Jeremiah Harbour A Journey Into Literature My mom was the one who taught me how to read and write. I was homeschooled in kindergarten through the third grade, and because my dad was in a time crunch because of a new job, my mom took over the role of teaching me. I lived in Phoenix, Arizona at the time, and I watched videos to help me grasp concepts of basic math, reading, and writing, on top of what my mom taught me. “Go pick out another book to read”, she would tell me, even after listening to my grueling interpretation of what I thought the words had said on each page many times before. But because of that, I learned to grasp concepts quickly. Reading and writing are simple concepts that define part of who I am. Being taught at the very early age of four and five, I was easily understanding every concept later on. I have also learned many lessons along the way, some of which I had a very hard time learning. One lesson in particular that took me a long time to understand was learning how to use a dictionary, as well as understanding how alphabetical and systematic orders worked. I have never been able to understand why that was, but it is the truth. It is these experiences that have brought me to where I am today. After reading ​
The Road ​
by Cormac McCarthy for my summer reading project last year, I was taken to a whole new level of discovery with that level of literature. The setting, mood, and realistic nature of the characters made me feel as if I were really there. I ended up reading the book a second time, really wanting to grasp the author’s use of character development and style. The main plot of the book was about a man and his son who are stranded after a nuclear war, which left the planet scarred and dead. With looters and homeless people everywhere, the man and his son drudge several dozens of miles in the attempt to make it to the ocean, where he believes they can be saved. All through the way the man is struggling to scrape enough food for his son, and he also fights the tuberculosis that only worsens as the novel goes on. ​
The Road truly was a novel that showed me not only what humans will do to survive, but what a man will do for his son. After reading all the way through in less than a week, I was in complete awe at the details and behaviors of the characters in the book. The Road ​
was a piece that actually gave me the desire to start writing. However, a conflict I always run into is trying to find new ideas. Sometimes I will pause in the middle of a story and take a break for a few days until I can organize my thoughts and brainstorm new ideas. Writing has become a personal hobby of mine, and definitely one that I intend to do my whole life. I remember several memories about reading and writing fondly. Ever since my early childhood, reading and writing became two things that, even now, I love to do. Last summer was when I really got a feel for modern literature that, despite the particular book being a fictional, post­ traumatic story, grabbed my attention immediately. The day was rather hot, and I did not feel like doing much of anything. Clueless as what to do that day, I decided to take a look at the requirements for my summer reading project. I asked my dad, being an author himself, which author on the list he recommended. Without giving it much thought, he instantly told me Cormac McCarthy was a great choice. He even bought several novels written by McCarthy and got them on my Kindle. I got myself something to drink, picked a novel from McCarthy’s collection that looked the most interesting, and I began to read.