Our family was heartbroken when we heard of the closure of Barnes & Noble at Kahala Mall. Upon hearing the news, I ran over to rescue a few titles: "The Tao of Physics," by Fritjof Capra, whom I met as a student while attending UC Berkeley; one on organic gardening; another with poems of Rumi; and finally a compilation of Da Vinci’s works for the coffee table.

Printed matter, respectfully bound or carefully folded, offers a unique relationship to the reader. A special book is notable not simply for its content, but also for its unique cover and for where it sits on the self. A good tome may be given or loaned to a close friend or colleague with mutual interests. One’s personal library or even a few shelves that house a mix of books read and unread is like a room full of friends, some of whom one knows well while others lie in wait. Bookstores and libraries are essential to a healthy social fabric. So is this newspaper you’re holding in your hand (if not reading online).

A Nook, a Kindle or iPad, even fully loaded, is just not the same. The invisible cloud, while conveniently nifty, is wholly abstract and offers no warmth. It lacks any relationship to place. The closure of Kahala Mall’s only bookstore is part of a national trend. In 2011, Borders liquidated its remaining 399 stores, eliminating 10,700 jobs. Bookstores are going the way of video stores (Blockbuster) and record stores before that (Tower Records). Shoppers throughout the country have witnessed the same industry turnover exemplified at Kahala. The invention of the movable-type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1439 was among the most important events heralding the modern day. It made possible the Renaissance, Reformation, Age of Enlightenment, Scientific Revolution and ultimately the modern knowledge-based economy. Who would have thought that it would have little more than a 500-year run? Perhaps we should reasonably expect the creativity of the info tech world to spawn new ways to replace or even eclipse the intimate relationship we have with real books, but that day has not yet arrived. To be sure, there are myriad ways to share words we wish others to read.

My family was particularly saddened to learn that Barnes & Nobles’ boarded facade will be replaced by a Ross Dress for Less. That was the only real bookstore for miles! Aren’t there enough places at Kahala Mall to buy clothes? Do we really need to open one more discount retail outlet for cheap threads? My son tells me that his high school friends have made a pact to spend their afternoons sitting in the aisles of Ross reading books and poring over homework as they did when Barnes & Noble was there. These demonstrations mean to protest this cultural travesty but are also an act of mourning. Our millennials have learned that the wealth of health includes a good book.

Ira Zunin, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., is medical director of Manakai o Malama Integrative Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center and CEO of Global Advisory Services Inc. Please submit your questions to info@manakaiomalama.com.