2000 Reasons America Should Read Homepage

Reasons America Should Read

To learn more about others in the world around me...and for simple entertainment as well.
Lou Kishkunas
Radio News Director
46
To learn new words.
Betsy Hambrick
I read to keep myself from feeling lonely. A good book is like a good friend -- always there to encourage and to challenge.
William B. Slonaker
I love to read exciting stories about far away places to my son Zachary.
Sandra G. Grouev
People leave me alone.
Tracy Jordan
Researcher, Educator, and Facilitator (3 jobs - yeow)
37
I read to escape into other worlds.
Mary Ann Cochran
Executive Director
35
My favorite reason to read is so that I can escape with my favorite characters and live many exciting lives.
Ali Meyer-Mageehon
Teacher
24
It's FUN!!
Brian Fox
Consultant
35
Reading soothes me when everything else goes wrong and lets me forget all those problems nagging me.
Virginia Allain
Librarian
51
When I learned to read, it was a new beginning. I began to find out what I had been missing and had shut up inside.
Lizzie Thomas
You can escape into another world while reading.
Chris Schellenberg
Librarian
53
Everyday when God wakes me to a new day, I read my Bible for wisdom, my e-mail to stay current, and other works for enjoyment of life.
Shirley Tillman
LVA Program Coordinator
53
I love to read for enlightenment, motivation, self-improvement, and self-knowledge.
Michelle Reaves
Education Program Manager
31
Reading feeds my imagination and reminds me I'm never too old to dream....
Carolyn Kingsnorth
Consultant
53
I read because I am enamoured of words and how they are used to tell stories that transport me to another time, another land, another person's life.
Pamela Bigelow
Information Technology Business Analyst
Reading lets me see and experience places and events that may only exist in someone else's mind.
Louis Ratcliffe
Systems Engineer
36
Reading, to me, is like being able to take a vacation to any destination I choose, anytime I want to go there. The pages are my roadmaps. Books are the portals to knowledge and the human imagination. How exciting is that?! The gateway to all this power and excitement is as close as my local library. I can visit places near or far, real or imagined. I can learn about foreign cultures and what people in Japan eat for breakfast. I can sail a ship, pilot a jet, or visit some far away planet. I read for many reasons and each one is fulfilling and gives me a better quality of life. Reading is a gift and a treasure that all parents should pass along to their children and others who have not been fortunate enough to learn the skill. The real question should be, why don't you read?
Rick Early
I/T Business Analyst for Dell Computer
37
I can't narrow this down to just one favorite reason. I read to relax, but also to set my imagination in motion. I read to learn, but also just to enjoy. For whatever the reason, I am very thankful for the ability and chance to read.
Patti Leifer
Librarian
I love to read and escape the real world by learning about the past, especially in early America.
Susan H. Smith
Librarian
53
My number one reason to read is for relaxation.
Janet M. Platte
Adult Literacy Program Coordinator
46
I read to have experiences and to go places I can never do in one lifetime. I read to meet people I can never meet. I read to go places I can never really visit.
Nancy Gould
Personnel Analyst
50
To escape.
Sallia Bandy
IT Manager
44
When I don't read while riding the exercise bike, I think I'm dead after three minutes. If I read--even if it isn't that interesting--I can go for a half hour.
Susan Zimmerman
LVA-- Richland County Coordinator
53
Reading with my children takes us on a special adventure. I get to learn about them and they get to learn about me. We love books!
Jennifer Davis
Curriculum & Training for Adult Education
33
Reading teaches me about the world. Writing teaches me about myself. Words between people offer an opportunity for connecting to one another.
Shannon Sackett
Student (Occupational Therapy)
22
There are so many reasons to read: to learn; for information; to gain knowledge; to progress on the path to wisdom; for entertainment; for distraction; to understand my world, my society, my culture, other points of view; to solve a problem; to share with others; to keep the past alive; to prepare for the future; to tap the wisdom of ancient sages; I read for all of these reasons. But my favorite reason to read is to nurture my soul.
Edward Morrow
Bookseller
62
Reading allows you to go anywhere and be anyone, all for the price of a book!
Patricia Johnston
Business Owner, LVA, Inc. Board of Directors
I read to learn. I read to relax and forget about what might have been a trying day or to make a good day better. I read to find out about our world and the many different people on it.
Randy Dautrich
LVA, Inc. Customer Service Associate
41
The brain, in order to remain a "well oiled" machine, needs to be used positively and the best way I know is to read. I also love to learn new words...what they mean and where they came from. Reading is the key!
Lawrence A. Serafini
LVA, Inc. Network Consultant/Administrator
51
I love to learn about everything so I love to read! I want my kids to be readers so we read as many books as they want every night before bedtime. Some nights bedtime takes a long time, but usually they fall asleep during a book.
Suzanne Seymour
LVA Liaison
33
There's nothing better than curling up with a cup of tea, a beagle, and a good book on a rainy day.
Karen Le Morvan
LVA, Inc. Managing Director of Marketing and Communications
I love reading because I enjoy the study of languages and words. I appreciate the images and messages that words can evoke and convey. The vistas that are open to the mind of a person who reads are endless, not only for the sake of learning but also for the sake of getting pleasure and enjoyment out of life. Reading opens the mind to new possibilities and endless potential.
Patricia Saddler
Administrative Assistant
42
To learn, to grow, to go places I can only go in my mind and to take my little children with me!!
Julie Myers
Administrative Director--Lit Council, Buncombe Cty.
34
My favorite reason for reading would have to be relaxation. I also enjoy the escape that reading allows, into the adventure taking place, or reading can open your mind and motivate you to succeed.
Melody Lawton
Office Manager
32
Reading new stories is like having a new adventure, taking me to new thoughts and different emotions. Old favorites are as familiar as best friends.
Elizabeth Skudder
Teacher
34
I read so that I have something to say/contribute.
Antonio Morales

