I Believe in Reading by Emma George

A book is a misunderstood thing. A thing many don't care to associate with. Most look at a hard back cover and shudder. Some venture to flip through the off white pages of sharp black letters printed in a line. However, there are those of us who look at the magic hidden behind the cover, try to interpret the meaning behind the illustrations, and know the adventures they will seek when they begin page one. The sharp black letters are the best part. They aren't reality. If the cover or the words don't convince you to start reading, the smell must. I believe in reading.

I believe that life without reading is simply plain and boring. How would it feel to have to live the same thing everyday, be with the same people all your life? Do the same routine and deal with the same problems. A book can change that. You can choose what you want your life to be like for an hour or so every day. You can decide what situation, what setting, and what conflicts to throw yourself into. It's as easy as flipping over the cover to skim the back cover to pick where you want to go next. The problems aren't yours and closing the cover before you go to sleep shuts out those problems. Wouldn't life be nice if this was reality.

I believe reading translates into maturity. When you can decide to focus yourself on one thing for a period of time, you have passed into a different mindset. You can handle your life, and be able to escape into someone else's life. A good reader enjoys to challenge themselves. Find a book above the level of the last one.

Books don't have to be reality. They provide imagination. Anything that can't really happen, truly can when you read. You can do whatever your heart dreams of. You can go wherever you imagine, real or imaginary.

Let's face it, reading is something we have to do no matter where we are. Whether reading the a stop sign or the newspaper, an English class assignment or something for your enjoyment, reading if something that we will always have to do. We might as well open a book on your own, something you can control, and forget about the world. I believe in reading.