Most people my age either don’t like to read, prefer not to, or would rather be threatened with death than read some fiction for a grade. However, I find reading a necessity for my mental health. Everyone knows life can be unfair, cruel, and hard. Within books though, I can forget about reality. It’s as so many people say, books are ‘worlds within worlds’. Maybe I had a boring day at school. Just find some horror and suspense in a Stephan King mystery. Perhaps I’m upset about a bad test grade. I can laugh at the adventures of two farm boys in Harris and Me. If I didn’t read I’d be one sad kid. Over time all I’d hear about are car crash tragedies, missing child reports, and suicides. It would make anyone depressed. So, I grab a book, curl up by the fire with some hot chocolate, and forget about the troubles of the day or the world just for a few moments.
I also read books for education not just enjoyment. I know, some of you are in shock but you can learn a lot from a book or two. Last year, I read a book about a man who crash on the country of Japan. The book described the government of an older nation and the diplomatic troubles the man had to go through in this strange new place. It was a good book for me since I take a Japanese language class and it helped me learn about how their government used to be. My sister also reads a great many books and is quite intelligent. She learns certain bits and facts from books and then tells me about them. Sometimes these fact come in handy when doing a class project on something or a homework assignment.
Reading has also helped me meet new people. I saw that a girl in my class was reading one of my favorite books. Why debated about the good and bad points of it and are now good friends. Crippes, reading could even help you find a special someone. For example, reading brought my cousin and his wife together. They meet, happened to have the same favorite book, got to know each other, dated, and are now living happily with their son.
So for those who think reading is a pointless activity, I would strongly disagree. Reading could, I dare say, change your life.
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YES. THANK YOU.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I thought I was the only one around here without bibliophobia. (Yes it's a word. Look it up. …. in a book preferably.)
Seriously people completely underestimate the value of a book. I completely agree and relate to the escapism. The world is often the exact opposite of a wonderful friendly place. Not only do they provide a world to delve into, but they have another advantage I'll add to your list. :3
For someone who likes to create characters and stories, books are invaluable. The plots, development, pacing, concepts, conflicts, patterns, and so much more can be a real basis for your own ideas. You may have a plot line you really like, maybe you even want to make a story like that yourself. Well, pick up a few stories that follow it. Not only will it be interesting and enjoyable, but it will allow you to store those ideas and thoughts as inspiration later. Even stories in a general genre you like, or maybe even normally avoid, can be really helpful. It will teach you about stereotypical/common character types, conflicts, and settings for that storyline, things which often interlap between genres. Also, you can learn through reading what works and what doesn't. You can see what sounds stilted or jarring or dull. You wont even realize you're doing this! This does work with things like T.V. and radio as well, but it is completely different actually seeing how things are written. There is a big difference between how you write a story, and how you write a script.
-BlackFox