LVA, Inc. Program Development Staff
A demanding career doesn't give me much of a chance to relax. Reading is a much-needed escape that can take me wherever I want to go.
Jessica DeCerce
Public Relations Officer, SUNY Morrisville
29
Reading can be about access. Those with access to certain information can exercise power, over themselves and others. To create a democratic society, access must be equal.
Kirk Baker
Nonprofit Director
33
Reading lets me travel to faraway places and "long ago" times for FREE with my library card.
Kathy Malone
Librarian
48
When I was a child I read so that I could visit mysterious and exciting places. As a teenager I loved to read love stories for the romance and adventure. Now as an adult I still love to read but, I find myself reading more and more for basically all of the same reasons that I did as a child. I still enjoy a scary and mysterious story. I still cry at a happy ending. And I still believe in fairy tales.
Nora Gonzales
Customer Service Rep I
37
I read to survive and function in this world. I find myself running into walls that require reading. I can't always particpate in normal activities that other people take for granted. I'm motivated to read by things that most other people take for granted.
Sam Santiago
Student Leader/Adult Learner
47
Reading takes me wherever I want to go, teaches me whatever I want to know, and is a completely portable activity!
Beverly Miller
Director of Community Relations & Development, Auburn Memorial Hospital
My favorite reason to read is to connect to other human beings all over the world and all though time. To know that I can crawl into the thinking space of Henry David Thoreau, Toni Morrison, Jack Higgins, Martha Grimes, Sue Townsend, or Charles Dickens at any moment I choose is the richest treasure I know.
Wynette Schwalm
Librarian
52
When reading I am able to travel on exciting adventures. I can visit another country or even another time; all with the turn of a page. Reading sets my imagination free.
Cheryl Thomas
Library Customer Service Representative
32
To quote Samuel Beckett: "A voice comes to you as in the dark and says "imagine." What a fabulous reason to read!
Lynn Radke
Manager
39
The places you can go, the things you can learn, with nothing more than a few pages and some time. It's wonderous.
Cyndi Schoenbrun
In addition to pure enjoyment, reading helps me to understand human nature which helps me to better understand myself.
Sheldon Solomon
Physician
60
My favorite reason to read is to gain knowledge, because knowledge is power!
Dana Steinheimer
CSR
34
Not to smoke. It is either 5 minutes of reading a book, or 5 minutes smoking a cigarette. Reading is healthier.
Michael Clark
There's no better way to learn than reading. It allows you to imagine and interact with the world through simple words.
LaVera J. White
I read to keep up with research and practice in the fields of adult education and training & development. This includes books, journals, newsletters, reports, conference proceedings, on-line sources, etc. I also love to read travel books of places I've been to in the world and places I'm planning on visiting or would like to visit someday.
Kevin Freer
Performance Technologist Consultant, LVA, Inc. Board of Directors
51
My Mom taught her six children to be curious about other people in faraway places. I read to "see the world" through my books.
Ann R. Chambers
ABE Coordinator
43
My favorite reason to read is my daughter Betsy. We read about fascinating characters and visit far away places every night!
Pam Krenzke
Coordinator, LVA/ABLE Columbus City Schools
40
As a young girl, I loved to read the Cherry Ames book series. Her adventures as a nurse in many different situations throughout the world opened the door to my imagination to dream about new places, to picture scenes and individuals as I believed they should be. Even today, as I read a book or story I try to envision mentally what a scene or person looks like. Reading is so much a part of my life, even my learning style is to visualize what I have read on a page for future reference. I guess it is fitting that my job is helping adults value reading and promoting lifelong learning.
Roberta Pawloski
Education Bureau Chief
51
I can escape to a different time, place, or planet, anytime I want. It's the ultimate high.
Anne Johnson
Executive Director, Georgia Center for the Book
I like to know things, whether for fun, business, or personal reasons; therefore, reading keeps me informed, entertained, and satisfies my consuming curiosity.
Jane Brody
Literacy Program Coordinator
48
It's a way to explore other countries, time periods, and societies . . . and it is relaxing.
Kaye Beall

LVA, Inc. Program Development Staff
I read because, as Richard Peck said, "One life is not enough and in the pages of a book, I can be anybody."
Patricia B. Carter
Librarian
Reading allows me to travel to the four corners of the world...at no charge! I can become involved in the lives of all kinds of people and laugh and cry with them. Reading takes me away from the pressures of my job...I read every day on my lunch hour! I LOVE TO READ!
Joyce M. Dowling
Purchasing
53
I read to learn or study, analyze or compare, entertain or just to escape from the world around me.
Rose Steiner
Adult Educator & former Teasurer of Adult Numeracy Network
Reading keeps your brain in shape!
Marie Albertson
Librarian
I read to be enlightened about my environment and the world and to attain the self-confidence to determine and pursue my lifelong aspirations.
Frank M. Jabati
Tutor, Adult Basic Education
52
The ability to read, write, and speak is the key to independence.
Susanna Chiu
Manager - Business Development
35
I like to read because it's interesting and I learn a lot.I learn what it's like to live in other place. I can dream about riding horses, swimming in lakes and the ocean, and I can dream of living in a mansion.
Retha Miller
Volunteer Foster Grandparent/Student
65
Conway Adult Education Center
I desire to read, to get my GED, and to learn to get my education. The education will also help me get a good job.
Frances Smith
Housewife/Student
69
Conway Adult Education Center
My reason for reading is to become perfect in knowledge. I came from a different country, so right now I am trying to get my GED and then I am going to college for computer science. It is hard for me to communicate with any person. I know the English language but my pronounciation and American people's pronounciation is a lot different so sometimes I can't understand what people are saying. So I am trying to build a platform of understanding and communicate with people.
Ketan Patel
Student
21
Conway Adult Education Center
Reading is a wonderful escape for me from the daily grind of life. It is the number one luxury I allow myself.
Claretta C. Anthony
Administrative Assistant
36

Volunteer
The most compelling reason to read is to help curtail bias and prejudice. A few years ago, every day on the bus to work, a gentleman I regularly saw would constantly twitch and jerk in his seat, and although I made every attempt NOT to stare, my attempts were obviously fruitless. One day, this individual handed me a brochure as I stood to exit the bus and I looked at it and across the top were the words, "All I Need to Know About Tourette's Syndrome" and it then became clear to me that he had this condition. I grasped a greater understanding of it and my awareness has been broadened. In this case, what reading has done for me is immeasurable as I am certain that thousands of sick and/or disabled persons get stared at every day because of a lack of understanding and awareness of their plight.
William Saunders

35
Books pull me into other worlds and other times. I see, hear, and feel adventures from the past, present, and future. It's great virtual reality.
Marsha Partlow
ABE State Director
52
Department of Labor
Reading keeps me in my "write" mind.
Anita Prince
Staff Development Coordinator
52
My favorite reason to read is to be a part of the web of human relationships and experience.
Susan Joyner
Director, Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center
Because it doesn't rot your brain like TV.
Gabriel Angelone
Student
21
As a child and young person reading was an escape from living in a rural community. I loved to go to the bookmobile. Now, through the years, I have always loved to read for myself and to my children. I also look forward to reading to my future grandchildren! Reading opens a wonderful world to everyone!
Ruth Ann Williams
Teacher
50
I enjoy reading because it is an escape from the everyday world to another time or place, like a fantasy world.
Siri Wintersteen
Coordinator, Indiana Reading Corps
26
My favorite reason to read is that it relaxes me like a hot bath, no matter where I am.
Rebecca Jayasundara
Volunteer Coordinator
30
Reading exposes me to new ideas and helps me to see the world as others see it.
Rose Brandt
Executive Director, Literacy Commission
53
Mayor's Commission on Literacy
I read to help me find my way... and then to get away. I travel a great deal and read many directions to help me find my way... and when things get hectic I read to escape through the written word.
James L. Abbott
Manager Education Programs, NAA Foundation
54
LVA, Inc. Board of Directors
LVA Volunteer
My favorite reason to read is to stay current with all the NASCAR racing news I can find.
Jim Cribbs
Educational Services Manager
50
Durham County Literacy Council
Reading allows me to journey to far away places, to experience the past and dream about the future, and to see the world through eyes other than my own.
Jill Armstrong
Stock Market Game Coordinator
50
It's a great way to learn something while lying down.
Ellen Doukoullos
Newspaper in Education Manager

