One of my earliest memories is of reading, or at least beginning to. My father had wired a small light under the dashboard of his old pickup, and I sat in the floor between he and my mother reading comic books. I was just a little boy, but I remember how proud I was the first time I read to my dad, and how proud he was of me.
As a teenager, I went through the same coming of age issues as everyone else, and my relationship with my father was difficult at times. Even though it seemed we had nothing in common, we sometimes found a glimmer of our old closeness discussing a book one or the other had read.
Reading was always a favored pastime for me, but in the months following a serious accident in which I suffered a broken neck, it became my saving grace. Lying in bed wracked with pain from the spinal fusion surgeries I'd undergone, worrying about moving the wrong way and causing the paralysis I'd secretly feared all my life, and too proud to admit it to anyone, I found my escape in books.
As I read I could become part of the story. I could forget my pain for just a moment and ride with Lee at Gettysburg, or fight desperately to get off the beach at Iwo Jima under heavy fire. Books gave me the opportunity to do what my broken body could not do. I could immerse myself in the magic of the written word to the point of making the temporary harshness of my reality disappear.
Through reading, I revived my spirit and refreshed my soul. I have never been a quitter, I've been a fighter for as long as I've lived, but even fighters tire. Even the strongest of men have moments when they need lifted up by a friend. During my long days of struggle and pain, the great writers spoke to me, and raised me up. Through their words, I could enjoy the beauty of the world outside my walls, far beyond the confines of the bed I lay in, and I knew that as long as I didn't give up it would be waiting for me at the end of this trial.
(This article was written as a contribution to the online book fair.)
Article comments
1 - Bliffle
Good article. Reading books has a profound effect on people, can expand their experience, explain the world, provide a refuge from the pains of life and provide guidance for personal behaviour and ethics.
2 - Elvira Black
I can relate so much to this, Donnie. My dad taught me to read early, and that head start helped me all my life. I, too, was so proud and I developed an early love of books that has stayed with me forever and helped me as a writer. When I'm in a funk, I find that self-help books and other inspirational tomes can motivate me to pick up the pieces and carry on again.
3 - Donnie Marler
Thank's for the kind words guys. Much appreciated.
4 - Howard Dratch
For me, it was my mother. Even as she neared death and I had already had a heart attack; we argued over which of us read more as children. I think she won. I (due to her sacrifices) got more education and read a bit more heavily but it comes out the same -- a love for books and words that begins young and continues forever. In her case it lasted even unto the audio books and computer magnifications as her sight failed. There is nothing to match it -- except love.
So, please support reading freely in schools. libraries and adult ed.
5 - tink
Frankly, I don't trust someone if you can walk into their house and not find reading material. It's my favorite form of entertainment for as long as I could remember too.
6 - Vikk Simmons
What a well-written and touching piece. Thank you sharing your inspirational thoughts.
7 - Donnie Marler
Thank you, Vikk.