Encounters With Books :: Personal Narrative Essays

Encounters With Books My speech teacher had told me that an individual would remember thirty percent of what they read, forty percent of what they hear, and over fifty percent of what they actually speak. Can you imagine how much a parent would remember if they read a book aloud to their child and then their child read it back? That would not only prove as a good way for a child to better their reading skills, but it would also serve as a means of bonding between a child and their parent. Books play a role in everyone's lives. Ones literary tastes begin during their childhood, when parents are reading to their children. That is where you first gain the knowledge of what types of books you like to read, and like a fine wine, it will refine with age. In my third year of Elementary School, I was constantly drowning myself in books. My family kept moving from state to state, and by my third grade year, I felt as if books were the only true friends I had. As a gift, my mother had brought me a new book one day. It was filled with exciting new thoughts and stories. The Giving Tree was a book is about a little boy who finds company and friendship with this "giving tree." As the boy grows older, the tree tries its hardest to still be there for the boy when he needs it. My mother explained that she would gladly be my tree. No matter what comes my way, she will always be there when I need her. During my middle school years, we were forced to read Of Mice And Men and To Kill A Mockingbird. I always seemed to struggle with things I was forced to read. Both books express a type of prejudice against one of the main characters. Of Mice And Men was about Lenny and George who were drifters. Lenny was mentally retarded, and the boys on the farm would poke fun at him due to this condition. In To Kill A Mockingbird, a young black man was accused of raping a white woman, but he did not commit the crime. In both of these novels, someone was looked upon as less than they really were.