My bond with reading has always been dynamic, with valleys of indifference and peaks of passion as I grow up.
I was in third grade when I enjoyed reading for the first time. Back then, I was a mischievous boy living in China, and my life was filled with bike rides, spinning tops, video games, neighborhood cats, fights, and after school detentions. I never cared about books; in fact, I despised them, for only nerds read them. Contrary to my mischievous personality, my mother was a reader who lived on books when she was young. She loved novels and poetry – especially those of Rabindranath Tagore – so much that she aspired to be an author. Likely hoping that I may one day inherit some of her love of reading, she followed the recommendation of a friend and bought me a series of animal fictions written by Chinese author Shen Shixi.
Those books, however, were left unread for weeks – until I was forced to open one during school. But after flipping through a couple of pages, my eyes were glued. Shen Shixi’s stories depict the lives of wild animals; his narration was vivid, heart-touching, and sometimes very funny. From his stories, I experienced the joy of reading for the first time. I enjoyed it so much that I could read for hours. I began to read them at home, during class, and even during recess, giving up the precious time to play with friends. I bring a book everywhere I go and read whenever I have a chance, and within a year or two, I’ve exhausted every single book that Shen Shixi wrote.
Shen Shixi’s animal fictions, a gift from my mother, opened my eyes to the world of literature. After finishing all those books, I moved onto other great books like “Warriors” and “the Three-body problem”, which turned out to be my favorite; I immersed myself into those books, and I was fascinated by the ideas they offered.
However, my journey in Literatureland came to a surprise halt when, in the summer of fifth grade, my family moved to the U.S.
As an immigrant, learning English became my priority, so my parents and tutor had decided that I should abandon my Chinese books altogether and replace them with English books. Compared to the Chinese books that I could easily immerse myself in, reading in English was a torture. In sixth grade, I could still sneak in some time to read Chinese fictions because EL English was an easy class. From seventh grade, however, I was moved to regular English, sitting in the same class with native speakers. Our teachers started to assign books – books of hundreds of pages filled with foreign letters. Reading became a pain as I struggled through pages after pages. Over time, as my English books became harder and harder, and as we began to write about themes, my interest in literature diminished, I started to play video games, I discovered SparkNotes, and I began to avoid reading altogether.
It was my father who inspired me to pick up a book again. But this time, the books were no longer fiction, but rather non-fictions.
“If a book stood the test of time,” my father told me on a walk, “it must carry extraordinary ideas that are beyond the minds of people in the time period from which it was written.” My father views reading as a process of inner growth; he believes that through learning the thoughts of great people in the past, one could accumulate oneself with the wisdom necessary to see and tackle problems one may encounter in the future.
Inspired by my father, I started to read for my personal growth. Though Dad recommended autobiographies, philosophies, and religious texts, I found self-help books more engaging and straight to the point. As I read more frequently, reading in English no longer felt like a pain. As I read in search of wisdom, I began to enjoy the process once again.
Nowadays, amongst my increasingly demanding high school life and the distractions from technology, I still make conscious efforts to read everyday. But the meaning of reading has changed. Books are no longer a source of pure joy; it has become a source of enlightenment.
Frank,
I can honestly say that I really enjoyed reading your journey in reading. I, too, started off with action-packed, narrative, and vibrant books that were there purely for enjoyment. Though I’d say that your progression into books such as “The Three Body Problem” is far more advanced than mine – I’ve heard (but cannot read – my Mandarin is no where near your level!) that it’s a really thought-provoking book.
Reading this, though, I was most impressed by your English. Moving in 5th grade, and slowly picking up this foreign language to the point where I can’t even tell that English is a second language today really opened my eyes. Frank, you know that I’ve really respected you, and this point really just made me respect you more. How did you learn it so quickly? Did you find read more English books in your pastime?