LVA Maine
Volunteer
I read to change my mind.
Katie Morrow
Literacy Program Coordinator
43
Reading takes me to all the wonderful places in the world that I may never be able to visit in person, allows me to see through the eyes of many and to share the souls of a few.
Nancy Govoni
Manager, Newspaper in Education Program
Reading allows me to take a mystery journey to somewhere I have never been before without leaving my comfy sofa.
Barbara E. Stephens
I change a little bit every time I finish a book. I've loved, cried, laughed, hated. But most of all, I've learned, and that's fulfillment.
Amy Myers
Promotions Director
27
Reading allows me to experience the world without ever leaving my home. I can explore, learn, dream, and meet new challenges because I can read.
Jane Leingang
Volunteer
Reading allows me to travel to places, see beautiful sites, and meet interesting people... which I may never get an opportunity to do. It allows my mind to wander and be creative. It's one of the most relaxing things I do!
Kelly M. Sheehan
NIE Manager
37
In a world largely directed and controlled by nameless, impersonal entities, reading puts the individual back in control of his surroundings.
Paul Tackett
Newspapers In Education Coordinator
35
I love the connection to the past, present, and future readers.
Kate Knoble
NIE Coordinator/Volunteer
My favorite reason to read is to escape into another place and/or another time with new and exciting characters. Pleasure reading helps me to put a better perspective on my real life situations because I come out feeling relaxed and refreshed, ready to tackle my situation and better myself.
Angela Pherigo
Newspapers In Education Coordinator
33
Because my cat likes to sit with me while I'm reading.
Betty L. Sullivan
Business Owner
47
Not being able to read is like being blind. I want to see, and help others to be able to see.
Marvis Standfield
Teacher
61
I read because I can travel backwards and forwards in time, go anywhere in the universe and be anyone I wish, and never leave the comfort of my easy chair.
Diane Kannenberg
Newspaper In Education Consultant, Tutor
51
I read to renew my spirit. I also use reading as a ritual to remember my mother who used a stack of books as a nightstand.
Susan Jakaitis
Manager, LifeLong Learning Center for Adult Literacy
49
Vigo County Public Library, English as a Second Language Program
LVA Staff
Reading isolates me and centers me in the midst of a great deal of busy-ness in my life and at the same time it connects me to all the ideas and dreams and fantasies of all the beings in all the times of earth and beyond.
Barbara Qualls
Vice President, National Center for Family Literacy
My favorite reason to read is the power you can obtain. Whether you're reading a science book, a novel, or your Bible, the power you can obtain within those pages opens up endless windows of opportunity.
Marie Gregg
Literacy Coordinator, Faulkner County Literacy Council
22
I simply love to, and I can't go to sleep without it!
Judy Coleman
Education Services Manager, Literacy Advocacy Program (LAP)
59
My favorite reason to read is to relax. That can be to read fiction or non-fiction.
Shirlee Jones
Community Relations
50+
To escape.
Michelle Price
NIE coordinator
31
Reading is entertainment that doesn't contribute to noise pollution!
Alice Keller
English as a Second Language Teacher
55
To irk my husband who, heathen that he is, thinks that reading is a non-essential activity. I know better.
Sharon R. Martin
NIE Manager
47
Reading opens up the world. If you can read, the knowledge of the world is yours. The secret is to learn wisdom as you aquire knowledge.
Shirley W. Case
NIE Director
56
I have many reasons to read, but I think that the main reason is that when I read, I never feel alone or lonely.
Meg Sanders
NIE Coordinator
I read daily for information and pleasure. My favorite reason to read is to experience times, places, and events that I couldn't otherwise.
Frances Houser
Literacy Coordinator
50
Reading allows me to travel, meet new people, and live vicariously through others.
Sandy Buechler
Director of Youth and Volunteer Services
31
LVA, Inc. Board of Directors
LVA Volunteer
ESCAPE! I hide behind a book and a sandwich every day at noon.
Barbara Windmeyer
Educator
60+
Reasons to Read
Reading lets me escape into other times, places, and even other people's lives. Reading allows me to IMAGINE, DREAM, and DISCOVER.
Lisa White Smith
Educator
Soon to be 40
Literacy gives me two special gifts. It provides me with the ability to read information that can change my life, and it provides me with the ability to read something serious or funny, and laugh! I like the second reason the best!
Evelyn Renner
LVA Trainer
53
I love to read because it helps me to be a better writer, opens doors, provides new vistas, and is very relaxing.
Zee Cline
Even Start Director
40
Because reading produces the best pictures and takes you places you always thought you knew, but never really went to before.
Margaret J. Kaplow
Educational Services Manager, The Washington Post
44
The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program
I read to keep my brain cells active and healthy and because I love to be transported to another world!
Susan Diamond
Newspaper in Education Manager
Books are like fresh air. They let me breathe.
Susan Marchant
Director, Kansas Center for the Book
53
I love to read because it take me to places and times in the past, present, and future I would never know. I can share in incredible human experiences of famous and every day people and go beyond myself.
Louise Villejo
Health educator
Over 40
I love to read because reading allows me to better understand the experiences of others and myself. Reading provides information, relaxation, and inspiration. I love to read.
Sharon M. Taylor
Reading specialist/instructor of English
Relax Education Action Success Overcome Now Strength Travel Opportunity Replenish Experience Ability Dream
Sandy Riesberg
Tutor Program Coordinator
47
My reason for reading is enlightenment because the world would be so dull and dark without the ability to read and understand information.
Sue Quinn
Educator
59
Reading takes me away from my many home and work responsibilities. I can escape the stress and worries of my life for a brief time.
Laura Bercovitz
Projects Manager in Educational Resources
49
To feel a connection with things beyond my own world
Lucy White
Marketing
43
I read to expand my everyday world, to travel to places I can't reach in any other way, to experience the real and the imagined, to meet people who are separated from me by time or distance, and for the pleasure and wonder of it all.
Frannie Ashburn
Director, North Carolina Center for the Book
I read to relax and forget the problems of the day and travel to various ports of call. One of my greatest joys is reading to my grandsons. They actually memorized their favorite books and they delight in correcting me when I miss a word.
Cathy Jenkins
Director of Accounting
Over 21
LVA, Inc. Staff
Reading makes a complete person.
Mel A. Clancy
Administrator
50
Omaha Reads
I enjoy reading because it helps me learn. Without reading there could be no learning.
Jessica Miller
student
13
Reading expands your mind. It helps you learn things that you might not already know. It gets you out of the box, in a way of saying it. Without reading, everyone's life would be centered around the television and computer, with no center for learning. It also improves your vocabulary a great deal, and by reading you learn how to spell and punctuate better.
Courtney Tait Shimer
Student
13
You can take part in knowing what's happening in the world around you by reading the newspaper.
Kat

