It got me thinking about my own experiences with assigned reading and the books that have made an impact on me over the years. For a long time, until I became more independent and adventurous at libraries and bookstores, assigned reading was actually the only way I knew what kinds of books were out there at all. As the child of parents who were immigrants and also very much not readers in the first place, my exposure to the vast selection of books that existed was limited to school reading lists and whatever my bookish classmates happened to be reading. And those reading lists are what turned me into the lifelong reader I am today. — Chanea (shuh-Nay) (@heymrsbond) May 1, 2021 Each individual book from those lists had their specific effects on me as well, be they big, small, positive, negative, or anything in between. Being assigned Tuck Everlasting twice in elementary and middle school turned me vehemently against rereading. Reading Brave New World in high school opened my eyes to the importance of paying attention to and thinking about the world and society broadly, and to the fact that my own limited point of view was just one tiny piece of a whole system. And the entire curriculum of a Japanese literature class I took in college completely changed my attitude toward my own heritage and culture, leading me to embrace and take pride in it for the first time instead of trying to hide or deny it in an attempt to be as “American” as I could be. Obviously, my personal experience represents just an infinitesimally small fraction of the many lives impacted by assigned reading, so I’ve asked my fellow Rioters to share some of their stories as well. I loved hearing about each and every one of their unique experiences, and seeing just how varied they were. Plus I’ve gained a couple additions to my TBR! Do you have your own story of an assigned book that changed your life? Tell us about it on our social media channels! —Cassie Gutman —CJ Connor —Mikkaka Overstreet —Susie Dumond —Aurora Lydia Dominguez —Isabelle Popp —Melissa Baron —PN Hinton —Ann-Marie Cahill
