A nation 'Becoming': How reading can make us better

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At the time of writing this column, I was three-quarters of the way through Michelle Obama’s autobiography, Becoming. I have read many biographies, including on personalities like Gandhi, Datuk Onn Jaafar, Tun Abdul Razak, Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, Mies van der Rohe, Siddharta Gautama, Muhammad and a few others. This was the second biography of a woman that I have read, the previous one being Enid Blyton's, my childhood and teen years’ favourite author.

I want to share with Malaysians the loss of wisdom that can be gained from reading books that our students, university graduates, doctoral candidates and academics alike are experiencing today. With this loss, I am afraid our nation will never go through a meaningful “becoming” to blossom into a new entity that is more confident, mature and accommodating.