Samantha Mora

Miss Tori Hamby

UWRT 1101-019
10 September 2014

Literacy Narrative
Most kids, when they go to the store with their parents, try to fill up the cart with every
toy and knickknack within their grasp. I was definitely one of those kids but my parents
wouldnt allow it. Out of everything in the shopping cart, theyd only buy me the books. Over
time I caught on and wouldnt even look in the toy isle anymore, Id run straight to the book
section. For the longest time, reading didnt appeal to me. I associated it with homework because
every night I had to complete a reading log for school which forced me to read for 30 minutes
and then write a short summary. As a child, homework was the equivalent to timeout and I
refused to do anything even slightly close to schoolwork on my own time. It was not until I told
my 3rd grade teacher that I didnt like reading and she responded, It is not the act of reading you
hate, its the quality of the book. Theres millions of books out there in the world, at least one
was wrote for you That I realized maybe reading wasnt so bad, maybe it was my book choices.
From then on out, I made it my personal mission to find the book; the one wrote just for me.

As I grew older, the sizes of my books grew larger. They no longer had pictures and they
would actually have a story line that I could get into. Im not sure what the first chapter book I
read by myself was, but I know the first one I actually enjoyed reading was Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets by J.K Rowling. Id never gotten so involved with the characters in a book
before, it was amazing. It was lighthearted and even though it had a lot of pages, it was an easy
read. I flew through the whole book in three days which I was most proud of as an adolescent. I
realized that though it wasnt specifically wrote for me, there were still books out there that
appealed to me. After reading the whole series, I decided it wouldnt hurt me to venture out and
see what other novels would spark my interest. I began making regular visits to the library and
picking up books off the suggested reading lists that were posted around the school. I never
noticed how many resources I had to books. From the school library to Barnes and Nobel to even
the small collections teachers would have in their classes, books were everywhere.
When I was in elementary school, my mom gave birth to my little sister, Madison. I
would play the big sister role and read to her at night while she was too young to do it herself.
Then, as she grew older, the roles were switched and she would read to me. I found great joy in
passing down some of the books that I held onto from when I was her age and I was instantly
grateful for my parents always buying me the novels so I could share them with Madison. I
would always push the importance of reading on her so she would learn to enjoy, or at least
tolerate it, at a young age so it wouldnt seem like such a chore when she got older. My mother
would take us to the library that was near my house every Thursday and we would sit in a little
nook for hours reading everything from Captain Underpants to books about Princess Diana.

Trying to make sure I was a good role model for Madison got me in the habit of reading a book a
week and hopefully shell pick up the habit as well.
It wasnt until I was a freshman in high school that I found MY book. I had just finished
learning about the Indian culture, which I found particularly interesting, when I decided I wanted
to know more. I was in California in a little book store on the beach when I stumbled across a
book, Awakening your Inner Buddha. I come from a strictly Catholic and Christian background
so I wasnt planning on this book appealing to me so much, it merely looked like a good read for
the beach. I was taken aback by how much it spoke to me. I became so involved with the book
that I couldnt stop reading. Not just was I reading the words from the pages, I was
understanding them. The sentences meant something, it wasnt just some made up plot with
fictional characters, it was a guideline for how I wanted to live my life. The book became so
important to me that Id reread it time and time again until I could practically recite it back to
you. The spine of the book had become worn from all my usage and the pages were practically
completely yellow from where I had highlighted the parts I found important. The book fit me so
well, it seemed like it was tailored to all of my possible needs or wants.
Because of Awakening Your Inner Buddha, I took a trip to Bodh Gaya, India where it is said
Buddha obtained his enlightenment. I went to the temple and got to witness Buddhism first hand
which empowered me so much. While I was in India, I read sutras that were written centuries
ago and it stunned me how hundreds of years later, those writings lived on and were now in my
hands. It made me reflect on how much words on paper had changed my life and even landed me

on the other side of the world. I love the fact that a single book had the ability to change my
whole mindset, it showed me what powerful tools reading and writing are. A few months after I
got back, I officially changed my religion from Christianity to Buddhism and a few days ago I
even got a Ganesh tattooed on my arm. I will forever be grateful for the art of writing because
without it, I would not be the woman I am today.
Now just because I enjoy reading, does not mean I write well. Throughout high school,
all my English teachers would say that if you can read, you can write. I find that saying to be a
complete lie. Writing is a process. There are steps you have to take and multiple attempts have to
be made in order to get it even slightly close to perfect. It is so time consuming and personally, I
do not have the patience. Its not that I hate writing, I just have some difficulty putting my
thoughts onto paper. I have a tendency to ramble on about pointless topics and somehow forget
every grammar rule Ive been taught. I can also be a bit of a procrastinator so I feel
overwhelmed when I have to write an extensive paper a few hours before I go to class. Ive
never, and highly doubt I ever will, write for fun. I find it to be a bit of a drag and those who
enjoy it to be slightly crazy, but if it wasnt for those slightly crazy people, I wouldnt have
anything to read.
From a little kid to a new adult, Ive come a ways away from picking up books just so I
could get something from the store. I now read for my own personal pleasure and actually enjoy
when reading is my homework, not to mention I was lucky enough to find my book at a young
age. I am thankful that I live in an area and time that reading is one of the first things we learn

because it is one of the most important tools in life. My relationship with writing will most likely
never change but hopefully with the help of Miss. Hamby, Ill learn some tips on how to make
writing less of a pain.
Buddhist scriptures
Spritual figure, remover of obsticals.