12
I love to read because it enables me to visit worlds, both real and imaginary, that I have never been to before. Reading also exposes me to ideas that other people have and forces me to evaluate my own. In other words, reading sets me on roads to discovery which can lead anywhere.
Catherine Mitch
Director of Field Services, LVA-New Jersey
I love to read because I learn so much about people, places and things. Knowledge IS the key to life and happiness!
Dee Reed
Head of Adult Services/ Literacy Recruiter
47
Southwestern Illinois College's Project Read
I love to read because I can picture stories in my mind and so that my children see how much enjoyment there is in reading.
Shannon Austin
AmeriCorps Volunteer and Literacy Specialist
31
Books are super-dee-dupery-good because they have such good parts to them. "Harry Potter" books are my mom's and my favorite series right now. I told my dad that he couldn't read the next chapter of "Prisoner of Azkaban" to me because the story was getting so exciting and mommy wouldn't want to miss it.
Andrew McSparron
Kindergarten Student
6
Reading is a fun, mind stretching, relaxing pastime.
Janet Cummings
To explore, to be challenged, to learn, to relax, to escape, to laugh, to cry, to discuss books, authors, and ideas with my daughter, extended family, friends, and others, to keep growing....
Donna Phillips Ryan
Educator/Facilitator
My favorite reason to read is that I have been able to take a virtual tour of any place or time period (existing or imagined) since age 4 without a computer and I can go slowly that way and take time to smell the pages!
Alex Pacific
Adult Education Teacher
33
Opens new worlds, stimulates my imagination, and takes me to places I would never know.
Gail Dyer
LVA Coordinator, LVA Greater Augusta-Maine
Reading transforms me. Through books I walk in another's shoes, feel another's feelings, think another's thoughts. Reading tears away my blinders.
Jeanette Baldridge
Teacher, LVA Volunteer
To live the human experience of others.
Connie Dickson
Director of LVA Waubonsee Community College
58
I read, I learn, I change.
Kathy Norden
Literacy Coordinator
My favorite reason for reading is: Reading enables me to use the power and knowledge that I gain intelligently and allows me to take charge of my own life and other's learning processes.
Rheji E. Jones
VISTA Volunteer Coordinator
40
Bedtime stories. Magical events where one can capture and enjoy the prolonged attention and close affection of a child while teaching a valuable lifelong skill.
Kimberley Stine

37
There are so many reasons, but first of all I've always loved to read biographies, to be inspired by the lives of others, to understand who people really are, and "what makes people tick," so to speak. I am fascinated with both the tragedy and the comedy of being a human being. People are amazing and so varied in all our various ideas, motivations, personalities, and predicaments in life.
Laurel Lindewall
VISTA working for Ulster Literacy Association
38
It would be far easier to account for the time in any given day when I am not reading because I am in the shower, or have my eyes on the road while I'm driving, or while I'm walking my three dogs. Otherwise, my life is reading. My passion is reading. My passion, addiction, compulsion, and joy are reading.
Nora Licht
Program Coordinator
29 plus
Ulster Literacy Association
I read because I love it - I can never be bored, and I will put anything off if I have a good book!
Sue Esterman
Information Centre Director
Reading takes me to other worlds and places, it introduces me to different people, it allows me to experience adventures and finally, lets me be someone I am not. For a while at least.
J Anderton
Teacher Librarian
32
While I read mostly to relax, it constantly makes me realize how lucky I am in so many ways!!!!
Chris Storrie
Librarian
45
Reading takes me worlds away/Where superhighways never reach/Through hearts and minds and souls and space/To laugh and cry and love and reach
Bill Siddells
Library Manager
49
Reading keeps my head occupied even when my body wants to lie low. I love it; it is addictive in the nicest way.
Marie-Luise Berryman
Reading takes me to new worlds, sometimes on this earth and sometimes far beyond.
Bini Szacsvay
Teacher
40
Reading an exciting story aloud on long car trips gives our busy family a way to share a common goal-what will happen next?!
Angie Swisher
Family Literacy Educator
43
Monongalia County LVA
The reason I read is because every author sees what I see, but in a totally different way. I like to see things - like family, love, work, life - from a new perspective.
Rachel R. Baum
Librarian
44
It's fun, it's free, and it's not fattening!
Tracy Carman
LVA, Inc. Communications Specialist
37
Reading takes my mind where my body may never go.
Ginger Richardson
Newspaper in Education Coordinator
Reading opens the world; it allows me to meet new people and to visit places I have never actually seen. Reading takes you to far away places, and to places deep within yourself. The journey is richer when you can read.
Margaret Pfaff
Executive Director, LVA Dutchess County, NY
Reading allows you to look inside other people - to learn how they think and feel. It makes you a more empathetic person.
Becky Wright
Newspaper In Education Director
34
To stay up-to-date in my field.
Judy H. Broussard
Literacy Coordinator, Newspapers In Education Program
53
My very favorite reason to read is to be with my 7-year-old neighbor and friend Alexandra under a warm snuggly blanket reading Animal Tales!
Mary Bartlett
LVA, Inc. Program Development Director
Old enough to know better, young enough not to care
My favorite reason to read is to broaden my world view. I read to live.
Robbin Sorensen
Chair, National Coalition for Literacy
46
My favorite reason to read is to learn about others. I love history and political science, sociology, psychology, biography. They all help me to comprehend life today.
Charlotte A.Bell
Literacy Volunteer, Former Teacher

Ulster Literacy Association
When I'm feeling lonely, reading connects me to people from many times and places, and I no longer feel alone.
Sandy Boehmler
LVA-Missoula Program Coordinator
45
I like to read because books can take you to places you might not be able to visit. Reading also lets you learn new things.
Amy Betz
Curriculum Specialist
40
To expand my personal horizons and those of my children; to open our eyes to the wonder and beauty of the world and to the creativity and power of the fertile imagination.
M. Shan Atkins
Executive VP, Sears, Roebuck & Co.

