"I notice when I'm on these trips, I read like mad. It's the only thing that seems to center me, bring me back to remembering who I am. Or forgetting who I am!"

In the quote by Judith Guest, the speaker reflects on the transformative power of reading, particularly during travel. On the surface, the quote reveals an individual routine: reading thoroughly during journeys. This activity is depicted as an important anchor in unknown environments, suggesting that travel, despite its allure and excitement, might also evoke feelings of dislocation or unpredictability.

The phrase "I read like mad" stresses the strength and urgency of the reading routine. It recommends that reading is more than an activity; it is a necessity or compulsion that occurs in response to the upheaval of travel. This obsession indicates that, far from the familiar regimens and settings, the speaker seeks solace and stability in books.

Books operate as a dual-purpose tool for the speaker. On one hand, they "center" and ground them, suggesting that diving into stories or info allows for a return to a psychological or emotional equilibrium. This return might suggest reconnecting with core elements of their identity, worths, or perspectives that might feel diluted or challenged in a brand-new environment. This part of the experience aligns with the idea of remembering "who I am", highlighting self-reflection and reaffirmation.

Alternatively, reading also enables the speaker to "forget who I am". This paradoxical impact highlights literature's power to provide escapism. By engulfing oneself in narratives and worlds apart from one's truth, reading can provide reprieve from the self and its accompanying problems or complexities. In this context, forgetting is not negative however liberating, a short-term detachment from self-imposed constraints.

Eventually, the quote records the diverse relationship in between identity, travel, and literature. It recommends that checking out throughout travel is not simply entertainment but an essential system for both self-preservation and expedition, a way of preserving one's essence while concurrently exploring the wide variety of identities within oneself.