In fact, thinking back, I’m actually going down the opposite track. My English is fine, but my Chinese is really detiorating. A relatively new goal that I’ve set for myself is to read and understand Chinese poetry and old song lyrics a bit better. Because to immerse myself into and understand this ancient culture’s greatest thinkers, poets, and artists would really broaden my worldview.
-Kai
Frank, I love how you were able to show your overall growth as you learned to appreciate reading and all it has to offer. I personally have had a very similar experience with reading; the assignments that have been associated with reading literature in class that we have endured have drained the love for reading many of us once had at a young age. I think that as we grow older, we come to appreciate the bigger picture as we learn to understand the true meaning behind works of literature. I think the message your dad conveyed to you about reading was a key moment in your life, one that will stick with you forever. The inner growth that you were able to experience regarding reading is one that you are very fortunate to have, and I feel that development is a key component of your identity. Overall, I love the story and overall message that you were able to capture, and the realization that you came to over time!
This is an amazing story. I loved the contrast between you as a kid in China, reading books for enjoyment, to you in the present day, reading books to enlighten yourself. The way you told your story was extremely well written in my opinion, I loved it. I agree with you; when I was younger I read a lot, almost excessively, because of how much fun it was to immerse myself in a different world and watch the scenes unfold in front of me. Your clearly dynamic relationship with reading is similar to what I believe mine, and many of our classmates, to be. I feel like most of us begin by loving to read, and then struggle with finding enjoyment in it. Some of us have, or are beginning to, find the positive in reading again. I agree that because of the countless distractions that modern society offers, picking up a book is a conscious decision and not a habit.
I think your story is super interesting because you have gone through a very unique experience. I couldn’t imagine growing up loving reading, only to have to pretty much start the process completely over again because you are learning in a different language.
I love how you were able to pick up reading again for a purpose and are able to apply the things you are learning in your life. I believe that reading doesn’t necessarily have to be for education or entertainment, it just has to be for the purpose that you want it to be for in order for the reading to have meaning. I think it is great that you are able to read books for personal growth and that you have set a goal to read every day.
I also think it is interesting that you discussed how your parents influenced your view or reading. Relating to our class, I think this can almost be compared to the biographical style of writing, where we look at how external factors influence the author. It is evident that your family influenced your view of reading, and it seems that it has happened for the better.
I think I have a similar experience in reading to you. As a kid, I did not really like reading in general besides kids book because I thought my reading comprehension was very bad. However, when introduced to this one book that sparked my attention, it motivated me to read more fiction books, similar to you because you read lots of Chinese books growing up. As I grew up, however, I feel like school kind of affected my love for readingit felt like a chore as it was like I forced to read lots of pages and the texts I feel got continually boring, and I opted to play more video games and other recreational activities as well. Although I do not think of getting back to reading (besides school, where reading is pretty important) as I feel like there are a lot more things out there that can be more enjoyable than reading, I respect and like how you got back to reading more and you do it to gain knowledge and prespective, which I think is a nice hobby to have.
Reading was never the agonizing process that I thought it to be as a kid. I, similar to you, was captivated by the book a couple of pages in. I increasingly started looking towards fiction and nonfiction as I had aged. I too have recently started reading self-growth books, typically financial or mental health focused. A particular favorite of mine was the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, definitely check it out! Lately however I too have neglected reading because of the demand of high school, and my devices as well. I do hope to get back to reading consistently, as it has too become a “source of enlightenment”.
Hi Frank, I really enjoyed reading your literary journey and I admire your usage of literature as a source of knowledge and enlightenment so much. When I read on my own, it’s still mostly for the sake of enjoyment, just like when I was a child.
It’s amazing that you decided to relearn how to do something you loved after you were placed in a completely foreign environment. Instead of giving up on reading in an unfamiliar language, you not only worked hard to improve your skills but also re-discovered a beloved interest with a new outlook, which is very beautiful.
I often wonder what my parents lost when they left their homes in China to come here — your journey makes me think of all the wonderful things they must have gained. Thank you for the moving story and fresh perspective!