Although I possess a love of reading, my love generally only extends to contemporary romance books. Growing up, school books always made my head turn in disgust. This feeling only intensified in high school, when a majority of the AP curriculum consisted of reading random books at an impossible pace. It wasn’t until the pandemic when I discovered a whole new world of books that appealed to me. Through the power of social media, I was introduced to a new world of storytelling that wasn’t centered around some indiscernible significance, but was intended to provide an escape for people.
Naturally, I was terrified to start my first college English class because I knew I wouldn’t be able to skate by like I did in high school. I knew the expectations were going to be higher and the professors were going to be tougher. I assumed that the course would be similar to the AP structure that I was previously familiar with, but relieved to be given the rubric of our first assignment. To my surprise, our first graded essay was a literacy narrative where we had to explain our personal journey with reading and writing. I was not expecting such a personal assignment, but the topic got my creative juices flowing considering my complicated relationship with literature.
Although this assignment wasn’t a complete walk in the park, it was easy in the sense that I was passionate about the subject I was talking about. Titled “My Enemies to Lovers Relationship with Books” I described my complicated history with literature. I explained my initial indifference to reading in third grade, which then turned to resentment in fifth grade, then back to indifference freshman year of high school, and finally hatred during my junior year. This all changed when I discovered BookTok and began to find enjoyment in books. After acknowledging the joy that reading could bring, I was able to reconsider my previous conception of books.
Another one of my major assignments was a paper on the natural sciences. While most of my peers wrote about a personal medical condition that they or a loved one possess, I wrote about a book I read. Not a nonfiction book about science, but a fictional contemporary romance, obviously. I wrote about “The Soulmate Equation” by Christina Lauren because the book is centered around a DNA based matchmaking company. So naturally, I wrote my paper about the science behind DNA compatibility and human attraction. Once again, BookTok provided a subject for my assignment that I was actually excited to write about.
I think it’s also important to note that I wouldn’t have been encouraged to write about the books I enjoy if it wasn’t for the support of my amazing professor. When discussing my literacy narrative topic with her for the first time, I learned that she too had fallen under the enchanting BookTok spell. She was currently reading “It Ends with Us” by Colleen Hoover, and I had to stop myself from trying to spoil it. We had the most illuminating conversation about the merits of literature and the fact that numerous different genres of books exist for a reason. She even made it a mission to read “The Soulmate Equation” in preparation for my natural sciences paper. She made me realize the merit in finding something that I enjoy despite what other people think. I found the type of books that I enjoy and that’s all that matters. She also completely changed my perspective of English educators because apparently not all of them read Hemingway and Shakespeare for fun. I always thought that English instructors neglected anything other than classic authors, but this just proves that the main reason we read is to enjoy a good story and to escape from reality for a moment, which can look different for everyone.
Well, I think it’s safe to say that I wouldn’t have gotten through English 101 without the help of BookTok. Although I’m sure I would have survived either way, having BookTok on my side has made writing this semester much more enjoyable than I could have ever imagined. Especially with the help of my incredibly supportive and encouraging professor, I’ve discovered a new appreciation for reading and writing that has unleashed my passion for the subject.