Book Fiend

Once upon a time, there was a child in South Dakota. Not the famous part, it was the vacant area. They loved to read books. Everytime a book fell into their lap, a new world was opened. Kids shows talked about portals, and this was their portal. Flat, arid praries transformed into lush forests. Manmade lakes and feedlot sloughs were traded for lively oceans and rivers. Mermaids and magic was actually tangible in the pages. Everytime a book closed, the magic would dissapate. Wetlands weren’t particularly inspirational. There weren’t any skyscrapers or freeways. But it took a while for the kid to notice.

Obviously the kid is me. This little piece is just some background for why I write. Libraries were my sanctuary as a child. It was the one place where I could find unbiased information. I could read fiction and absorb ideas without anyone knowing. It was my special secret. My family put me in three different Catholic schools in the midwest. One was full of bullies with rich parents. The second was underfunded with unruly children. Luckily, I was left alone that time. The third pushed more ideologies onto students than the other ones. However, the education was fantastic, and I made lots of friends.

While my experience was different in all of them, the one thing I remember intensely were those libraries. The schools overall had narrow teachings. There wasn’t much room for debate. However, the libraries were their own breed. Since kids didn’t read much, they didn’t double check the content of books. I found so many different perspectives and ideologies. I read books about monsters, mythology, magic, science, history, and more. Nobody noticed me. It was fantastic!

So, that’s all I have for now in regards to my ongoing relationship with books. Honestly, I could write forever about how much I love books. But, I’ll cut it short here. I might add more later.