Readers Are Leaders

Readers Are Leaders

I remember when I was a kid. I used to see the magazine delivery truck and on the side it said, "Readers Are Leaders." That is right. Reading; education is poverty's silver bullet. Without "book learning" one is destined to repeat the phrase, "You want fries with that?"*

I have always loved stories and learning new things, but I have always hated reading. I find it tedious and boring. I like the final results of reading though. To me it is kind of like dieting or working out. In school I used to pay very close attention in class so I wouldn't have to read. That worked, up until college when the professor didn't cover everything that was on the test in class.

As I read a book I continually look at how many pages I have left, dreading the time it would take to finish. I used to calculate. Let's see, I have read 10 pages in the last 10 minutes and I have 400 pages to go so it's going to take... SEVEN HOURS! And if I don't like the content, I can't keep my eyes open. Once I stop reading, I perk right back up. The real unfortunate times were when I would start a book and like the story. I would be driven to finish it; slogging through every page.

When I was in fourth grade my mom gave me these books that were two books in one. The front had one title on it and the back had a different title on it. This was cool because when you read one of the stories, it was over when you reached the middle of the book! I loved those books. And later in life I discovered more short stories. Edgar Allen Poe was my favorite; fabulous.

Once I finished school I pledged to never read a book again, except to save my life! But then one day it happened. My mother, who was a voracious reader, gave everyone in my family the same book. She wanted us to expand our horizons and bond through a common experience. The book was "Shogun" by James Clavell; 1600 pages! I tried to talk my way out of it, but my mom made it clear that it would break her heart if we didn't read it. So I did; we all did. It was a real grind. I fought through every page, but I finished it. When it was done I had to admit I liked it. I eventually read the whole series. I finished the last book about ten years ago and I haven't read a whole book since.

Recently I discovered books on tape... YAY!

* Thanks to Robin Williams, one of the funniest people on earth.

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