I have been incessantly devouring books since I had the motor skills to pick them up. From Junie B. Jones to Harry Potter, the characters I have met through my escapades in literature have become my mentors, teachers, counsels, and friends. Books have been a powerful force in my life, every one leaving a little piece behind and making me the person I am today. This is my opportunity to give thanks to the books I’ve read and give them the acknowledgement they deserve.
Thank you for teaching me to understand people and myself. Every book I have read has allowed me to enter the mind of a new person and truly understand what life is like through their eyes. I watched their mistakes, saw them triumph through diversity, and find their place in the world. As I went on physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual journeys with these characters, I found out more about myself. I questioned my beliefs and doubted my choices, but became a stronger person because of it. I was inspired by heroic acts, saddened by unjust tragedies, and heart-warmed by sweet moments of romance or friendship.
Thank you for making me uncomfortable. Books can be disgusting, vulgar, honest, and slap you in the face as soon as your eyes scan the words. When books assault my mind and my comfort zone urges me to close the offender and place it back on the shelf, I coerce myself to go on, and with every page, my mind opens more. Books that have made me uncomfortable forced me to broaden my mind and understand parts humanity and the world that I am not confronted by on a daily basis. I am compelled to face and given the ability to understand warped, at times evil, societies and people, which ultimately allows to deeper understand the varied behaviors of humans. These kinds of books inspire me and serve as warnings for how to lead my life, and that is priceless.
Thank you for comforting me. Not all books are noble or suspenseful or jam-packed with action, but some wrap you up their pages like a hug with their words that feel like your favorite ice cream flavor. Reading my favorite books, even the middle-brow teen romance novels, bring me peace and comfort. There is nothing more satisfying than escaping to a different reality in a book when you’re upset or sad or frustrated or any other array of emotions. It is wonderful to know that there is a world that can always make me happy that I can revisit at any time, all I have to do is open the pages.
Thank you for providing me with endless entertainment, teaching copious amounts of vocabulary, making high school English class a lot more enjoyable, and littering all corners of my room. Even the “bad books” that I have deemed boring, confusing, or all-around unenjoyable deserve to be cherished, because they offer an alternate universe where one can escape and explore for a little while.
Books have given me the opportunity to live a thousand lives in a thousand different worlds, and for that I am eternally grateful.
