Few seem to remember the times in elementary school where nothing compared to the thrill of bringing home a library book to read every weekend.  Not only were we enthralled by fiction as kids, but nonfiction books about things as simple as plants or rocks left us in awe of the beauty around us.  Now, we’re so overwhelmed with mandatory reading in English classes that pleasure reading has almost been entirely forgotten. When was the last time you picked up a book to read just for the sake of enjoying the story that the author has to tell?

As we get older, we can regain our love of reading and even find more interest in nonfiction by reading books that we find interesting on topics that fascinate us individually. Not all nonfiction is written by stuffy professors. Prosecutors, musicians, and even football players are telling their stories nowadays, and even more, than ever we should be seeking knowledge and commonality.

I know that some of you may use the excuse of only being “young once” and want to save the “boring” things for later in life, but I counter with the same argument. You are only young once— Why would you waste your youth on things that are so incredibly temporary when knowledge and joy derived from reading can last forever?