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Deborama’s Books — “I’ve been sifting through the layers …”
I’ve been siftin’ through the layers
Of dusty books and faded papers
They tell a story I used to know
And it was one that happened so long ago
— from “Across the Great Divide” by Nanci Griffith
That’s a pretty good approximation of my döstädning or Swedish death-cleaning project. Especially since I’ve been at it for a year, and not only have not advanced past the books, I’m not even to the halfway mark on the books.
I don’t really know how many books I have. I started collecting books as a high school student. I stole a few books (but felt very guilty about it.) Never got caught, white privilege, and luck. And I only did it for about a year. Also my Mom would give me money for clothes, and I would spend most of it on books, which I hid from her, and then I lied about the cost of the clothes.
Warning to prospective parents: this is what happens when you forbid your kid the very thing their soul craves. (Yes, when I was 14, my Mom forbid me to buy books.) You’d think my Mom would be OK that I craved books instead of, say…