LVA, Inc. Board of Directors/LVA Volunteer
To take me to another place where my problems and heartaches don't exist and someone else solves the ones that do.
Rosemary Clarke
Teacher/Librarian
54
Reading takes me to wonderful places and introduces me to a plethora of interesting people. Without books I wouldn't be able to be "well-travelled" and have so many fictitious friends. I would truly be lost without my books!
Erica Stopczynski
Ulster Literacy Association Volunteer
40
When we read a book we visit new places. We live other lives through the characters and learn from their experiences. The more characters we get to know the better we understand where the people we meet are coming from. We can see things from a different point of view, or find that we are not the only person who thinks a certain way. The more you read the stronger your voice is.
Colleen Sims
Teacher - Librarian
24
I LOVE to read because my little boy wants to sit in my lap and read. The longer the book the better! It's always the best few minutes of my day....we're creating a special memory for life!
Kristi Stephenson
Housewife
27
Reading allows me to explore other worlds and ideas; it makes me laugh and cry and wonder.
Mary McGuire
Teacher
43
I like to read because it is an enjoyable pastime, and I read the paper each morning to update myself on what's going on in my community and the world.
Gay Garvin
Accounting Clerk
39
I grew up in a small Nebraska town, so reading became a way for me to learn about the world. Reading takes me out of my self and my surroundings, and places me in different time periods and places. I love to see how much people still have in common with each other, no matter where or when they were born.
David Whitaker
LVA Liaison
I love to read with my children because it takes us on a daily adventure together and gives us time to learn, love, and share!
Jody L. Angelone
Adult Basic & Literacy Education Director
31
Project Read
Reading a good book is like escaping into a really good movie where I can watch closely from the sidelines. But reading is better than watching a movie because words are more expressive than actions.
Peggy Wildey
Newspapers In Education
50
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Through reading I have visited, become, and learned about more people, places, and things than I ever would have had the opportunity to otherwise.
Lis Trottier
Newspaper in Education Coordinator
29
I read because it is my way to relax and because the people I meet in novels help me understand myself and others.
Jean Stephens
LVA, Inc. Program Development Staff
Read because a book is there,
right beside a comfy chair.
Turn on a light,
let down your hair,
books can take you everywhere!
Joyce Whidden
Literacy Program Manager
48
Adult Literacy League, Inc.
LVA Staff
My uncle, an educator, read to me each day from birth and I began to read solo by age 3. By age 4, I began to realize that I was learning something new with each incident of reading. From that day on, I read daily so that I can increase my knowledge and understanding of this world I have been placed in.
Phyllis F. Wyne
Family Literacy Program Manager
50
Literacy Council of Central Alabama
LVA Volunteer
Reading opens the door to the past and all those who are remembered through their writings.
Fran Tracy-Mumford
Adult Education
50+
LVA, Inc. Board of Directors
I read because I love to see the way others string words together, and to relax.
Lee Fairbend
Executive Director, Children's Literacy Enhancement Program
58
I read for knowledge, and to transport me to worlds that I'll never be able to reach.
Judith Diamond
Educational Consultant
There are many reasons to read. My favorite reason is that reading for me is a way to experience and discover worlds I never knew existed. It is an adventurous learning experience.
Rita L. Roberts
GED Instructor
52
I read to know people I've never met and to visit places I've never been. And there are more other reasons than I can begin to list.
Olga Hughes
Retired Museum Director and Cook
Reading has made me who I am. Through reading I learn, understand, and am empowered through knowledge to contribute.
Stan Skrzeszewski
Librarian/Consultant
53
Each day, I am stuck in a small office for three overly-long meetings, 18 phone calls, and lots of writing. Reading makes my office bigger.
Noel Hankin
VP Marketing/Corporate Affairs, Shieffelin & Somerset
If you don't know how to read you can't find out what's going on, like in the newspapers. Another thing, especially for people who don't have good spelling, reading a lot can help you. To know how to read is really important to everybody in this world. If you can read you can live a better life and you can be a good help for your kids and a lot of people in this world. If you don't know how to read, don't worry about it. If you try, if you do your best you're going to learn and be proud of yourself for every little thing that you have done. If you don't know how to read try your best and remember this little note that I wrote with so much love for you.
Blanca Ruth
Student
19
I like to read because it helps me learn to read and write and spell my words right so I don't have to ask anyone to help me out.
Tom
Truckdriver
49
I like to read because it helps me with my spelling, with jobs, helping my kids, leaning new words, and helping others to learn to read because that's what it's all about. And that makes me feel good inside, that I help others. That's what's so good about knowing how to read.
Tammy McConnachie
Mother
40
I like to read to learn, especially non-fiction to learn how things work, how to make things, and how foods affect me.
Leslie F. Enoch
Teacher
52
I read because reading feeds my soul.
Becky Betz
Nonprofit Director
50
My mother, an avid reader, reared me in rural Mississippi on love and books. Her love of reading and always having a book in her hands made that seem a natural way for everyone to be!
Robbye M. Magee
Executive Director
56
LVA Literacy Council of Bowie & Miller Counties, Inc.
Reading takes you out of yourself. It helps you look at the rest of the world. Your small world opens up to reveal another world and all that it has to offer.
Betty Jimmo
Retired, LVA Volunteer
I read to escape the dailies of life.
Becky Olsen
Administrator/Teacher
52
LVA Campbell Co. Public Library
Take me away Calgon...I read to escape the stress from every day living. I read to enter into a world of fantasy where I can go anywhere and be anyone I want to. I read to learn, which is a lifelong quest for me. I read because I have always read.
Diane Yarnell
Adult Educator
48
Reading lets me travel to exotic places, learn new things, experience new tastes, make new friends, share with a child - all in the same afternoon.
Mandy Pittman
NIE Coordinator
44
I enjoy reading to learn things, especially information I can use, such as a new recipe, new approach in teaching, a remedy for insects on my flowers, magazines that bring new horizons into my bedroom, as well as a favorite book.
Mary Jarvis
Researcher/Instructor
65
My reason for reading is to get information, very little pleasure in reading. Love to be read to. Thank you for asking.
Pat Blackwell
I like to read because you can learn a lot in a book.
Brian Allen
Excavating
19
One of the highlights of my job is the work I do managing a local literacy tutorial program called Time to Read. The students who participate are in junior high school. My favorite reason to read is inspired by the transformation I've seen in the students, as they become better readers. The reading experience has truly introduced them to new worlds, ideas, and awareness that they probably could have not gotten anywhere else. Reading helps to transform you into the person you are going to become.
Allan Solis
Community Relations Coordinator
32
My favorite reason to read is to relax and experience a great adventure!
Evelyn Olivera
Manager, Community Relations
38
I like to read to discover new ways of looking at life and the world. Reading introduces me to perspectives I might not otherwise encounter.
Lesha Ewers
ABE/GED Instructor
35
My favorite reason to read is because of the emotions you can feel. A book can make you laugh out loud or cry like a baby. It can make you hold your breath in anticipation or check under the bed for monsters. The power of reading is felt in the heart and the soul as well as the mind, and I have yet to find a bigger high than to read!
Michelle Swain
Librarian
31
To escape from the moment, stop time in my head and enjoy putting myself in the action of a great story, or learn about something I had no idea I wanted to know about until I read about it. Reading is the thing that keeps me sane...I hope!!!!
Nick Fleury
Technology Consultant (Computers)
38
I read because I can't stop myself! When a book is not available, I read whatever is. Also, it's not illegal, immoral, or fattening!
Rowena Olsen
Librarian
62
I love curling up with a good book. Reading is a wonderful way to relax after a long day.
Gladys Groves
ABE Director
I read to relax.
Susan Applegate
Director, Adult Education Center
48
I read because it is fun! As a little girl my mom took me to the library, so I could check out books on my own library card. As an adult I still enjoy going to the library and checking out books on my own card.
Luanne Webb
Graduate Student
I learned to read by imitating the sounds I heard while my father sang Sunday hymns. Having figured out the connection of symbols to words, I practiced on my own so that I knew how to read before entering school. My children began the same way and were also good readers. We learned to own our reading skills and continue to reap the joys of our labors along with the pleasures, vicarious experiences, and knowledge we gathered along the way.
Susan Regan
Director of Learning Skills Center
55
Reading allows me to gain a variety of knowledge that I would otherwise not have access to. I have been an avid reader since I was very young. Reading has been the center point of my lifelong educational process. Many things I know today were actually learned from reading when I was very young.
Sue Grosdidier
School-to-Careers Director
38
Reading helps me wind down at the end of a long day. It just feels wonderful, like being wrapped in a warm, fuzzy blanket!
Mary Austin
Librarian
40
Now that I am reading more, I learn and understand things better.
Donna Young
Store Clerk & Lifelong Learner

Sumner Adult Education
Reading expands the lens with which I see the world. I love to read others points of view.
Diane Plourde
Family Literacy Teacher

