"My grandma was the only one of her siblings who learned how to read"
Aurora on reading as a gift
“Literacy is a gift. My grandma was the only one of her siblings who learned how to read. She would explore worlds and get lost in a book, but her siblings never had the choice. She was the youngest in a family of sharecroppers and sent to school while her siblings stayed back to work. Reading was really important to her, and she encouraged it. Growing up, we would take turns reading the same book in the house. I would read, then pass the book to my brother. Then we would all talk about it. And everyone had their favorite books, you know. Some of my mine were the American Girl Series with Addie, a gift from my grandparents. It was a way to bond with family. And I think that bond carries, you know? I love talking about books with people. Like what are you reading and why do you like it? Reading is community. And, being able to absorb knowledge on your own time is power. Regardless what you read, it is power. There’s a thousand things to love about reading.”
People Read Books by Katie Garcia at Charlotte’s Silent Book Club hosted by That’s Novel Books. Photography by Tyree Trice. Mural by Maddyebbert.art.
