I have always been a reader. When I was a kid, I used to read two books at a time. One night before bed, I’d devour a few chapters of a Junie B. Jones adventure, and the next, I’d be catching up with Ramona and Beezus.
I loved reading, and still do, because it brings me into someone else’s world. No matter what is going on in my life, good or bad, I can take a moment to step into someone else’s shoes.
I’ve read many books that I enjoyed, but I doubt I’d remember them now. There have been a few duds, and a few that were too boring to finish. But, every once in a while, I happen upon a book that changes my entire world.
When I was 9, it was Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards. When I was 11, it was Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. When I was in high school, it was She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb.
Most recently, it was Andre Aciman’s Call Me by Your Name.
I’ve never understood why I get so attached to certain books, but place no importance on others. Maybe it’s the writing, or the way the narrator thinks. Most of the time, I think it’s because each book lines up with a moment in my life when I need to learn a new lesson. I think we all have gaps within us that need to fixed, every once in a while. Whether we know it or not, there is wisdom out in the world, in books, that we need to find and absorb to heal ourselves.
Take a moment to think about the Harry Potter series. It was insanely popular, pretty much as soon as it came out. Why is that? I think it’s because the people who read it, the children who grew up with it, needed Harry Potter in their lives. It’s a story of a misfit kid who finds his place in the world, finds himself, and becomes a hero. I’d bet many of the kids who read the Harry Potter series saw themselves as misfits and needed a success story to inspire them. I certainly did.
You can never tell when a book is going to change your life. That’s why you need to keep reading and absorbing, so that when the time comes, the right book is in the right place at the right time.
You won’t know you found that special book until you’ve finished it, but the only way to get there is to keep reading, keep exploring new worlds, and taking that time for yourself.