William Styron: A Personal Analysis

When I entered kindergarten my reading journey began. I was introduced to the alphabet and three-letter sight words. Then in first grade my teacher would sit down with a

As a kid, I was always really shy and spent much of my free time reading books. In 4th grade, the teacher required that each month we read a certain amount of short stories or books and write a summary for each. I always completed the minimum requirement and read plenty extra books. Throughout the year, I always had the most stars next to my name for top reader, not because I wanted to collect as many gold stars as I could, but because I really enjoyed reading. I had my eyes glued to a book even when I was at home. I

Reading expands your vocabulary and knowledge. When I was reading my book, the Crossover, there were new words and their definition throughout the book. I learned so many new words like, patellar tendinitis which is also known as jumpers’ knee, an injury to the tendon connecting your kneecap (patella) to your shinbone. Joseph Addison said “reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body,” I think that quote is very true; we need to read in order to keep our minds going. If we don’t read during the summer, our vocabulary could shrink, and it is more likely kids will struggle at the beginning of the school

James Patterson perfectly sums up my lengthy, arduous, and ever-changing relationship with reading. "There is no such thing as a kid who hates reading. There are kids who love reading, and kids who are reading the wrong books." As I grow older, and come to appreciate the influence that words have over the human mind and soul, this quote resonates with me more deeply. The interpretation of words has had an immense impact over my life, and is something I will be forever indebted to.

My passion for reading began the summer before junior high, the English class I would be taking had a required summer reading list. I had no desire to read “boring books” over the summer and summarize them. Fortunately, my parents made me read the first book and I was hooked. Consequently, I became obsessed (in a positive way) with this unbelievable adventure; “The Hatchet” by Gary Paulsen; transported me to the wilderness that summer and sparked my love for reading. From that moment on reading became my favorite pastime. Literature expanded my world beyond the Rio Grande Valley I visited the “Island of the Blue Dolphins”, and decided I needed dogs with “Where the Red Fern Grows”. I have several beloved books that I never get tired of reading,

Kindergarten and elementary school introduced Accelerated Reading, a point system that awarded children for reading books and testing well on them. The competitive nature it brought was key to my advancing as a reader through 5th grade. I was reading little series like Junie B. Jones and Magic Tree House, connecting with these simple characters and finding a certain comfort in the familiarity between each book in them. In the fourth grade, I began trying to chase the top spot in the AR rankings, Catherine. She won every year, racking up over 1,000 points. I just began pulling large books off the shelf and reading them. This was how I came across the most impressive series of my generation: Harry Potter. I read the fourth book first, because it was the biggest. It totally threw of my experience, as I read 5,6, and 7, then went back to read the first three. Rowling's ability to immerse me in a universe sparked

When I entered the third grade, I had a preschool aged child’s reading level. That was about four years behind my peers. With the new reading program in place and myself gaining a love for reading, I started to broaden my realm of books that I would try and attempt to read. By the end of the school year I was reading small chapter books on a fifth grade reading level. This greatly increased my confidence for reading and was no longer embarrassed to share my accomplishments. I was able to read material that left my mind in an imaginative place. I realized through reading at this age how much of a vivid imagination I truly had. I was able to paint a picture in my head as I read almost like a movie. This greatly helped with my level of reading comprehension as I dove into more difficult reading

It is nice to take a seat, relax, and break open a book of yours to read. With nothing else in mind, you embark on an adventure as the words guide you through your journey. This is the idea a reader normally accompany the feeling of reading a book. For many other people, like me before, they find it dreadfully painful as for each page turned is like trying to get closer to escape from captivity. I am unsure when my hatred associated with literature started, maybe caused by the hauntingly boring books I was forced to read by my former teachers. However, as time goes by, my attitude towards books gradually lifted when I was unchained from my shackles and allowed the freedom to choose my books. It wasn't that the books were bad, well, maybe, but

Throughout my childhood I enjoyed reading a variety of books as a method of escaping my troubles and delving into someone else’s world for a short time. But it is my belief that being an avid reader also helped me become

“Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are,” (Cooley). Reading has impacted us in many ways throughout our lives. Often time’s books give people different perspectives on their lives. People with high stress levels often find comfort in reading books to take their mind off of their concerns. Sometimes, people just need to take a step back from their life and relax for a while; therefore, reading is a great tool. Reading all kinds of books has also helped me become a better writer. There are many different books that have impacted me over the years.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go,” wrote by Dr. Seuss. Whether it’s a blog, tweet, text, newspaper, novel, or a poem, people have always read to expand the mind. They read to escape the moment, to gain information, and to help direct them. On pewinternet.org a survey by Kathryn Zickuhr and Lee Rainie, show that in 2013 only 76% of Americans 18 and older have read a book in the past year. As I consider my reading experiences, I realized reading has provided relieve and comradeship on my journey, guiding me and forming my current feelings on reading. Hence my reading memories have befallen parable in my life.

I realized as I got older I had so many options of books to read. The different types of genres and books the world had to offer was so amazing to me. As I got a little older and the years went on, I learned that I really enjoyed chapter books. I soon came upon the set of books called “ The Magic Tree House,” by Mary Pope Osborne. Osborne created a set of books that made you think that anything was possible. This set of books definitely made an impact on my life and showed me what literacy was all

Ages ago, spanning from when the Greeks ruled and well into the time when the Colonists first came to America, reading was a skill only the wealthy and the very lucky had the privilege to learn. In those times reading wasn’t necessary to work and to be successful. However, now in this modern era, reading has become necessary for everyday life; it has become vital to a society that is ever more dependent on technology. Nevertheless, reading is beneficial in ways that listening and watching movies can never be. The works of Anne Bradstreet, Henry David Thoreau, and Ben Franklin help acknowledge this idea through the impacts they have had on readers still today.

Reading is a wonderful pastime. It allows me to mentally travel to far away lands in the present, the archaic past, or the advanced technological future. Reading allows me to be present during every struggle or joy the protagonist may face. It is a wonderful way to learn about fascinating cultures without physically traveling to other lands. It is a gateway to long, sleepless nights because I can become fully entranced by a story. Favorite books of mine include Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. Both of these stories wonderfully illustrate internal human conflict as well as love, loyalty, and emotional and physical pain. These are just a few of the joys of

With rapid changes in the society and scientific advancement of human race over the decades, the necessity and importance of reading has increased remarkably. It has become a pivotal skill a person should learn to be successful. However, the cultivation of reading as a hobby is not a business that can be undertaken in a day or swiftly improvised by a mere command of the will. As far as I am concerned, the growth of mental interests for reading is a long process, but that is worthwhile because reading has been a vital aid to my emotional and spiritual growth.