The Role Of Reading And Writing In My Life

The first book I read was One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. I read it when I was five years old. I was proud because it was the first book I read all by myself. I thought it was the best book ever and I read it constantly. The book was filled with lots of pictures and bright colors. When I think of it, I do not only think about how I learned to read with that book, but it also brings back many childhood memories. A lot of the books I remember reading as a small child trigger a lot of good times.

Dr. Seuss was definitely one of my favorite authors as a kid. My mom had done his makeup for an interview sometime before I was born, and that meant a lot to me. I felt important reading his books. Then, as I got older and my reading skills improved, I started to read lots of chapter books. My favorite author in highschool was Maya Angelou. She has published many books and poems such as I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Touched By An Angel, and On The Pulse Morning. They tapped into my emotions so much, and I remember having a strong connection with the poems. Through my childhood I did not always have it so easy. My mother was very unstable, and I barely knew who my father was. I lived with my grandparents both me and my older sister. My grandmother had taught my sister how to read, and my sister taught me. I saw reading as an escape when I was a child.

Reading books always kept me occupied whenever I was bored or felt lonely. It was also a way to read about other people and about their lives, which I think is a reason for my taste in books now. Ever since I was thirteen and a rebellious teenager, I have loved memoir books, true stories about people with real problems, even some with the same problems I have. These people’s lives, who I do not know, I just cannot put their stories down. This inspired me to write my own stories. Through my teenage years I started a diary, filled with my feelings, doodles, and poems. Even though no one sees this part of me, I feel like I am a professional writer, like these people I read about, but with worse grammar. Instead of reading, writing eventually became an escape for me. Maybe I was not writing a six page essay on why the earth is round, but it was the best way to put all my feelings on the table, or on a piece of paper. Though few read what I wrote, I was always praised for my writing. Out of all the different psychologists’ offices I have been to, each one of them admired my diary writing.

Reading and writing are a huge reason why I am where I am today. If I had never learned to do either, how would I be in college right now? I think people underestimate the power of reading and writing. They do not realize that if they could not read or write they would not have any type of education or job. It is the main reason they can be successful in life. I think reading and writing makes us able to be as advanced as we are. Reading and writing is the foundation of being able to communicate articulately and intelligently.