In a rapidly evolving, constantly busy society, it can be extremely difficult to find time to read a book, let alone the time to go to an actual bookshop. With the invention of smartphones, androids and tablets which provide us with a virtual library at our fingertips, why bother buying books from a shop anymore?
This is precisely the question asked by both young and older people in current society. But is it true that physical books have now become worthless? A local bookshop in Hampton would disagree with this statement, claiming books still play an important role in our lives for various reasons.
Found tucked away just behind the station, The Hampton Bookshop is a bookshop that has been central to the community for over 20 years. Full of all different kinds of books, the shop donates all its proceeds to charities. The fact that this shop has been able to survive for so long and still continues to, even in the age of the smartphone, suggests that books are still important.
‘Every week new people come in and donate books’ says one of the volunteers.
‘I like to donate books to the shop because I know that not only will someone else enjoy reading them, but the money raised from the sale will be helping a good cause’, says Eva Shah, local resident.
Whether they’re fact, fiction, comedies or crime novels, books have the potential to open your mind and immerse you in a new experience. Given this, and the significant work of The Hampton Bookshop perhaps next time you’ll look up from your smartphone when you’re walking past a bookshop.
Anya Shah,Sir William Perkins's School
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