Sumner Adult Education
My love of reading is enhanced by the changes I see the reading experience bring to the lives of others. As an adult education coordinator, it is euphoric to see the adult learners in this program desire to study diligently to achieve educational goals, read to their children, acquire a library card, develop creative writing skills, and thirst for more knowledge because this door has been opened.
Anne Poe
Adult Education Coordinator
I have begun enjoying all the books that I missed when I was a youngster. I enjoy reading books that my children recommend . My 14-year-old recommended "The Car" by Gary Paulsen. My 10-year-old recommended "Harry Potter"; he has read all of them. My 7-year-old writes her own stories and I read those. It is a great way to be in touch with my children. I enjoy the escape.
Allison Pinkham
Adult Education Program Assistant, Mother, & Lifelong Learner
33
Sumner Adult Education
My favorite reason to read is for entertainment.
Ruth Cox
Librarian
56
My favorite reason to read is to find out "Who done it?" I love a good mystery.
Joni Clark
Literacy Program Director
43
Heartland Literacy Program
I love to read to learn and relax. I can lose myself in a good book anytime. I have found the more I read the more I learn and enjoy reading. I just wish more of our children would read as it would make their school work go so much faster and would be a great way to have fun and learn at the same time. Let's stamp out illiteracy, read to ourselves, a grandchild, a person who can no longer see to read or just read to someone so you can both enjoy a good book.
Mary Ehret Cook
Librarian
56
To learn about other people's lives, thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
Nancy Chapin
Director, LVA-Roanoke Valley
41
I read to relax and unwind at the end of the day!
Carole Byram
K-12 Library Media Specialist
53
America should read because it helps you learn, it's interesting, and it's fun.
Kyle
Student
10
To learn something new and to be entertained. I realize that is two but I like mystery and fantasy in fiction and a lot of non-fiction.
Joan Hughes
Librarian
53
I love to read to gain knowledge. Books can transport your mind in a way that no other media can.
Julie Herd
Housewife and Painter
45
I read to gain knowledge in areas where I know I need improvement. But more important than my favorite reason that I like to read is the pleasure I gain from helping others learn how to read.
Debbie D. Garcia
Executive Director
36
My favorite reason to read is that when I open a book and start reading the book comes alive with the authors' ideas and words that challenge my thoughts. I am amazed at the way the author's words come alive with action. Reading has opened up a new world of knowledge and comprehension. I learn how to read better by using books on tape. But I also read them sometimes by following along with the words. I have read many books on learning disabilities and psychology. I have read books like "War of the Worlds" and "The Time Machine" by Herbert George Wells, and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain and many other classics. So far over the past 10 years I have read many books and articles that I would never have attempted before. But look at me now. I look forward to reading everything that I am interested in and I finish reading the entire story. I feel that reading has built up my self-worth.
Harry I. Seda
Retired Maintenance Engineer
55
LVA Middletown, New York
LVA Student
Compulsion? Dad said he's glad they don't put words on toilet paper rolls because I would probably read the whole roll - there's only one bathroom! He's got a point, I usually finish a book once I start it without putting it down. It's his fault. I got my love of reading from him and his mother and my Mom. I had shelves full of books as a child. Was read to from them and often read them instead of dusting the shelves they were on when I was supposed to be cleaning my room! I love to read because it allows me to make wiser and more informed choices in life, from reading such basic things as food labels or directional signs to reading articles, magazines, newspapers, books, and especially my Bible.
Fransiska Durant
The reason I read is for enjoyment, relaxation, and ultimately self-improvement.
Tony Peyton
Policy Specialist, National Center for Family Literacy
30
I breathe to live; I read to survive.
Karen S. Brown
Library Assistant
57
Reading brings a whole world of experiences, ideas, and pleasures to my fingertips.
Jan Lee
Librarian and Professor
57
Reading both entertains and instructs; it excites and it calms. It explores new ideas as well as reinforces traditional beliefs. It the same thing for all of us but something different for each of us; it suits our needs.
Barbara Durst
Teacher
50
America should read to erase the misconceptions and ignorance enveloping real life experience, and replace them with limitless hopes and dreams of what might be.
Jean Hanslin
Instructional Coordinator
Reading is empowerment. Besides allowing for understanding and communication, it permits one to go places he/she otherwise may not go.
Kimberly Perl
Director, LVA-Wyoming County, Inc.
29
America should read because if you were driving a car on a busy street and you came upon a stop sign and a police car was around, you wouldn't know what the sign said and you would probably just drive past it. The police car would stop you.
Shannon
Student
10
Reading allows me to travel all over the world, learn new things every day, and make new friends without ever leaving my home.
Mary Bailey
Librarian
47
Because you should!
Andrea L. Richardson
Assistant Development Director
31
Reading, to me, is like breathing. It is the single most important skill one can acquire. Opportunities abound for those who can read.
Maryanne P. Heath
Registered Nurse
42
I enjoy reading because it is relaxing and fun to do. I can escape into a different world and forget the long work day, with just a book in my hands. I love stories of adventure and of places far away so I can also learn of more lands. I have loved reading since I was a very small child.
Pat Mills
Program Coordinator, LVA-Connecticut River East
45
My motivation to read is usually to give my feet a rest and relax. :)
Ginny Bubak
Physical Therapist
38
I read to learn. The world I touch and see is tiny. The world I know by reading is vast and unlimited.
Sharon Koenen
Associate Dean, Moraine Park Technical College
52
Reading allows me to use the Internet and e-mail to communicate with students and colleagues around the world!
Barry Bakin
ESL Teacher
41
Oh the trips I've enjoyed, the other lives I had a chance to peek into, the great characters I've met, the fairy and folk tales that I would never otherwise know. . . and on and on!
Nancy Kavanaugh
Executive Director, National Storytelling Network
I can read about stories of the past or of the present. I can travel far or near from my armchair and discover new places and experience similar feelings that the main characters are experiencing. As I read the events begin to unfold and I can't wait for the outcome of the story.
Cruz Alvarado
Coordinator, Artesia Literacy Council
Generally speaking reading is a planning process that educates readers. During reading you are not getting the facts only, it also challenges your thoughts. Reading and writing are interrelated; the more you read, the better you will write. I have always enjoyed reading. My elementary school teacher who was an excellent interpreter, inspired me to read a lot. That is what I did, especially in high school. I read because of many reasons: studying, to improve my writing skills, to improve speaking, to know more than was required for our high school program, and for pleasure. I am delighted to read poetry and classical literature. My favorite writers are E. Hemingway, Herman Hesse, Stendhal, Puskin, W. Faulkner, Tolstoy, etc. While reading classical novels I can imagine how life was long ago. I cannot say that I am a romanticist, but sometimes like a bird freed from a net I "fly" through the imaginary world. In my leisure time, I read short English novels with pleasure. In spite of all the difficulties, it is a pleasant challenge for me.
Tana Duancic
Russian and Croatian Teacher in former Yugoslavia, ESOL Student at LVA/Centenary College Program
Reading is one of the best hobbies in my life. It not only fills a part of my free time but also teaches me many different things. We can increase our knowledge about everything by reading. After coming to the U.S.A. almost four years ago, reading has become the most important role in my life. Actually, with reading, I improved my English language. I try to read anything I can get my hands on. I remember in my first year in the U.S.A. I became pregnant. I did not know anything about pregnancy care and nobody in my family was here to help me. I got information by reading different books and magazines. I spent my pregnancy period successfully by myself. After my delivery I kept on reading about child care so I was able to take care of my own child. I hope to become professional in the reading of English someday, then I can read any of my favorite books.
Nadereh
Dentist from Tehran, Iran, ESOL Student at LVA/Centenary College Program
Reading feeds my soul, heals my heart, and gives my spirit wings.
Kim Lafferty
Librarian
44
Reading is magical.
Ari Lafferty Cohen

