I've always been fascinated by books. There are so many different worlds and characters that are hidden beneath their covers; so many different realities I could hide in. When I was younger, I used to curl underneath my covers for hours while imagining myself fighting off evil in these different worlds. I was able to save kingdoms and become a person that I admired. This strong desire to be someone else made it difficult to come back to reality where the world was harsh and I was imperfect...a nobody. Reality was torturous and I wished that I could truly be part of these worlds that I read about each night. Now I wish that I could be normal. I wish that I could go back to those simple days and endure the minuscule hardships I had to face. Now, life is filled with dread and I see death and torture at every corner. My hands are stained with blood belonging to both friends and foes. If you are reading this book, you probably won't believe me when I insist that everything I write is the truth. To be honest, I am only writing this because I need your help. I know it probably would be unfair to ask you to read this book without explaining the consequences. Learning about the truth of the world always comes with a price. By reading the contents of this book, you are opening your eyes to a new and incredible world! There are fantastic creatures that you will see, but there are horrible beings that will take notice of you. Only the brave and strong of heart will be able to survive in the world that I am about to open up to you. As a result, I strongly suggest that you look deep inside of your heart and make sure that you are ready to risk your life before reading on. If you have any uncertainty, close this book and walk away. Never l... ... middle of paper ... ...ly to reach up and grab his own. The student body gasped, as if in harmony when I tugged him down to eye level. "Never touch me again." I finally hissed before digging my shoulder into his stomach. At the same time, I continued to pull on his collar until Max's body was flipping in the air. I could feel him resisting in my arms before I flung him onto the ground. The table next to us shook as my tormentor laid there in shock. The cafeteria was deathly silent as I stared down at Max, my chest heaving as he remained in a startled heap at my feet. Looking around the room, I noticed that everyone's eyes remained on me before my gaze landed on Zane. Instead of appearing shocked like the others, an amused smirk seemed to tug at the corners of his lips before he tilted his head daringly. My gaze lingered on his for a brief moment before I did what I did best...I fled.
I felt angry, confused, and scared. I didn’t know who I could trust or where I could feel safe-- feelings that are overwhelming and utterly terrifying for a second grader. Post-incident, everyday events became obstacles that terrified me. Taking a shower or staying home alone seemed insurmountable. It was difficult to distract myself from the aftermath when the effects were so infiltrated within my daily life. I found comfort in school, which I considered a safe place. I discovered my love for words and became a voracious reader, where I rapidly progressed to reading levels far beyond that of my peers. That year I began the Harry Potter series, which transported me to worlds far different than my own. I could relate to the characters, many of whom had been hurt in one way or another. The Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center even held a Harry Potter camp throughout February break where children who had underwent similar pasts could attend. I identified with the characters in these novels, which not only contributed to my love for reading, but opened the gates to a lifelong quest for
Starting years ago as a child, unaware of the real world, I would spend days reading, escaping the hatred of life. I assumed everyone did the same thing, either with TV, games, or wearing a figurative mask and socializing. Reading books was my way out, I got to escape the feelings of hate and sadness, while being alone as the family thought reading to be a healthy pastime, which I agree with. I kept to myself, forcing others away finding reasons to stay unassociated and unconnected with other
I began to read not out of entertainment but out of curiosity, for in each new book I discovered an element of real life. It is possible that I will learn more about society through literature than I ever will through personal experience. Having lived a safe, relatively sheltered life for only seventeen years, I don’t have much to offer in regards to worldly wisdom. Reading has opened doors to situations I will never encounter myself, giving me a better understanding of others and their situations. Through books, I’ve escaped from slavery, been tried for murder, and lived through the Cambodian genocide. I’ve been an immigrant, permanently disabled, and faced World War II death camps. Without books, I would be a significantly more close-minded person. My perception of the world has been more significantly impacted by the experiences I've gained through literature than those I've gained
My dad taught me that books could be my teachers, my mom taught me that our backyard could be my classroom, and my sister showed me that you could bring books into the swimming pool. I did not know it when I would spend hours in the pool reading a book that my parents weren’t encouraging it in vain, but my family life, for good reason, was centered on books. We were the planets orbiting around one sun that was the bookshelf. Little did I know that books would be the catalyst to academic success in my early life, and I owe it all to my family. Although a life with a book in your nose might seem boring, I was never bored. Living through the characters vicariously, I explored Narnia with Lucy, attended Hogwarts with Harry, and rode dragons with Eragon. Of course
Lastly, being away from home has became my number one reason now why I read. Living here in United States for almost four years is like a roller coaster. There are times where I am up high and happy and there times that I feel down and alone. It takes time to cope up and feel that I really belong, that this is home now. Reading a book had helped me escape from reality. It became a pastime and entertainment for me. Whenever I read a book, I feel like I am in a different world where I can relate myself, I feel like I am a kid again, imagining scenarios that are happening in the book and I am in it
“These boys, now, were living as we'd been living then, they were growing up with a rush and their heads bumped abruptly against the low ceiling of their actual possibilities. They were filled with rage. All they really knew were two darkness’s, the darkness of their lives, which were now closi...
