I have loved books for as long as I can remember. My favorite time of the year was when the book fair would come visit my school, and I got to pick out a couple of new books. Books have always been an escape for me, a way to leave my troubles or boredom behind and become a part of a different world.
There are certain books that make me cry every time I read them. This shouldn’t be happening, right? I’ve read them before, I know what is going to happen. But The Woman in the Wall has made me cry since I picked it up for the first time in 5th grade. And Summer Sisters by Judy Blume? I don’t just cry during that one, I sob. It gets to the point where I can’t breathe because my nose is too stuffed, tears are streaming down my cheeks, and I’m shaking.
Why does this always happen? Both books are about change, major changes. They take me back to changes in my life. They make me think of the best times in my life that will never happen again. I’m taken to my childhood and the freedom from all adult responsibilities. I’m taken to high school, recalling my first love, who has moved far far away and I haven’t seen since freshman year of college. I remember my best friends, who said that we would be friends forever. But how often does that really happen? I remember the house I grew up in, the one we left when I was 11 years old. After crying over the past, I begin crying over the future. I’m almost done with college and have no idea what comes next. What if I don’t find a job? Will I ever make enough money to move away from my parents? When will I get married? The list goes on and on.
You would think I’d figure it out. These books make me cry, I probably shouldn’t read them. But I can’t seem to stop reading them, I can’t bring myself to get rid of them.
