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By Greta Noble
Some of the first memories I can recall consist of drifting to sleep as my father recited the words of A.A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh” and Norton Juster’s “The Phantom Tollbooth”. As I listened to him create voices for each character I fell in love with the stories. I have always had a soft spot for these childhood classics but as I got older there was constant pressure to move on to novels more “appropriate” for my age. As I began to read these educational works, although they were amazing works of literature, the passion for the story was no longer there. I yearned to return to the days of Eeyore voices and happy endings. Yet unfortunately, that wish was met with social pressure to engage in mature literature.
Eventually, the internal dilemma between submitting to social pressure and engaging in the literature of my choice became my first thought with every book I picked up. I hate to admit that for many years, the social pressure prevailed. I found myself reading purely for education and slowly losing passion for something I once loved. “Winnie the Pooh” and “The Phantom Tollbooth” turned into “Wuthering Heights” and “The Republic”. Through these new works, I learned about victorian era literature and 300 B.C. justice within city states. While these novels defined my education and brought light to meaningful ideas and conversations, I still found myself struggling through the end of the book rather than being excited to open it. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I returned to the reading I was so dearly missing.
I began by first picking up my childhood favorite “The Phantom Tollbooth” and after what seemed like 5 minutes of Milo’s journey to the Kingdom of Wisdom I had finished the book and hours had passed. I had for the first time in years truly immersed myself in a book for pleasure and pleasure alone. While there is something to be learned from the lessons of time taught within this book, what I was learning was so much more valuable. As I continued to read works meant for children a decade younger than me, I found myself regaining passion for reading and enjoying all genres of all literature again. Instead of dreading my assigned reading for class, I enjoyed it as it was paired with works of Roald Dahl that I set aside time to read each day. While I missed out on years of reading for enjoyment, I have found a greater appreciation for literature through the diversity of genres I now indulge in. When I think back to the days of falling asleep to the sound of my father’s voice reciting my childhood favorite, those memories are met with excitement to rediscover these books as well as so many I have learned to love.
Greta Noble is a McConnell Scholar in the class of 2025. She is studying biology, environmental science, political science, and Spanish at the University of Louisville.