Confederacy of Dunces tells the story of Ignatius J. Reilly, an educated but indolent 30-year-old, who lives with his widowed mother in New Orleans. This picaresque piece follows Ignatius as he confidently blunders through social situations. Despite his academic intellect, Ignatius often employs a child-like approach to real-life circumstances. Toole’s writing is intentionally crafted, creating vivid scenes and comedic situations. Although I love reading all types of books, Confederacy of Dunces brought me back to my readerly roots and evoked the fundamental questions surrounding literature—How does art impact culture and vice versa? What makes a novel a great piece of literature? And my constant question as a book-addicted isolate: who reads these days and why?