Read This…
The book was sitting on the floor next to the toilet. Yes, I know that may not be the best opening line. The title on the cover was purple and a delightful. This book had tattered edges with the pages turning a slight yellow. The book belonged to my older cousin, Yvonne, who was living with us while she attended college at St. Louis University. She was reading The Color Purple for an English class. It seemed that every time she picked up the book she couldn't put it down. Yet, this day she left it in our shared bathroom when she was rushing to go out with her friends. It was sitting there just waiting to be picked up... I skipped a few pages and then read the first line "DEAR GOD". I was now hooked! It was like picking up a diary that I wasn't allowed to read.
The words on the page resonated with me. You see the main character was 14 years old. Only 4 years older than me at the time. I kept reading and reading the lines and then when I got to that part where Celie is beat. The story was of a girl in her youth that had a number of tribulations that would kill many yet her resilience
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Imagine going to school daily until the age of 8 and guessing words when I read. There are memories of childhood bullies that made me feel less than but their words also served as motivation to learn. I have memories of being called stupid and dumb and being teased because I lacked the inability to comprehend certain phrases and words. Imagine being asked to read in Sunday and not being able to say any of the words. This was the first years of my reading journey. I would hide my frustration from my parents and they kept encouraging me to try but in some cases were trying hard to find the right process to help me read. My older brother would read The Little Golden Books to me and I would memorize the words on the page then recite them as if I was