Why did we?

I have students asking me why did we buy this book, and I’ve always had a hard time understanding that question, let alone answering it in a convincing way. Until I read the following.

“This is why “Why did we have to buy this book?” was such a great question. The student who asked it was not complaining. He was trying to understand how the magic worked.” Read the interesting article “Live and Learn”, by Louis Menand.

I still can’t answer that question, but I understand it.