Like many, books growing up were my happiness. I’d stay up late, snuggled under my blanket with a small light just reading away until I fell asleep. Mom fondly remembers checking on me and seeing the glow of the light through my comforter. I should have been asleep, but she didn’t mind.  I’d wake up the next morning with my book on my bedside table, my reading lamp back in its place, and my glasses tucked safely in their case. I never knew how that happened, but now as an adult, it’s obvious that my mom would come into my room and put things back where they needed to be. I thought I was so sneaky.

Looking back, a lot of what I am today can be traced back to a book. I am studying to be an English teacher because when I read ‘The Outsiders’ in 7th grade, I would help kids in the courtyard after lunch with their reading assignments and I realized I loved it. I am passionate about cooking because I got a cookbook for my birthday when I was 15.  I am stronger after my youngest brother’s death because of a book called ‘Umbrella Summer’, where a girl my age loses a brother unexpectedly and has to re-learn how to enjoy her life in the absence of someone so special. 

Books are more than just words on paper, and that is my “Why”. A single story can be a way to escape, a way to indulge, a way to heal,  or a way to dream- all dependent on who is reading it. When I was reading through all of the options for a field assignment, choosing the blog/book drive for Incarcerated Children was not even a question. When one is incarcerated, the purpose is rehabilitation. I believe the best tool in helping a child make lasting changes for the better is written word. Being able to read about someone overcoming adversity or making life-changing self improvements has unending potential and every child and person deserves the chance to be empowered to better themselves.

Books are knowledge and knowledge is power.