By Vanessa M.
My parents were big believers in reading and its role in education – not just traditional education, but self-guided: the experiences, perspective, and communication advantages that come from being well-read. There were always stacks of books around the house. We took full advantage of our library – it would have been unaffordable to buy that many books each week.
My literary interests hopped around the world. At one point I was obsessed with the North Pole. Then Cambridge. Then India. The library always had books to take me where I wanted to go. We actually traveled as well, but many places I’ve only experienced through books. In college, I used medieval primary texts. I never would have had access to these outside of a library. It was simply amazing to smell, see, and feel a book that old.