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I'm Surrounded!
My entire life, I've been surrounded by things to read- street signs, papers, books, magazines, news, name tags, menus, directions, labels. In my house, every room has a book collection; there's two libraries in our basement- my dad's books and my mom's. I don't think I've ever even been in a room that didn't have a single book or magazine in it somewhere. -
Reading Skills
In early elementary school, I hated reading because I couldn't pronounce the big words (too many letters or syllables). I got so mad that my older siblings and friends could read faster and better than me that I refused to read if I could help it. I would always ask someone to tell what something said on a sign or in the directions. I could write okay, but reading books was a chore. -
Reading as a Challenge
In late elementary school, I got so flustered over some of my friends always gossiping about these books that they had all read that I decided enough was enough; I had to read them for myself. The books were the Harry Potter series. -
The Joys of Reading
I found a whole new world that I could carry with me everywhere and jump into anytime my world wasn't pretty or nice enough. I'd sit and read next to my parents and blurt out things like, What's this word? What does that mean? How do you say that? It didn't take long for me to find some words that even they (the all-knowing mom and dad) didn't know. I began to grow in myself and by myself, without asking for help in reading much anymore. I could participate in discussions at last! -
I Can't See!
I was so jealous of my friends having cool, "smart people" glasses that I begged my parents for a pair. I would pretend to squint and push them up the bridge of my nose like they do when reading. But then, I really did have to squint to see the board in class. If I wasn't in the first row, I'd always have to ask the kid next to me what it said. I couldn't see it. I really needed glasses by the fifth grade. -
"You Can't Read That Anymore"
My seventh grade Language Arts teacher got mad at me for not doing my classwork because I wanted to read Harry Potter all the time. I would brag about how I read these books over and over and loved them. He would mock me for only reading these few books and challenged me to read something different. He took away Harry Potter during classtime and afterward, put new books in my hands. He brought me out of my limited bubble of HP and into the greater realms of fantasy, science-fiction, and poetry. -
"Check this out"
Another group of friends had started reading a new author that wrote novels in poetry. It didn't look like any book I had read before- fewer words on each page, arragned in shapes and patterns. The author was Ellen Hopkins. She writes about taboo subjects like rape, abortion, drug and alcohol abuse, and psychosis. Reading became risky. I was afraid of what I read, but inticed by how it was said. So different and unfamiliar, yet dangerously exciting. I devoured it, but secretly. -
Can I mark it up?
So far, books have been sacred treasures of knowledge, not to be handled carelessly. I hated it when a page got stained or torn or folded under. But then, I saw how my sisters were highlighting in their textbooks. How dare you! You are defiling it. That can't be allowed. Or can it? It seemed to help them study and focus better. When I got to high school, I did it too and loved the freedom. I even scribbled notes in the margins of almost all my books. Reading became an active activity for me. -
Reading Out Loud
Reading had always been a quiet, stationary activity. That is until my older sister showed me it didn't have to be. She worked through books by reading them aloud to herself in different character voices. Also during this year, our Brit Lit teacher had us read Shakespeare's plays aloud in class. I was in college before I would realize the power of spoken words over just reading silently. Hearing as well as seeing adds a deeper level to experiencing the text.
