Growing up, I never considered myself a big reader. In fact, I read VERY little on my own, let alone in school. There were three books in Middle/High School that I remember reading- because of the sole fact that my sister told me to. I read- The Night by Elie Wiesel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and The Catcher in the Rye. I actually read the whole book and not just the back cover like I usually did for classroom assignments. Probably the strong narrative voice hooked me in and I was finally able to connect and see what the reading experience could be like. I am sure though that without the recommendation from my sister, I might never had picked up these powerful books and finished them. I always looked up to my sister and I wanted to be half of the reader and thinker that she was (and still is today). The right book and the right person giving me the book let me see what reading could be.
JD Salinger passed away today, but his books will live on.
Think about the books for you that helped you to understand what reading is or that got you "hooked" on reading. Then pass those on to the younger people in your life!
Look at your literary family. Get them talking to each other- you never know what will help unleash the wild world of reading to another!