8
I read to satisfy my curiosity about people and places in the world. Reading lets me travel everywhere. In my mind's eye, I still see the wonderful school library in Manila, Phillipines, where I first really understood the independence we get from reading.
Susan Cowles
Instructor, Linn-Benton Community College
Many of us reveal ourselves more openly through the written word; reading, then, allows us all to experience deeply and honestly the human heart.
Sharon Hastings
Literacy Instructor (library based)
35
Stress reduction. When I need to escape but don't have time or money. For an impromptu cheap vacation. Oh, and stress reduction.
Kim Andrew
Lower Columbia College ABE/ESL Coordinator, Families that Work
My favorite reason to read is to keep my mind from turning to mush.
Timothy Haft
Editor
39
�The� - while not a big word, or necessarily a meaningful word, it was a word that escaped my comprehension the first few times I got to bring the �big kid's book� home from school. I couldn�t sound it out, it just didn�t seem to make any sense. And what did it mean? No one could seem to answer that either. So I skipped it. �Jack and Jill climbed up ___hill.� But then one day it just seemed to click, and with it a world of excitement and adventure, romance, and mystery fell into my lap. Ever since then I have loved to read. As a child, my mom would take me to the public library once a week. Once there I could choose my literary friends, those who would take me on an adventure, teach me new things, make me laugh, even make me cry. I love to read because for a brief moment I am able to experience someone else�s vision, either in reality or fantasy and the differences and distances between all of us get just a little bit smaller.
Kelly Kubiak
Marketing Coordinator
27
Learning to read changes peoples lives. Doors open and they feel empowered to seek a higher education. It is rewarding and life-changing to read.
Beverlee Koutny
Educator, LVA Tutor, LV Chemeketa C.C.
69
Reading gives us the power to explore and learn about anyone, anywhere, or anything.
Robin Pence
Head Start Preschool Teacher/Literacy Coordinator
27
"Fiction reveals the truths that reality obscures" and I have had most of my epiphanies while reading.
Deborah Robins
Teacher-Librarian
40
Reading is a gift of peace. It consoles in times of uncertainty. It strengthens us in times of weakness.
Meta Potts
Reading is the key to learning. Learning keeps me humble. Reading is a way to feel compassion for others. Reading connects people to others.
Sandy Riesberg
America Reads VISTA
47
Reading with my daughter enhances not only her imagination, but the closeness of our family. Reading for myself is a journey to places only known in the beauty of my dreams.
Debra Klemm
Office Coordinator, LVA - Pitt County
32
Because reading enables me to always be learning and when I am learning I am engaged in life!
Shelley Quezada
Librarian
55
I read to create a broader base of information. Information is the key that opens many doors.
Kathy Redman
Program Specialist
57
From wherever I am reading I can travel, see how the future can change, know that people can change, know that I can change my future, and have hope.
Celia Wagner
Teacher
32
To be on a fantastic voyage or at an exhilerating lecture or on a peerless adventure without ever leaving my living room.
Scott Anderson
College Counselor
28
To continue to enjoy a life-long education through literacy.
Kimberly Ann Dunay
College Student, LVA Volunteer, LV of Middlesex
25
To expand my intellectual horizons.
Carol Ann Dunay
Homemaker
49
To escape, to dream, to question, and to learn!
Pat Harness
Program Assistant, Reading Connections, Inc.
57
Reading transports me to places, cultures, and times so that all man has experienced on Earth is mine for the reading.
Linda Aumick
Reference Librarian/Supervisor, LVA Volunteer, LVA-Middletown
53
My main reason for reading is to gain information.
Jacquelyn Smith
Teacher
57
My favorite reason to read. Ever been on the subway in New York City at 1:00 a.m.? Look around you. Picture it. Now, open your copy of Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut. You are suddenly on the planet Tralfamadore with Montana Wildhack. Is that cool or what?
Rick Lawton
LVA, Inc. Board of Directors
Reading lets me travel to all sorts of places and to have vicarious experiences in my mind.
Sandra Pfefferkorn
English teacher
60
I can't help it! (I'm addicted.)
Pat Rase

LVA-Mohawk/Hudson, Inc.
Reading gives you insight to human nature, and an idea of how culture and experience influences the thought process. To understand where a person's thoughts come from or how they were formed is a powerful thing.
Peg Coker
Director, LVA-Fox Valley
46
To escape to a variety of worlds.
Susan O'Leary
Teacher/Librarian
40
It takes me places I can never physically go.
Elva Stoufer
Retired Nurse
62
I like to read for information. It would be hard to get by if you couldn't read. It helps the mind to be sharper.
Lisa Stoufer
Reading is the only way I know to be in two places at the same time. In these crazy stressful times we live in, by reading we can safely escape in our mind, yet remain in our world. We need only choose the place or circumstance by selection from the shelf.
Judy Melita
Accounts Analyst
54
As a child whose family immigrated to this country and whose first language was not English, books enable me to learn about this country's culture as well that of my parents...I'm still learning.
Norma Marti
Mom, Student, Researcher
47
Reading affords me the freedom to move beyond unpleasant situations (even temporary release is better than none) and explore new worlds.
Joan McCoo
Middle School Teacher
41
When you read a book, you learn about the intimate details of past and present historical figures, celebrities, and others who can touch your life in some profound ways.
Michelle Reaves
Education Program Manager
Reading allows me to experience places and ideas I am unfamiliar with. I learn more about the world and other people by reading and sharing my knowledge with others.
Peter F. Lutz
Business Analyst, LVA Tutor
I read to slip into someone else's skin and feel what life is like through his or her eyes. I read to travel, to pray, to hoot at life, and learn stuff some people don't want me to know.
Jane M. Hugo
Teacher

Laubach Literacy Action
I am never bored with a good book.
Linda Burns
Job Placement Counselor, Fulton County Literacy
54
I feel that when I read I obtain knowledge about something that I may or may have not known or remember, yet my one and only reason for reading is just this: I feel that if I read and my children/others (public) see me read they will in turn wish to know so deeply why it is that I am smiling as I read, or perhaps why I am crying, or just wish to know what it is that has caught my attention for such a length of time, that they in turn will ask me to read to them or go pick up a book and read themselves. There is so much to learn from reading, even if it is a simple romance, one can learn more of themselves than one thought truly possible.
Michelle Hebert
Medical Records Clerk/Out Pt. SDS AMB.
33
My favorite reason to read is that some of my best friends have always been characters in books.
Pam Pellegrene
Public Relations Professional
46
I can imagine . . . living another life, visiting faraway lands and capturing all the wonder in this world . . . just with the turn of a page.
Lisa Reidy
Reading moves me spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually in ways that nothing else does. Reading connects me to a world of ideas that otherwise I'd never encounter.
Cindi Riley
Assistant Director, Literacy Volunteers of the Lowcountry
42
Reading for information and inspiration is a pleasure for me.
Charlene Puryear
Retired
53
We need to read to learn about ourselves.
Joo-Soo Kim
Teacher
30
To take you to new experiences.
C. E.

