Personal Essay: My Relationship With Reading

Throughout my life I have had an interesting relationship with reading. I remember that when I first started learning to read I struggled a bit and absolutely dreaded it. Once I got the hang of things, I started to enjoy reading and would read at any chance I would get. Out of all of the obtainable skills in the world, I believe that reading is among the most important. Without reading, many daily tasks would be a challenge. Simple things like being able to tell time, or knowing how to spell your own name would prove to be difficult. Fortunately, I can thank my family for constantly pushing me to read as much as possible to prevent such struggles from occurring in my life. When I was growing up, my family always put an emphasis on the importance of reading. Both of my parents were, and still are, avid book lovers. They used to tell me to try and read as many books as possible, no matter the genre. I remember that I would read anything I could get my hands on. From magazines to pamphlets, nutrition

I have had the privilege to explore at least a hundred different worlds in my life through each new book. When I would open a book, I would get filled with an overwhelming sensation of joy. One of my favorite parts of reading was being able to envision the characters, setting, and story of a book. Since most novels do not have pictures, everything is truly up to one’s imagination. Famous author and critic Edmund Wilson once stated that, “no two persons ever read the same book” (“50 motivating quotes about books and reading”). Reading a book is different for each individual, which is what makes reading such an exciting and enjoyable activity for me. Also, being able to live vicariously through the different characters in a book when my life was not going well was an added bonus for me. Not only did every new book bring an element of fun to my life, but they also influenced my future career