Books transformed my life
Happy National Booksellers Day!
I was this kid, the one who always had a book in her hand. It could be a book for reading, a book for writing, a book for drawing…
Either way, I wasn’t going too far without a book of some kind.
Looking back, it is easy to see that reading has always been a passion of mine because I very much enjoy the craft of writing. Yet, I haven’t always known what to call the art of the written word. But I knew when someone wove together text in a way that was seamless and skillful. I cared much less about the story than was popular to admit.
And because I could separate story from craft at such a young age, I found my writing voice early on in my career—thanks to writers whom I admire to this day.
Arthur Golden and Zora Neale Hurston come to mind. As do literary works that have won a prize I haven’t yet named for earning my admiration: “Men in the Sun” by Ghassan Kanafani, “Uncle Seagram” by Gwendolyn Brooks, Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men,” and “Return to the Source,” by Amilcar Cabral, all come to mind.
Why am I telling you about the books I love?
Well, today is National Book Publishers Day, and I’m probably the only person celebrating, so… I figured I should go all out.
If you love books like I do, chances are you have a publisher or two to thank.
Now that I am published, I realize just how much work goes into taking an idea and making it something someone else wants to read, much less buy!
Publishers are out here taking a chance on us word nerds and big-idea people. Gratitude is in order.
If you’re also trying to get in on this random writer’s holiday, drop your favorite book titles in the comments. Bonus bragging rights if you can name the publisher!
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