I think it's safe to say we all have at least one book that we've read that has stuck with us. To the reader, the book has a deeper meaning and it can be hard sometime to explain what about the book you find so endearing. I have faced this 'problem' on multiple occasions and I still continue to do so, but I have grown to like being asked the question 'what about this book do you enjoy so much'?

First let's start with the boy-who-lived - Harry Potter. When the series starts off Harry feels like he doesn't belong with the Durselys. He has no idea of his true identity, the power he possess - any of it. He grows up being taught not to ask questions. He is suppressed until Hagrid finally finds him and tells him some knowledgeable information about who he is in the wizarding world along with the fact that he is a wizard. Now, while we don't have this exact experience there has been times in every persons' life where they have felt either misunderstood or like they just don't belong in general. We have all felt longing to be a part of something bigger and we are all different. What makes Harry different is well know and that's not always the case but it's another thing the reader can relate too. Have you ever felt like you would never be happy again? That's depression, which JK Rowling wrote the dementors based off of. Her struggle with depression- and for those of you who have read the series it is know that Harry is able to overcome the dementors' effects. Harry Potter is about adversity and overcoming your struggles in the face of adversity. The series embraces being unique as a good thing and not something to hide. And this is just a couple of the reasons why I love the Harry Potter Series so much.

The final book I will write about for today because I fear this article becoming too long - is the Book Thief. This book is told by death for crying out loud. Death is personified and acts as a narrator telling a story about little girl growing up during the Holocaust. Indeed this is a rather dark book and maybe not everyone's taste but the writing style alone is enough reason to love this book. I won't go too much into plot since the Holocaust and WW2 are known horrible events. I won't even begin to try to relate to what it was like - however it's called the Book Thief because our young main character loves books and she is brave enough to steal them and hide them so they don't get burned. Burning books brings two things to mind the first is Fahrenheit 451 and the second and more important one of the two is lack of an education. Like in Harry Potter someone is being suppressed of their knowledge and rights. Also we all know we eventually die so reading a story from death's point of view of a little girl he is particularly found of is powerful in itself.

So while we use books to escape from reality - even if it's only for a little bit, we also can relate to them on a more deeper level. It's not always a personal level and that isn't the point for it to be - but even if we can't relate on a personal experience we can still relate to something somehow. Reading is a gift and it should not be wasted.