A lot of our hobbies and habits are formed as children. When we are in a social environment such as nursery or early years of school we do as we see other people doing. We take social cues from those around us who we trust and this includes the hobbies that we pick up. When I cast my memory back to my experiences of reading as a child I feel nothing but pure joy and escapism. As a self-diagnosed introvert social situations are my worst nightmare and always have been.
Growing up I had acquaintances and people I would speak to at school but only a very small group of real friends. The agony of speaking to my peers and trying to fit into a social norm was just not something I wanted to be a part of. Instead of going to my classmates' birthday parties and play dates I would stay at home and read books or pretend to be a reading teacher to all of my teddy bears and dolls. I was always reading books and my family kept me well stocked at every occasion. The time that stands out most for me was my first discovery of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It was the year 2000 and my parents announced they were getting a divorce. Our family home was to be sold as part of the proceedings and my life got turned completely inside out.
Boxes were everywhere and my worldly belongings (as an 8 year old) were scattered among them. It was late at night and I was anxious about moving school and having to meet new people. I couldn't sleep and so I reached into the closest box to my bed. The only book that was in there was Harry Potter. I didn't know anything about it so I picked it up and fell completely unexpectedly into Harry's world. Little did I know that 17 years later I would still be totally in love with the series and even have my own Harry Potter themed wedding.
Whenever anyone talks about divorce or asks me about my feelings about my parents' divorce I have to be realistic and say that there was so many more positives to the divorce than negatives. Obviously the main one is my parents are both much happier now than they were when they were together but a close second is that I am not sure if my love and nostalgia over Harry would have been the same had he not become my friend at a time when I was so scared to face the outside world.
Fast forward these 17 (nearly 18!) years and I think about the people in my life who I am influenced by. Neither of my parents are big on reading but my both of my grandmothers love to read and now my mother-in-law is a huge reader too. This is a really nice thing we have in common because we share books and swap books and have gone to the Edinburgh International Book Festival together.
As an adult my husband was diagnosed with dyslexia. Something he had struggled with his whole life. Until he met me he had not read a single book in his life other than those that were read to him in high school English class. This left him with a perception of reading that was far from positive. He hated it. When we first met he was intimidated by my job and by my love of books. Last year I made it my mission to get him to try out audio books and to find a book he would enjoy. On a long road trip we settled in to listen to Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows and from there things started to change for him. We read the sequel together on Audible - he enjoyed them both a lot and found himself opening up to a new reading experience.
At the age of 35 he had finally found his reading identity. Books that he enjoyed, things he wanted to read and an eagerness to find out more about what he enjoys as a reader. As someone who teaches 12-18 year olds English I find this so uplifting. Every day I am met with reluctant readers who have the perception that dyslexia or other additional support needs are a reason that they can't pick up a book. They are plagued with negative experiences of reading from their childhoods that have left the wrong impression. This can cause a block for their whole lives. It makes me so sad that anyone can go through a lifetime without knowing what it is to step outside their own reality and into a world skillfully crafted by one of the many talented authors out there.
Ultimately there is no such thing as someone who is "not a reader" there are only those who are yet to find the book that will change their mind about reading.
Growing up I had acquaintances and people I would speak to at school but only a very small group of real friends. The agony of speaking to my peers and trying to fit into a social norm was just not something I wanted to be a part of. Instead of going to my classmates' birthday parties and play dates I would stay at home and read books or pretend to be a reading teacher to all of my teddy bears and dolls. I was always reading books and my family kept me well stocked at every occasion. The time that stands out most for me was my first discovery of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It was the year 2000 and my parents announced they were getting a divorce. Our family home was to be sold as part of the proceedings and my life got turned completely inside out.
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| My wedding bouquet - made from pages of Harry Potter books. |
Boxes were everywhere and my worldly belongings (as an 8 year old) were scattered among them. It was late at night and I was anxious about moving school and having to meet new people. I couldn't sleep and so I reached into the closest box to my bed. The only book that was in there was Harry Potter. I didn't know anything about it so I picked it up and fell completely unexpectedly into Harry's world. Little did I know that 17 years later I would still be totally in love with the series and even have my own Harry Potter themed wedding.
Whenever anyone talks about divorce or asks me about my feelings about my parents' divorce I have to be realistic and say that there was so many more positives to the divorce than negatives. Obviously the main one is my parents are both much happier now than they were when they were together but a close second is that I am not sure if my love and nostalgia over Harry would have been the same had he not become my friend at a time when I was so scared to face the outside world.
Fast forward these 17 (nearly 18!) years and I think about the people in my life who I am influenced by. Neither of my parents are big on reading but my both of my grandmothers love to read and now my mother-in-law is a huge reader too. This is a really nice thing we have in common because we share books and swap books and have gone to the Edinburgh International Book Festival together.
As an adult my husband was diagnosed with dyslexia. Something he had struggled with his whole life. Until he met me he had not read a single book in his life other than those that were read to him in high school English class. This left him with a perception of reading that was far from positive. He hated it. When we first met he was intimidated by my job and by my love of books. Last year I made it my mission to get him to try out audio books and to find a book he would enjoy. On a long road trip we settled in to listen to Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows and from there things started to change for him. We read the sequel together on Audible - he enjoyed them both a lot and found himself opening up to a new reading experience.
At the age of 35 he had finally found his reading identity. Books that he enjoyed, things he wanted to read and an eagerness to find out more about what he enjoys as a reader. As someone who teaches 12-18 year olds English I find this so uplifting. Every day I am met with reluctant readers who have the perception that dyslexia or other additional support needs are a reason that they can't pick up a book. They are plagued with negative experiences of reading from their childhoods that have left the wrong impression. This can cause a block for their whole lives. It makes me so sad that anyone can go through a lifetime without knowing what it is to step outside their own reality and into a world skillfully crafted by one of the many talented authors out there.
Ultimately there is no such thing as someone who is "not a reader" there are only those who are yet to find the book that will change their mind about reading.
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