Mark salib
Why do we read?
Growing up, I was never interested in reading. I found it very boring, exhausting, and quite frankly not enjoyable. it all first started with my coloring books being replaced by kids’ books, manly pictures, or drawings with a few words. I never bothered to read the words but would rather just look at the drawings, it was amazing and appealing to a kid’s eyes all the colors and shapes put together. It was almost like there was no reason to try and read the words to understand the plot. just looking at the drawings it was far easier and faster to understand what the story was trying to tell me. Like any other kid, I found entertainment with the drawings rather than the words. However, it became very difficult for me growing up and in school as all the books that I had now were just made up of sentences and words; they no longer contained drawings. So I had to read to understand what the books were trying to tell me. At this point in my life, I was just in second grade, and up until then, I was avoiding reading as much as I could. however, I couldn’t do that anymore as it was a school requirement to get your daily reading login. At this point, I started to question why we read? I couldn’t find an answer but it was clear to me that reading was just a school thing and it had no place outside school doors. However, I started to ask myself the same question again as most of the people I grew up around were all readers, and it was very odd for me to see them read because they weren’t in school. This made me realize that they do it because they enjoy it.
I never stopped searching to find an answer and, as the readings started to increase I had to search more, and search hard for an answer. It seemed like I was the only one who didn’t enjoy reading as my family and friends were for some reason readers. I remember my grandma was extremely religious which explained why she read religious books however, it was only religious books that she read. on the other hand, my grandpa although being religious didn’t read religious books except for the bible of course. However, he found himself reading the news. it didn’t make sense at first as to why he wasn’t reading religious text if he was religious. I was always left wondering why to go through all that trouble and exhaust yourself reading when you can simply watch it on tv. I always asked myself if my grandmother got bored reading about religion all the time. To my surprise when I asked, her answer was no, she never got bored of reading about religion in fact she was always excited for a new book about a different idea in religion. I quickly came to realize that people read differently and everyone has a different reason for reading, whether it’s for entertainment, Education, or even to pass time. Everyone’s reason was justified and everyone had their own purpose. this begged the question what’s my reason then? coming to this conclusion, I had some type of motivation that I never had before, it pushed me to find my reason.
By the time I was in middle school my search lead me to the idea that reading is a tool and that one must learn to use it to shape and define their future. this was the time when my reading first started. the selection of books that I got to read during this time I truly was enjoying although some were a requirement, they didn’t feel like it. this was the first time I was passionate about reading a book, before this I couldn’t get through a chapter without forgetting what I was reading or quitting altogether. However, now I find myself sinking hours into reading without realizing it. seventh grade was the first time I felt like I had a choice in what I read. I remember Mrs. H my English teacher, one day mentioned that we will start a new reading and write book reports on it. I couldn’t help but think that this is going to be another boring assignment that I have to get it over with until I heard her saying that we can choose any book to read. I was excited to think that I finally had the freedom to pick a book that wasn’t just preselected for me, this was the first time I truly Cared about what I was reading.
overall I believe that I’ve found my purpose and reason, although I can’t say it was easy getting there, once there I’ve found my inspiration
it never occurred to me that one day ill found enjoyment in reading, but as J.K. Rowling once said “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.”
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