When you think of reading as this conversation — a deeper interaction — between self and other, you are also able to close that gap between your sense of self and that other, enabling a connection that transcends the boundaries of space and time. It’s why I can feel affection and warmth for people I have never met or am likely meet. It’s also why books can often have a more significant impact on a child the parents who raised them, the teachers who taught them, the friends that shared their time with them.