent to Nazi concentration camps in Germany, was too much for me to fathom. I held the book and wondered: can you go home again? I took out five and a quarter for an object I believed was priceless. I walked home with it in my hands. When I got to my room, I put down all of my books and boiled some hot water for tea. Although I knew I had midterms to study for, and countless other texts to read for classes, I opened up the novel and began to read. The protagonist, George Webber, is a writer who has moved back to his homeland only to find that everything is different. How rich! Wolfe wrote a timeless novel for I too have moved away from home and when I come back to visit expecting everything to be the same, I realized it wasn't. And just like Webber who dreams of going back home, he and I, and millions of other students and travelers, have no idea what to expect upon return. I sat with the novel for hours. I remembered the bookstore. The piles of novels and anthologies reached the ceiling. The dusty shelves added to the ambiance that made my afternoon so worthwhile. It was a haven from the stress, the fast-paced actions of city life and the errands that waited for my completion. The bookstore was quiet and cramped on that Wednesday afternoon, but it was home.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.