Laurel Reads City-Wide Program

The Kite Runner is a novel in which many readers can relate. Although there are some aspects, such as the war, that might not be directly relatable, there are other aspects that definitely are. I think that one of the incidents in the book that I feel is the most relatable and something I have experienced is when Amir was preparing for the kite race in order to impress Baba. The premise of this was that Baba mentioned to Amir that he thought he had a chance at winning, which made Amir even more determined to win than he was before. He was set on impressing Baba and gaining his approval.

“To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries.” - Anthony Clifford Grayling, a British philosopher. I recollect my first time opening up my first book to read; it was a groundbreaking occasion. I did not realize that reading would be so astounding. All through my adolescent years, I did not have the opportunity to read books. I guess it is because of the surroundings that I experienced in childhood. My father was not a fanatic of reading books since he felt that it was a time executioner and that it does not help him profit; he was a drug dealer and a crackhead, which should give you a hint about his mentality.

The article The Death of Reading is Threatening the Soul by Philip Yancey focuses on how many people are no longer “deep reading” and instead are reading “fewer of the [types] of books that require hard work” (Yancey 1). This is because the brain experiences a dopamine rush that occurs “when we learn something quick and new” (Yancey 2). Yancey agrees with many other intelligent, well-known people who stress the need to read many books or book pages daily. He adds that they acknowledge that it’s “beyond reach for [everyone] but [a] few people” so there’s no reason not to partake in the goal, especially since it is extremely beneficial (Yancey 3). Yancey describes reading lots of books has helped unleash his creativity and diminish his writer’s

My experience with literature started when I was in the first grade. My first-grade teacher was named Ms. Young. Every Friday, all the teachers would come together to have story time and read the children a book. I would be so excited for story time because I would sit down with my best friends Ashley and Jordan, and we would listen to the teacher that was assigned to read to us. During story time, all the children would gather around in a big circle and the teacher would be in the center in a big brown rocking chair, and read. Over time in the school year, the children would read bigger and longer books like the Junie B. Jones series, chapter books, and the extreme level, which would be the Harry potter series. Sometimes I would fall asleep because the book that was read was very dull. I remember Ms. Young read to us the “Very Hungary Caterpillar”9 by Eric Carle. I loved that book as a child. It had great illustrations of the caterpillar turning into a butterfly. This book made me love reading for the rest of my life. Now in college, I love to read books. I only

There is a beauty in books. Each book opens up your mind to a world unknown. Each page of a book makes you think to yourself "what's going to happen next?". Books give you thoughts and opinions. Books teach you things you never knew. They allow you to escape reality and enter someone else's world. Books

Before we divulge into the topic of this essay, let me begin by stating that neither the author of the main source, Steven Johnson, nor I intend to devalue books or look down upon them. In his book, Everything Bad Is Good For You, he starts off talking about the importance of books. He says, “We should all encourage our kids to read more, to develop a comfort with and an appetite for reading” (Johnson 21). Reading provides many different benefits, some including “concentration, the ability to make sense of words, to follow narrative threads, to sculpt imagined worlds out of mere sentences on pages” (Johnson 23). As an avid reader myself, I have always had an interest in books.

Even if you don’t like to read it’s important to know how, and to possibly even find a book you do enjoy. I strongly agree with the saying that there is a book for everyone because I truly think there is. Literary reading can show you how different people can think and their perspectives on certain things. It gives you knowledge on other people and things you didn’t even know about but do now. It informs you on topics and past

Book is definitely one the most interesting in the world. Because of our curiosity, we read books to gain our knowledge in different things, it also gives us relaxation everytime we read it.

We all know reading is boring, time consuming, and compulsory. All though, most kids would agree with that statement, some may disagree. Some can say that if one does not read they can lose knowledge and become less smart. If you don't read there can be consequences for stopping. Reading is valuable because it gives readers the power to escape, to maximize their potential, and to strengthen their mind.

Books contain information about subjects that we can reflect on and learn from. Reading from books helps us to explore the world in a more convenient

Ever since I was a kid, books have provided a refuge for me. I read every single book I could get my grubby little hands on (including Queen of Clean, which has failed to influence my cleaning habits...). Reading allows me to step into a characters shoes and experience the world through their perspective while also allowing me to peak into the author's psyche. The ability to understand different schools of thought is critical for the development of empathy. When you're able to understand the world from various perspectives, you're able to develop an educated view of the world along with other people.

Reading books might look boring. Having to get deep with those stories might be tiring and time consuming, but with a different point of view it has a lot of benefits. Reading helps our brain to get exercise. Through

Smart people read. Books provide us with an endless amount of knowledge. I don’t mean that you have to read a scholarly book. Simply reading a romantic, thriller, comedy, or whatever kind of book it is that you like can expand your mind without you even realizing it. The best part of a book though is the creativity that it provides us with. When you’re truly interested and invested in a book your creativity starts to take over and instead of reading words on a page there is a moving playing in your head. You have your own idea of what each character is like, what the scenery looks like, and so much more. Even on your worst days you can pick up a book and just escape for a little while.

My reading experiences have always been enjoyable. I love to read when I find an interesting book. It’s easy for me to be sucked into a book if the story catches my eye. I mostly like to read teen romance novels. They appeal to me simply because of my interest in a love story. My parents hate buying me books because they know I’ll be finished reading within a week or so. Reading has always been really easy to me. It seems almost natural to be sucked into other worlds. The words start to flow over the pages and suddenly it feels like I’m not even reading anymore. Unless I have to read a book for school or it doesn’t catch my attention, I might have a hard time bringing myself to read it.

The Kite Runner is about a boy named Amir, who grows up in the more privileged side of Kabul, Afghanistan. He lives with his father Baba, his mother died when Amir was born, and his servants Ali and his son Hassan whose mother had ran off as soon as he was born. The story starts out with Amir and Hassan, who are childhood friends who fed from the same mother when they were little because they had both lost their moms, this made them even closer. Hassan is a Hazara, a minority typically looked down on in Afghanistan, this leads to lots of harassment from other kids. One kid in particular who doesn’t like Hassan and Amir hanging out is Assef. At one point he threatens Amir for hanging out with a Hazara, Hassan then threatens him with a slingshot to the eye and shuts the whole thing down. During all this the political side of life starts to change. The king of Afghanistan is overthrown, which starts the inevitable war ahead of them. Next in the novel is the Kite Fighting Tournament, it’s when kids join from all across Afghanistan with paper kites. The string is covered in glass so you can cut other strings, the last kite standing wins. Hassan and Amir are very skilled in this tournament, but Hassan is especially good at going after the kites that get cut. During this tournament they win, Amir cuts the last kite and Hassan goes after it. Hassan, as he finds the kite is faced with Assef, who wants the kite. Hassan refuses to give it to him, as he promised Amir he’d get that kite