From an early age, I have been passionate about reading and writing. Considering my family, it’s impossible to be otherwise. My mom has a deep love of literature and shared her passion with me before I even came into this world. When she was pregnant with me, she would read to her belly. As evidence of her infatuation with writing, the walls in my childhood home were covered ground to ceiling with bookshelves, each stocked to the brim with books of every length, language, and genre. The earliest memory I can recall is reading Go, Dog. Go! with my brother to accompany his speech therapy sessions. As a toddler, my older brother, Theodore, was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a type of autism. To help him meet the literacy level of his peers he began taking supplementary classes at 3 years old. My brother has always been my best friend and the person I’ve looked up to most, so I jumped at the chance to support him through class. I was just a toddler myself, but my mom took me along to help. As a result, I began to read and write at an early age.
My mother was ecstatic to find that I shared her passion, so she helped me by reading with me each morning and at night to strengthen my literacy skills. The book Go, Dog. Go! is significant to my childhood experience with literature because it was the first book I could read completely on my own. I was so proud I could hardly focus on anything else for the weeks after. I carried the book with me everywhere I went. Following that first experience, it became a common occurrence for me to devour a new book every chance I could get. I feel that having such a strong support from my family made my first experience in literacy an especially positive one. The experience was crucial in me becoming the person I am today. Going into school, I was labeled a “precocious reader” and the title has carried with me to this day. Reading continues to be one of my hobbies I cherish the most, so if anyone has any book recommendations, I’m all ears.
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