My
experiences with books growing up remind me of the movie
You’ve Got Mail, which I’m not ashamed to admit my wife and I watch
regularly. There’s a scene where Meg
Ryan’s character says, “When you read a book as a child it becomes a part of
your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.” In part, I agree with her. The books I read growing up did become a part
of me, but the books I’ve read in the past six years have become part of me in
much deeper, more firmly rooted places—shaping not just who I am, but how I
think and sometimes, what I believe.