Love this....a lot.... |
My sister
and I had an EPIC conversation this morning about literature. One of those
awesome philosophical conversations that we engage in. Nothing special. We
touched a little of infinity but no big deal. So this post will be about books.
Why I love them. Why they mean so much to me. Here is an insight into the
workings of my soul.
I don’t specifically
remember when I started loving books. Always have. I do remember that the first
word I could spell was Aladdin. In reality it was probably my name or "mom" or
something lame like that….Aladdin is just so much cooler. What I do remember is
we always had books around. Eric and I shared a room and we had this massive
bookshelf that was always messy. From Dr. Seuss books, to Amelia Bodelia, we
always had something to read. My favorite kid book is tied between “Where the
Wild Things Are” and “Dinner Time.” Dinner time is a pop up monster book that
haunted my childhood. My mom got it for my wedding. She rocks.
Seriously...one of the most terrifying books of all time... |
From there
on I fell in love with books. As I entered 4th grade I discovered
Harry Potter and from there it all began. At this time I learned to use
literature as an escape. Here was this perfect world that I could throw myself
into. I put parts of my soul into books and in return they gave me shelter and
peace from the crazy puberty world around me. I was bullied as a kid. Books
gave me the safety of escaping all of that and entering a place where no one
would bully me. Harry, Ron, and Hermione became my best friends. I was Jonas
from the Giver. He thought be to see color. I wanted to go to Terebithia with my best friend. I would fight Orcs with Aragon . I escaped
with Aslan through the wardrobe. Books gave me freedom from the pressures of
the world. They were my drug of choice.
Then sixth
grade happened and Mrs. Hatch showed me a whole new world (BOOM another Aladdin
reference.) to books. She taught me how to analyze, research, and ponder the
deeper meanings of books. Once I started doing this I never stopped. I was
introduced to "Lord of the Flies", "Dandelion Wine", "In Cold Blood", "Beowulf", "The Iliad",
and countless other books that changed how I viewed the world. I learned that
books have devastating power. They can change the world and influence individuals
far greater than most things in this world. You can’t just read “Night” by Elie
Wiesel and not be moved. Books now became not only my escape, but my gateway to learn the truly powerful lessons that enhance my life.
Oh Dumbledore...why are you so cool!? |
To end, I cannot
describe how much books have molded me and made me who I am today. They will
always be my escape, my power and my example. Reading is probably my favorite past time of
all. I will always do it. To read is to have power. There is nothing more true
to that. There are worlds and inspiration out there, and all we have to do is
turn the page.
Pure Truth |
p.s. 5000 blog points if you comment on your favorite book.
p.p.s 500 for reading
p.p.p.s 50000 if you recommend a book for me to read!