When I was a child I did not enjoy reading. I am not entirely sure why I did not enjoy it, but I wish that I had. I feel as though I would be a more advanced writer and most likely read at a faster pace if I had read more growing up and gained the experience. However, since then I have started to read more often, whether for school or personal entertainment, and actually enjoy it. I love the feeling of getting engulfed in a new book. The feeling that comes along with reading a story and imaging you are one of the characters is one like no other. The benefits that come along with reading are endless; whether it be new information, a word you’ve never heard of, a new perspective you never once thought about or a story you needed to hear to get …show more content…
I’d be asked a question in Spanish and I’d have to answer in English, knowing this raised a mountain of questions. I wanted to call myself Latina, to finally take pride, but it felt like a lie. So I set out to learn the language that people assumed I already knew” (631). I can easily connect with Barrientos here because I also felt awkward not being able to speak the language my friends had been speaking. However, this was not a language you are taught when you are born, it is the language of the book you have read. I made it a goal to read The Perks of being a Wallflower because I wanted to speak the language my friends had been speaking. I wanted to be able to not only understand what they were saying, but say I too could speak the language. Reading The Perks of being a Wallflower gave me the ability to communicate with my friends on a different level than I had before. I was able to speak the language they had been speaking so long before me. I no longer felt disconnected, I was able to understand what was being talked about along with be able to give my input on the subject. This was something I had rarely ever experienced. It was also something I wanted to continue to be able to