It finally happened: technology infected the world of books. With these new electronic book, or eBook readers, people can carry thousands of pages with them in a tiny device. The change is similar to what the iPod did for how people listen to music, except Amazon was the company that pioneered this trend. Amazon introduced the Kindle in 2007 and other companies, such as LG, Sony, and Microsoft, have been making ebook readers ever since.
 Now, I admit that only having to carry around a light weight device rather than two or three 4-pound books has its perks. Not to mention that in the long run, buying the device, which, depending on the brand, will cost between $150 to $300, then the ebooks, which only cost you half as much as buying regular books, will cost pretty much the same as one semester’s worth of books.
 Even though this method of book buying and reading seems like it might be less straining on my back and wallet, I can’t bring myself to give up my books for an impersonal device. I know not everyone will understand because not everyone loves books like I do, but to me books are more than just paper and ink.
Books have magic: the fonts, the cover art, the pages all work together to make a wonderful experience. Electronic readers will take this away. You just don’t get the same feeling pressing a button to turn the page as you do with a real page in hand. Not to mention, electronic devices have no smell. I love the smell of books, new and old. New books have the smell of fresh pages, ink, and the glue that holds the pages together. Old books have that traditional musty smell, and by opening their yellowed pages you get to experience two stories: the one written by the author as well as the one written by the readers.
  Not only does the Kindle ruin the experience of books, you don’t even really own the book. Yes, Amazon gets to be a creeper and monitor what goes on your Kindle. Amazon has the power to go into your Kindle and remove stories if they aren’t copyrighted. So really, you’re just renting books from Amazon.
 Through the years, technology has slowly digitalized almost every aspect of life. The letter moved to email. Does anyone even remember the excitement of an opening an actual letter? Television and movies moved to Hulu. Phone calls have been replaced by text messages and IMs. You don’t find your soulmate by chance or fate, you search for them in a database on a computer. Technology isn’t real life; it doesn’t give people something tangible to hold on to.
 Technology has changed everything else; books should be left alone. As Thomas Jefferson said, “I cannot live without books.”