Reading Can be Fun

Hey guys! It’s Reid. Today, I am going to tell you about my favorite book—well, my 2 favorite.

Growing up, I never really enjoyed reading. I never really read books unless they were assigned for classwork. I was just uninterested, and I always struggled to find an engaging book. I remember in 7^th grade I would go to Mrs. Locker’s library almost every morning looking for a new book…but I had never finished reading the one I checked out the day before. When she finally noticed this, she began searching for a book that I would enjoy.

Although I have never cared much for reading, I have always loved sports. And one thing I’ve always read are sports articles. After a big game, I always read the articles from various sports journalists. The combination of the statistics, the highlights, and the thoughts about future games was something that I thought was very intriguing.

You can bet that I anxiously wait for the alert on my phone after Tennessee softball finishes a weekend series; but waiting for a book to come out just wasn’t something I thought much of.

After a day or two of thinking, Mrs. Locker recommended a book: Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper. Now, this book isn’t like every other book you have probably read. This one is written with journal entries from the characters, newspaper articles, letters, and some stories told through dialogue and narration.

Tears of a Tiger tells the story of a high school basketball star, Rob Washington, who is killed in a drunk driving accident. The death effects the entire community; but particularly the driver, Rob’s best friend and teammate, Andy Jackson. The boys had just come off a big win and had been celebrating with some drinks when they decided to drive home…which ultimately resulted in Rob’s death.

I quickly fell in love with this book because it combined two of my favorite things: basketball and drama. (Because who doesn’t love some good drama every now and then?) I found myself staying up late at night just to read a few extra pages. If I didn’t have work to do during class, I would grab this book instead of my phone.

Mrs. Locker had successfully chosen a book that interested me, and now it is one of my all-time favorites. The only book that tops Tears of a Tiger on my favorites list is Oh the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss.

I have always had an emotional connection to this Dr. Seuss book. I’m not sure why, but something about it always seemed to inspire me.

I have never been one to wait for opportunity to come to me. I have always been a big dreamer; and ever since I was younger, I have been quick to participate in anything that will get me closer to achieving my goals.

I think Dr. Seuss captured some of my spirits in this book when he says:

And when things start to happen,

don’t worry. Don’t stew.

Just go right along.

You’ll start happening too.

For graduation, I received a copy of Oh the Places You’ll Go that had been signed by many of my past teachers. And although it has quite literally made me cry on many occasions (happy tears, of course), it is one of my most prized possessions.