Reader's Fave

I recently interviewed Isha Sarah Snow for our 40th installment of Reader's Fave, a casual interview with someone who shares their favorite book. Isha is a resident of Cathlamet, who recently graduated from Lower Columbia College and received the 2025 Community College President's Award, which is awarded to one student each year. She is now currently attending Washington State University at Vancouver.

Isha shared how tough it was to pick one book, but she finally settled on "Chaos" by New York Times bestselling author James Gleick. The book introduced the public to the principles and early development of the chaos theory. "It was really hard for me to narrow it down to one book," said Isha. "They are such emotional supports for me - like a security blanket - but the book 'Chaos' was such a formative book for me. I first read it about 25 years ago. It was given to me by my first husband, and I found it to be a very dry book at first. It was explaining how the laws of the universe they work, along with math and how it relates to physics. In the middle of the book are these pictures of fractals and how the universe is built fractally, which I found very interesting. Still, I thought, 'Why would I want to read this? This is math.' I remember back in second grade I had a teacher who was in her 80s and she held to these old beliefs. She said I would never do well in math as a girl, so I failed at math in school. I maybe got as far as algebra. When I first went back to college 20 years ago, I dropped out. I was two math classes shy of graduation."

Years later, Isha came across the book a second time. "About a year ago, I was walking on Butler Street and came across that Free Library and saw the book," she said. "It seemed like I should read it again. My faith rests on synchronicity and coincidence and, this time, after re-reading the book, I saw that the whole book rests on what I believe; this synchronicity and coincidence in our universe. The universe is speaking, 'Hey, pay attention.' The message was very timely [with] me living here in Cathlamet. I had been sketching a picture of what an apartment might look like for us to live in and I came across a Facebook post advertising one here in Cathlamet. I became a different person reading the book a second time. About three-quarters of the way through the book, it switches from math and physics to the human being and our brain. My favorite part of the book is near the back where the author explores math and chaos and how these systems are self-correcting. The universe swings back to equilibrium. It's gonna all work out."

Reflecting about how she became a reader, Isha said, "I grew up in a broken home. My dad was not around, but my mom always read to us every night. It was like a habit. It was accepted that we read at home and my mom was a voracious reader. Around the age of 12, I always had a book in hand. I was an introvert. Home life was very chaotic, so books became an escape for me; an adventure, a way to cope. I had a great teacher in eighth grade, where we read Shakespeare and wrote poetry. It was a wonderful outlet for me."

Sharing how she enjoys reading today, Isha said, "I like physical books. It feels like I have an analog brain in a digital world. I do audio books, especially for school work. I'll listen and write things down."

Isha is an author herself. She researched, wrote, and had her first book, "Autism in America: One Woman's Search for Healing," published. In the book, Isha reframes autism itself.

May you wonderful Wahkiakum readers re-read a book which you discover is more enlightening and, maybe, somewhat of a coincidence upon your second read.