When she was finally able to read longer books on
her own, she
devoured any book she could — the good, the bad, the complex and the
overly simplified. She would check out 20 books from her local library
at a time. She would pack her suitcase with more books than clothes for a
vacation.
In reading everything, she was able to recognize what she most
appreciated in books. She found herself gravitating toward strong,
complex and fully developed characters who broke away from stereotypes
and contrived limitations. “I loved when I discovered characters who
felt like friends, who proved stronger than their hardships, who were
not defined by a world that saw them as limited,” she said.
Characters and stories that defy
stereotypes and limitations are the core of her growing book collection
themed around “dismantling the patriarchy.”
“Dismantling the patriarchy is not only reforming what it means to be
a woman or defining ‘masculinity,’ but allowing for a complexity of
character,” Symons said. “You don’t have to be just one thing. I think
when that happens, when you don’t confine people to something, that’s a
step in dismantling the patriarchy.”
Symons’ collection consists of more than 80 titles that represent
varied genders, ethnicities and identities. Each has their own story and
worldview to share.
You’ll find classics, like Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own and Anne Frank’s The Diary of Anne Frank, alongside contemporary favorites, like Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give, John Green’s Paper Towns and Madeline Miller’s Circe. There are comic books, like Marvel’s The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and DC Comics’ Batgirl Year One, alongside feminist-forward novels and essay collections, like Roxanne Gay’s Bad Feminist.
The collection also includes biographies of figures like Ruth Bader
Ginsburg and Malala Yousafzai, and the memoir of sexual assault survivor
Laurie Halse Anderson.
One area that she particularly focuses on within her collection is
young adult literature, a genre that is rapidly growing and showcasing
new voices and experiences. “The books I read when I was young shaped me
and shaped the way I view the world,” Symons said. “I think it’s
fantastic and so important that the YA books that we’re reading now are
becoming so diverse, and are exploring difficult themes that weren’t at
all addressed even five years ago.”
Whether fiction, non-fiction or poetry, the books in her collection
all highlight perspectives and experiences different from Symons’ own.
“Books are a great way to get out of your own little bubble and
experience someone else’s reality as much as anyone can,” she said.
These diverse characters and perspectives also provide her with the
opportunity to spark conversations and share in new experiences with
friends and family.
“People who I have known for a long time, I learn things about them
I’ve never known when we’re reading or discussing a book together,”
Symons said. She could be discussing how author Sarah Rees Brennan swaps
stereotypical gender roles to illustrate how problematic they are in
the novel In Other Lands with a friend, or listening to her mom recount stories from her childhood and Symons’ childhood after reading Michelle Obama’s Becoming together. In every case, it brings them closer.
With friends and family, Symons can discuss what they’ve learned from
these stories and how they can use it to better themselves and the
world. “I think we all come out of those conversations for the better,”
she said. “We are more open to the fact that we don’t know everything
and there is still a lot for us to learn.”
Being able to recommend books to her family and friends is another
valuable way Symons uses her collection to connect with others. “I love
giving books to friends and family, and saying, ‘Hey, we were having
this conversation the other day, and this book really speaks to that.
You should check this out,’ ” she said.
In the same way, she enjoys browsing a friend’s bookshelves or having
them recommend a title for her. “Sometimes they’ll suggest something
and say, ‘I’m not sure if I like [the book,] but I think it would be an
important addition to your collection,’” Symons said. “So it’s not just
about what I’ll enjoy, but what will have an impact and what will make
me see something from a new perspective.”
Reading and curating her evolving collection has helped broaden and
change her perspectives in all facets of her life, including her
coursework. As part of the University’s 4+1 Master’s Program in Art
History for Museum Professionals, she’s been reading a lot of art
history textbooks for graduate seminars.
With her interest in lifting up diverse and inclusive voices beyond
the “very colonial, imperialist, white, straight, male” background of
art history, she said, Symons can better question her own biases,
acknowledge the changes in the art world today, and prepare for the
changes in representation that are to come.
“I really do believe in the power of books and the ability to learn
from the stories others write,” Symons said. “Reading has made me a more
open and understanding person… If you let them, books offer us all a
chance to engage in new topics of conversation with ourselves.”
Symons’ book collection has transformed into a personal journey she
will continue for years to come. With each book, she discovers new
stories and perspectives to flesh out her own worldview, and new
opportunities to share those experiences with others.
Seth Trotter Book Collecting Contest
Eileen Symons is one of three winners of the Friends of the
University of Delaware Library’s 2020 Seth Trotter Book Collecting
Contest. The other winners are Edward Benner and Lucia O’Neill.
The Friends created the contest to encourage reading and research, the
creation of personal libraries, and an appreciation of printed or
illustrated works for pleasure and scholarship among UD undergraduate
and graduate students. Students can learn more about the 2021 Seth
Trotter Book Collecting Contest, including how to submit their
applications, here.
Article by Allison Ebner; photos courtesy of Eileen Symons
Published May 13, 2021