Maddie Walters

Staff Writer

Growing up in the middle of nowhere (Tyler, TX) has a profound effect on an adolescent’s idea of “fun”; trust me, I was that kid. But I have to say that spending the entirety of my elementary school years without cable or anything that remotely resembled a computer was helpful in the sense that I developed a life love for books.

Because I spent so much time by myself (my closest sibling being  four years younger than me) I forged an emotional attachment to the books my childhood was based on. Although it sounds silly, whenever I needed a companion, I simply turned to Nancy Drew or Harry Potter for an escape from my rather lonely world.

But upon the switch from private to public schools, I found that my love for reading was not found on the same level as most of my peers. Not everyone spent a good 10 minutes sobbing when they read that Sirius Black died or even when Old Yeller got rabies.  As I grew older, this discrepancy became more and more apparent.

Not to say that I blame my peers for being impacted by the world they are surrounded by. With recent developments in technology, the pull of books finds itself weakened by the temptations movies, video games and the internet present. However, for those like me, the allure of books still holds a strong and prominent place in their hearts and minds.

Take for example senior Rachel Cummins.

Although she was not able to read until the third grade, her late development seemed to inspire a deep love for reading that she still possesses today.

“Whenever I’m upset or stressed out I read,” Cummins said. “All I have to do is pick up a book and the stress goes away. [Reading] keeps me sane.”

Cummins is one of the many seniors opting to take the Advanced Reading course offered by our school which helps students realize and further their knowledge of literature. This year, English teacher Michael Vergien introduced literary analysis as a part of A.R. curriculum, compelling students to take a deeper look into the 1,000 pages they are required to read each six weeks.

As seniors prepare for college and juniors get ready for the summer required reading, the tools Advanced Reading supplies its students with will prove infinitely helpful in the months and years to come.

Senior Krysia Garcia is one of Mr. Vergien’s A.R. students who appreciate the introduction to types of literary analysis, including psychoanalysis.

“It was relevant because with Freud’s psycholoanlaytic theories you get a deeper look at the characters and their reasons for their actions,” Garcia said.

Garcia shares the same passion for literature I am possessed by, as evident through her love of the Harry Potter series and remorse at majoring in pharmacy instead of her true passion, writing.

“I’m considering majoring in pharmacy, mainly due to the financial support [it offers],” Garcia said. “It’s not my passion. Sometimes I think about [my decision] and I get sad because people see me reading all the time or say I should go into writing, but I’m not brave enough.”

Although Garcia is conflicted about her major, her open love for books and writing (she is a member of the creative writing club and a student in Matthew Bowden’s creative writing course) will always play a prominent role in her life, and I think I can say the same about mine.