As Jordyn Flows

[This short piece compromises my views about a very special verb-reading. In his Op-ed, “For the Love of Reading,” my teacher, Mr. Franek, addressess numerous reasons as to why students should be exposed to a variety of books. Indeed, I whole-heartedly concur].

The line or rather the question that caught my attention was, “why is crossover so important? Because being exposed to diverse authors and their stories celebrates art, builds empathy, and expands what William Faulkner has called the moral imagination.” I agree with Mr. Franek in that it is important to expose students to a wide of variety of books. Different genres, authors, and themes provide numerous perspectives and each offer something special to the reader.

In retrospect, when I was in middle school I was quite the bookworm. My infatuation for the written word reached an extreme level and took a toll on my other classes. On a daily basis my math teacher in 8th grade caught me reading a book underneath my desk. However, these tendencies subsided in highschool. Nonetheless, when I motivate myself to open up a book I am reminded of why my Algebra 1 teacher had to pry the novel I that I was reading at the time from my hands.

In those day when I was an obsessive reader I came across my favorite book, which is TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE. In the beginning of the novel Mitch Albom is a middle aged workaholic and leads a fast pace lifestyle. Yet admist his hectic life (similar to the rest of society), he gains a new perspective about the value of life from his former teacher, Morrie. Mitch and Morrie’s relationship continues to evolve throughout the novel by discussing complex subjects such as love, death, and family. Like Mitch, I learned a lot from these life lessons. As I englufed this novel I looked at these themes from a different angle and began to see the role that themes played in my life too.

Of all the books I read this book gave me an in depth understanding of the quality of life. As I read about one mans struggle to make meaning of his purpose, I began to reflect on my own as well. Furthermore, death is a reoccurring theme since Morrie slowly waits for his life to come to an end. I realized that death is not as dark and devastating as it seems. I reached the conclusion that if one is content with his/her life, then death takes on an entire new meaning. I did not feel as though I new Morrie vicariously. When he died I felt as though I lost a friend and that I was the second student present every Tuesday.

Finally, this book also made me realize that I like non-fiction as well. It made me a more open minded reader. No longer do I assume that only fiction is interesting. Therefore it is necessary to read all types of books. Last year I read James Baldwin’s THE FIRE NEXT TIME and though I didnt love this book, I know I gained a new perspective on race from reading it. Overall, not every book grabs a readers attention or even approval but it is rewarding to know that each book offers something different.