The growth of my literary curiosity, discipline, and passion
I learned to read in the Dominican Republic, a place where books based on age and genre were not easily accessible. When I was seven years old, my grandmother gave me my first book, The Book of Mormon. I am not particularly religious. I loved this book because of the layout of the paragraphs and columns, the smell, the wisdom I felt when reading it, and because it was my one and only. Though I did not spend much time writing about religious beliefs, the book inspired me to write about myself and those who surrounded me. What I thought was right or wrong. Through this peculiar book, I built literary curiosity and discipline.
I moved to Brooklyn, New York when I was twelve. I spent middle school learning English in an ESL program filled with passionate teachers and immigrant students from Latin America. Mrs. Rodriguez was this short, pepper-haired Puerto Rican teacher in her 50s. She was harsh and loud, but she meant well. Mrs. Rodriguez would allow us to borrow books from her shelf every Friday. I read “Before We Were Free” on the first Friday by Julia Alvarez. This book was my first love. It fueled my interest in descriptive-style, bibliographic, or fictional novels. Julia Alvarez became my favorite author. I read “How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent” and “How Tia Lola Came to Visit Stay.” Julia Alvarez made me feel understood as a homesick immigrant child yearning for home and struggling to adjust to this big city.
The summer I graduated middle school, my mother got me a library card at the Clinton Hill Library. That library became my sanctuary, where I escaped to different worlds. I read countless descriptive-style bibliographies, fiction novels, novels based on true stories, fast-paced thrillers, and supernatural puzzles. While reading these books, I met countless characters with incredibly colorful experiences and emotions. I spent many afterschool hours feeding my literary passion. I never felt alone.
All Time Favorite Books
Favorite Authors