Before reading Harry Potter, I very rarely read for pleasure. I found reading boring, almost old fashioned. My frame of mind more readily paralleled Danny Divito in the movie Matlida, who says that “[t]here's nothing you can get from a book that you can't get from a television faster.” While my view of reading as a child could be summed up in that quote, everything changed when I was introduced to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I can remember to this day when my Dad began reading Harry Potter to me, and how I did not understand just how much this book would change me. Harry Potter and his world of wizardry became my own personal Shangri-La, my escape, my own world. Anytime I wanted, I could ascend to a world of fantasy and explore the depths of my own imagination in a way that I had never been capable of doing before. I became obsessed with the book, reading it before, during, and after sc...
I went through most of school reading those boring books that we all know about, and it was a serious struggle for me. When reading something you’re forced to, you don't find it quite enjoying. If you don’t enjoy it, you can forget what you’ve read, not get much out of the book, find it incomprehensible, and so on. Then out of nowhere in my life, I had discovered the first book that I honestly enjoyed. I can’t remember a whole lot about them, but i do remember the feeling of finding the first book I liked. The book was almost life changing it seemed. I would read it many times over and over again! These books, Choose Your Own Adventure series, were full of action and took me places! You directed where the story went, or ended by making choices for the main character. It was different every time you read it! It not only was good for reading, but also helped with being able to comprehend what I was reading, finding the theme of a book, and a lot of reading skills. I was finally an active reader! My reading took off, my attention was captivated, and my reading skills began to really
You didn’t deserve seeing me in chaos. You didn’t deserve to be affected by my negativity and pain. It hurt me even more, knowing what I put you through. How I changed into a cruel monster. I believed I was a good person when I was younger, but sadness and trauma create a new individual unworthy of love. I can’t face the way you looked at me—afraid, helpless, hopeless. The way I stared back into your eyes, broken.
Shivering in the blasting cold night, the words fear and death invaded my soul and lamentably waited for the deathblow. The darkness of the lemon orchard under the full moon hidden behind long, high parallels of cloud was accelerating my fear and advancing the idea of `suddenly disappearing` in my mind. I had never thought of death before. The rows of lemon tree standing like elite soldiers made me feel like an enemy soldier captured in war and was being taken to be executed by guillotine. A shotgun was targeted towards my head which made my eyes and legs become paralysed; thus I could not feel or sense anything. My eyes looking blindly and my legs walking briskly with the question” will I die” stuck on my mind like a tick attaches into skin.
Nothing has changed my life more since the realization that I had to make who I was something that I chose, and not something that just happened. Since this revelation nothing seemed the same anymore, as though I could see the world through new eyes. It changed everything from my taste in music, literature, and movies. Things of a dark and pessimistic nature used to hold a strong allure for me, and yet I found much of things I once enjoyed didn't seem to entertain me anymore. I remembered the mental state that I once held and now seeing how I have changed, know that I can never return to the prison I came from.
Then all of a sudden, he began to choke, and blood dribbled from his mouth and got on my jacket. "What the hell?!" I yelled. I grabbed his shoulders and stared, astonished, at his face, as he silently pleaded for help. I couldn't handle looking at him anymore and I was frozen in shock, so I let him fall to the ground.
As he walked past me, I glanced up at him timidly. I looked into his eyes, realizing they were exactly like mine. Quickly I shifted my gaze to the floor, not wanting to make eye contact. It wasn't always this awkward between us, but something had changed.
I raised my arms in anger, ?I?m talking to you.? Instantly his arm swung swiftly, like steel, it impacted on mine. Fear bulged from my eyeballs, he grasped both my hands and heaved me up. My feet dangled in the air.
My heart was simply ripped apart. I could not believe it at first, but I knew I had to. After all these wonderful years and enthralling moments, I finally have to face God's greatest challenge. My mind wasn't as messy as before anymore and I couldn't even think of what to think. It seemed as if I had nothing to worry about, nothing to do, nothing to say. I was trapped inside this room waiting for the Grim Reaper to reap my innocent soul.