A Book and its Impact

When we look back on life, it is usually the smallest and most unexpected things that majorly shape how we think and perceive the world. Things like fashion trends, political groups, the entertainment industry, and the economy tend to have the most outward effect not only on our culture, but also ourselves. For me, one of the things that influenced me the most was, and still is, books. I believe that they are some of the most forceful entities we put into  world, because millions upon millions of people can pick up a book and read what one person has to say. Through them, messages and countless lessons can be taught through one book.

Books for me opened up many new worlds, broke my heart and rebuilt it, and made me see the world in a different light. But most of all they taught me many things that I may never have learned any other way. Through books, you learn people's stories, you learn about people's lives, and you learn lessons with them. Books also served to console me too, when I felt alone and like no one understood me because in books, you can always find a person to relate to.

Growing up, J.K. Rowling’s story of a boy who went from living in a cupboard to becoming a hero impacted me, like many others, in a way I couldn’t fully understand yet. Her vivid words created worlds I had never even dreamed of before and possessed stories of human strength in the face of tragedy which inspired me. Back then when reading those books, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you what I have now learned through those 18 years of experiencing the written word: books and the words in them, although small, have a bigger impact on us than we would like to give them credit for. Books, and the characters in them, stay with you long after you turn the last page. As I said before, they teach and touch you in many ways. There are many memories that I associate with books, like standing in line for the last Harry Potter book, staying up late to finish The Life and Death of Charlie St. Cloud, spending a weekend reading The Hunger Games trilogy, being moved to tears at the end of The Book Thief, and tearing up at the end of Wild. When I see these books, they take me back to these moments, making them something that I will never forget.

My life, my world, has been impacted by books and by the authors who put their pen to paper to get them there. To these big pads of paper and the people who put them there, all I can really say is thank you.



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