BookJive

I’ve been a die-hard fan of Harry Potter series and have followed Harry’s life from Book 1 to Book 6. I’m now eagerly waiting for Book 7 — Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — to come out. I’ve been reading a lot of news about Harry Potter and I really feel sad knowing Book 7 will be the last. In this final book, Harry will finally kill Voldemort … but at what cost? I’ve been reading speculations that Harry will die in the end — maybe that’s why Book 7 was made to be the final book in the series. It’s impossible to have book 8 as Harry Potter and the Whatever without Harry Potter in the book, isn’t it?

I’ve been thinking lately about the value of reading. A great deal of the information that I am dealt in life comes because I have the ability to read. Reading can enlarge our imagination and awaken our mind to new ideas, people, and places. We have access to history’s most brilliant thinkers in the form of books and other written works. Take a look at these three facts that clearly illustrate the power of reading:

• 75% of unemployed adults have reading or writing difficulties.
• 60% of America’s inmates are illterate, and 85% of all juvenile offenders have problems with illiteracy.
• The per capita income in countries with a literacy rate less than 55 percent averages about $600.

Being able to read opens the doors to countless opportunities where anything is possible. If someone can read they can teach themselves, in essence, what the world has already discovered. They can become an expert on any field that interests them. Reading can empower people like no other activity.