To Be Human

Terry Pratchett would’ve been 76 today if not for the Embuggerance. The wit and wisdom and fury and anger he shared via the Discworld affected something foundational in us and made the world a little bit better.

Although the first Discworld novel was published in 1983, two years before I was born, I did not find Pratchett until my twenties. Perhaps it was due to growing up in rural Pennsylvania with a somewhat limited public library and dial-up internet . . . I was always a fan of fantasy, devouring Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion and The Chronicles of Narnia and The Space Trilogy and I would like to thinks that, had I found him earlier, I would have loved him then, too.

Or perhaps the universe was waiting for just the right time to bring me into the Discworld. Maybe I needed to be in a place where his words would have the most impact, for me to be in a space where I could internalize some of what he had to say and allow it to change me.

I must admit that I was introduced to Terry Pratchett not by a book, but by the 2006 adaptation of Hogfather, which I found at our local Blockbuster in 2010. Wow, I am really feeling my age in this post. Anyway, Krystal and I were intrigued by the cover and by the concept and when I saw that it was based on a book I knew I had to read it. I bought a copy and realized it was one in a series and the rest is history. Over the next three years I managed to purchase, and subsequently keep up with, the entire Discworld series (even The Last Hero). Each book is funny and smart and angry and humane in its own way, and each read-through still makes me stop and think.

Some time ago I re-read the series and shared my favorite quotes from each book; maybe that’s something I should revisit several years on. Oh. I just looked at when I originally wrote that series and realized it was eight years ago . . . But what I was trying to get at was that there are a few books that stand out to me.

Hogfather and Small Gods helped me understand the personal nature of belief and helped shape my own system of belief today.

Carpe Jugulum gave me the quote that has guided me ever since I read it:

And sin, young man, is when you treat people as things. Including yourself. That’s what sin is.

Terry Pratchett, Carpe Jugulum

Monstrous Regiment gave me a character struggling with gender identity and gave me a framework for beginning to examine how I see myself and who I am.

I wish I could write with some eloquence the way the Terry Pratchett made me the person I am today, but these poor words will have to do instead. Perhaps my intensity will make up for any shortcomings.

Today of all days is a good day to recommend a Pratchett book, share a quote, and above all, to Speak His Name.