Hey, everyone! I am Harshit Singh, and this is the story of how books transformed my life.
I wasn’t really the best student around, but I was always fond of reading. My vacations went like any middle-class family’s. We would go to our grandma’s house, times that I still cherish. During one such visit, I found my younger sister reading Jeff Kiney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Now, she was an avid reader. The curious me went over to her and asked her what she was up to.
She told me that she was absolutely in love with the book. She even recommended me to read it. I wasn’t really convinced, but I started reading the book nonetheless. It was about a middle-school kid who got a journal to write and draw in from his mother. The first couple of pages really tested my patience. I really wanted to put the book down, but my sister forced me to continue reading. A few more pages down the line, it was impossible for me to stop! The book was so funny, and the sketches made it that much more enjoyable.
Once I was done with the book, she handed me another part. I was taken aback and asked her how many parts the book had.
‘Seventeen,’ her answer left me poker-faced.
Anyhow, this incident officially kick-started my journey as a reader. I would frequent bookstores to buy books. In fact, bookstores became an essential part of my weekend plans.
I was into cars, so one day, I stumbled upon a book titled A Man & His Car by Matt Hranek, and God, I wasn’t disappointed! In fact, this is one book I would recommend to every car-lover. It is about two people, Jay and Leno, who are renowned automobile collectors, sharing their stories of the cars they fell in love with. In hindsight, this book single-handedly taught me so much about cars and the automobile industry.
Fast-forward to today and I am someone who never downloads movies or web series when going on a train or flight journey. I simply go to some bookstore and grab a book to enjoy the trip with.
I would like to conclude by thanking my sister, Ishi, for motivating me to read. Books truly have changed my life at more than one level. And I’m sure they can change yours, too, if you are willing to take the leap.
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