I love reading. When I was younger, I would read whenever I had any free time. This resulted in a capability to finish several books a week. However, as I grew older, I found I had less and less time available to dedicate to reading. Although I was sad, I had simply got caught up in schoolwork, sports, and activities with friends.
It was not until the end of my first year of college that I realized I had lost that capability. I was unable to finish even one a week. In fact, I found that I could not even make it past the first chapter. No book could hold my interest long enough for me to read it, as today’s technological age had withered my attention span far too short. While I could sit through Avengers: Endgame for three hours with no trouble, I had lost a passion that was once so close to my heart.
As a writer, I was heartbroken. Many say that the way to become a better writer is to read, as you then learn from other writers. You can see how they use dialogue, craft plots, and create characters, and then apply what you read and see to your own writing. My “great life plan” was to one day become an author, but how could I achieve this when I could not even finish a single book?
This past summer, someone I am lucky enough to call one of my best friends, told me to read a book. She had been telling me for months to read The Young Elites by Marie Lu, as she believed that I would love it. Despite how discouraged I was about my reading attention span, I knew I had a large chunk of time over my break from school, so after some pushing from my friend I decided to pick it up from the library.
I was a quarter through the novel when I realized that I had made it past the first chapter. I was invested from the first page, captivated by the tale of a girl who was not quite the hero. Marie Lu is such an exceptional writer, the way she portrays her characters so vividly and weaves the story so intricately with twists and turns. There is never a dull moment in the novel, as even the smallest of scenes contribute to the characters or the plot. This book not only rekindled my love for reading, but it resparked my inspiration to write, restoring my confidence in pursuing a career in writing.
I want to thank Marie Lu for writing such a captivating book, as well as the two others that follow it in the series. I also want to thank my friend Sumar for introducing me to the novel, for knowing me well enough to know how much I would love it, and for seeing how much I truly needed it. For those of you who feel that you have lost your passion, I encourage you not to give up, and to have hope that something will cross your path to reignite it. And for those of you who are simply looking for your next great read, pick up a copy of The Young Elites by Marie Lu!