How do you think becoming a reader changes Lambiase?

Lambiase moves from an occasional or nonreader, to a reader, to a bookseller. How do you think becoming a reader changes him? Consider the scene where he decides not to confront Ismay about the backpack. Do you think Lambiase's reaction is different than it would have been if he hadn't taken up reading?

It opened up his world and allowed him to make friends. It's always nice when you are able to share common interests with others. We are made to have social relationships and as much as I love my books it's also nice to share them with others. If he hadn't gotten out and in essence become a bit of a "people person" his views may have remained more inflexible and he may not have gotten the courage to ask her out in the first place. Had his views stayed black and white he may have turned her in.

Reading broadened his horizons so much. I really loved the fact that once he discovered the joy of reading he felt absolutely compelled to share that joy with his peers. When he chose to become a bookseller, I felt he had come full circle in passing on his joy to others.

I'd like to answer this by posing a question: How did Lambiase change because of Ismay?

I think that Lambiase was a good hearted small town Chief of Police. I was first impressed with him in how he handled A.J. at the time of his wife's death and at the time the rare book, Tamarlane, was stolen when he saw to it that A.J. saw a doctor because he was concerned about his mental state. When Maya suddenly appears at the bookstore he also sort of manipulates A.J. into keeping her for the weekend which was a rather a good idea as it turns out. It certainly turned into a humanizing and healing event for A.J. as well as getting Lambiase into the habit of going to the bookstore which kind of got him hooked on reading and led him to getting involved in sharing and discussing books with others. All of these things were just manifestations of who he already was but then became apparent to others as he became social. I am not sure his becoming a reader changed the way he dealt with the discovery of the backpack because I had already characterized him as a law officer who sort of always looked at the big picture as he performed his duties.

I loved how Lambiase likes young adult books. Everyone looks down on them, but some of the best books I've read have been young adult (that is, until the publishers starting pushing everything vampire and dystopian). They are finding that most young adult books are bought by people over the age of 18! I read Zevin's Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac and thought it was really good - I recommended it to a lot of teens when I worked as a teen librarian.
Well, off the question, I guess - sorry about that....but I did love Lambiase's character.

He was already a Police officer/man who saw each person on their own terms. I love that his involvement with AJ and Maya made him a reader. He started with what he knew and then broadened his interests through both AJ and Maya, and he wanted others to feel the excitement of reading and discussing. I really liked his character.

I think Lambiase was probably a shy person. He was awkward socially. But then books gave him something to talk about. He could now hold a conversation with AJ on books. his love for books then led him to starting the book group. He came out of his shell and shared something passionately with others. His self-esteem kept growing. This made him more likeable to others. People wanted to be around him. Books made him look at things from different perspectives which then helped him in the situation with Ismay. He was always wonderful with Maya. I think he was a really considerate man that didn't know how to open up with people until books changed his self-esteem.

The Lambiase story thread was one of my favorite parts of the book. Lambiase seemed to "bloom" as he broadened his reading selections. As the book progresses, the reader sees Liambiase read new types of books, help AJ in the shop, play with Maya, run a book club,venture into a new relationship, and even start a new career. His excitement for reading seemed to give him confidence and a shared passion that helped him to build relationships with other people.

I don't think that it changed him. I think he always had that interest in other people and learning new things, what I think it did do was give him the confidence to share the things he had always enjoyed with others more.

I think that by becoming a reader, Lambiase broadened his base knowledge. This allowed him to have more knowledge to draw on when dealing with others.

Lambiase is a great character. He is a good example of someone that never read, picked it up, and loved what reading does for someone. He starts out as a quiet unassuming guy, and by the end of the book, he has tons of confidence to try something new. I think the world of reading opened up the world for him.It is always great to see that in a character, and to see it real life, when you can get a person to love reading.

I once read that a mind stretched by ideas can never return to its original shape. I think this is true for Lambiase. He is a great example of how reading changes us, changes who we are. I am not the same person now as I was years ago, even last year, because of reading. I can relate to Lambiase in that way.

Absolutely. Reading provided Lambiase the opportunity to expand his life. From initially not reading, to reading only detective/police stories, he expands his venue. That he ends up running the bookstore was a great ending again showing Gabrielle Zabin's theme of transformation and second chances.

lbellg, I love what you said you read - "a mind stretched by ideas can never return to its original shape".

I don't know that it changed him. It gave him a chance to open up more to others. It gave him an interest that he wanted to share with others. I loved his "book group" I have always been a reader, it was enstilled in me as a child. My husband's family did not read, so he did not grow up with the same interest. Like Lamblase, he has learned to love reading in his retirement and I love recommending books for him to read.

Lambaise is a good man with an open mind and open heart. I liked that he formed his own book club and that there was no sense of "looking down" on the genres they chose.

Lambiase is a well-rounded character whose growth as a person is occasioned by the people he knows and helps. Reading is one of the things that causes this growth. In fact, it changes him from being a stereotypical "policeman" into a person who reaches out to others as a caring person who widens his own horizons and is able to live a fuller life.

Lambiase is a great character. I loved the way he was presented as a big teddy bear kind of man. The Book Club just made him seem to grow.

Lambiase is a man open to growth.