LVA Student, Reading Program - Santa Clara County
Spending time with myself.
Tammie Nickle

LVA Student, Reading Program - Santa Clara County
Reading is good to expand your mind.
V. W.

LVA Student, Reading Program - Santa Clara County
I allow my imagination to run wild. My imagination allows me to be there almost as one of the characters.
Leah Clary

LVA Student, Reading Program - Santa Clara County
Cause I'm bored.
Anonymous

LVA Student, Reading Program - Santa Clara County
I like fiction books like vampire or ghosts or mummy books. My favorite writer is Ann Rice.
Anonymous

LVA Student, Reading Program - Santa Clara County
To keep my brain healthy.
Anonymous

LVA Student, Reading Program - Santa Clara County
To stimulate the brain, learn different things.
Anonymous

LVA Student, Reading Program - Santa Clara County
To make our brains more knowledgeable. To become smarter and read of our interests to pass the time.
Anonymous

LVA Student, Reading Program - Santa Clara County
To exercise the mind.
M. B.

LVA Student, Reading Program - Santa Clara County
Reading opens the doors of better opportunities.
Jennifer Lumidao

LVA Student, Reading Program - Santa Clara County
Knowledge.
Valerie Martinez

LVA Student, Reading Program - Santa Clara County
Learning about something.
Victoria B.

LVA Student, Reading Program - Santa Clara County
It builds the vocabulary and the imagination.
Stacy

LVA Student, Reading Program - Santa Clara County
Reading gives me a sense of freedom to be anyone and go anywhere the author takes me.
Pamela Phelps
Executive Assistant
26
I love to read for self-improvement and self-development.
Corrie Hines
College Student
19
My favorite reason to read is to understand. To understand is to appreciate and to appreciate is to respect. Respect means affection and harmony. What the world needs is more reading!
Patty Pratz
Coordinator, System for Student Success
48
It allows me to use my imagination.
Connie Nimms
LVA Volunteer Tutor, Dallas Reads
It helps me to understand more.
Soontare Chanchaisri
LVA Student, Dallas Reads
Reading allows me to travel anywhere.
Stephen Harper
Coordinator, Educational Services, Dallas Reads
62
My reason to read is for enjoyment and to enlarge my knowledge of the world.
Bill Merritt
Teacher
52
I like to read because I learn, and because reading can stimulate all of my senses and emotions like no other one-on-one medium.
Mark A. Evans
Teacher
36
Garfield is my favorite book in the whole wide world because he is so funny and my favorite character is Odie because he is always messing up which gives Garfield plans whch makes it funny so there's my reason. I LOVE GARFIELD!!
Alice Laing-Kyle
Student
10
Reading enables me to become anyone that I want, go to space or battlefields in 1900, and to watch the trials and tribulations of others.
Holly Adams
Assistant Director Programs/Services American Red Cross
24
I learned to read so I could read to learn! And, I can gain this knowledge with or without college!
John Louis Celani
Retired Educational Administrator, LVA Volunteer
64
LVA in Burlington County
Reading transports me to places and times I could never otherwise visit. It is a travel guide for my imagination.
Sally Ann Love
LVA Affiliate Project Coordinator

LVA in Burlington County, New Jersey
Reading helps me relax.
Connie Johnson
Literacy Program Manager

Fayette County Operation Read, Lexington, KY
LVA Tutor
For reading is to get closer to a piece of the American dream. I taught myself English simply by reading. I am now convinced that reading saved my life. It changed it for the better and the whole world opened up like a beautiful flower.
Ana

29
I like to read because it is inexpensive, relaxing and the most creative way to have a vacation from your daily chores.
Ann Gully
Homemaker
43
Reading fills my mind with cool facts and visions of wonderous places.
Georges Marceau
Staff Development Director
46
I am glad I can read because I love to read Garfield and he is so funny !
Eileen Strand
Student
14
I love to read because for some strange reason I seem to learn more every day just by at least reading a little bit.
Linette
Customer Managment
20
Books are knowledge, they make people understand the world around them.
Brooke Dejaneiro
LVA Student
19
"If you don't blink/You can't think./If you don't read/You won't succeed."
Latoya Maske
Homamaker
Reading gives you a glimpse of the world beyond what you experience.
Walter B. Freas, Jr.
Retired, LVA Volunteer
66
Literacy Volunteers of America in Burlington County
My favorite reason to read is to better my English and conversation. Also to teach my children correct English.
Desiree Flowers
Student
22
I read to learn and see through the eyes of the characters. I read to feel the feelings of the characters which may be like my feelings or may be very different. I read to expand my world.
Nancy Morse
Educator
52
I read because I can...and I thank God (and teachers from the sixties) for that!
Jenne Laytham
Assistant Director, Basehor Community Library, Basehor, KS
45
To lose myself.
Charles B. Hoyt
Education Program Specialist with the Arizona Department of Education
53
Reading informs and excites me. It makes life worth living!
Toby Hyman
Statewide Coord. Family Resource Centers of NV
Reading whisks me away to worlds I've never even dreamed of.
Jeau Martin
Student
To borrow a couple of Dr. Seuss titles: "Oh, The Places You'll Go" and "Oh, The Thinks You Can Think."
Donna Leitner
Because, more than anything else, reading encourages the brain to be active and to use its imagination. What better reason could there be?
Julie Henke
Librarian
40
The time spent reading to my children were some of the happiest times of my life.
Audrey Burian
Administrative Secretary
45
I love to read to escape, and because it reminds me of my grandmother and mother who encouraged me to read.
Anne Chamberlain
Research Scientist
31
Reading strengthens my spiritual walk and it helps me to forget about the worries of this world. It is a great way to start your morning!
Audrey Jackson
Patient Financial Counselor
21
It's a great way to learn and experience things outside my own life. It also makes the time go by quickly when I'm on the subway or waiting in a line.
Suzanne Lindsay
Human Resources Manager
I read for many reasons, but most important is because my daughter has always asked me to read with her each night before bed. It is a tradition I cherish and I hope a bond we will share forever.
Larry Kruysman
Division Sales Manager for Ben & Jerry's
48
I am never alone when I have a book to read.
Linda Velazquez
Director of Public Relations and Volunteers
40
LVA/Buffalo and Erie County, Inc., NY
I love to read because reading takes me out of my world and inserts me into a new world of new places and experiences. My troubles and concerns fly away when I am deep into a book.
Nancy M. Dietel
Library Literacy Coordinator

LVA of Pascack Valley, NJ
Reading takes me to faraway places, exotic and otherwise, that I probably would never get to experience any other way. It also lets me into the mind of other people - to understand how they think and feel. Through reading, I think I have become a much more open person, willing to accept others as they are, and for who they might become.
Barbara Curtis-Maxwell
Office Manager
48
LVA, Ocean County, Inc., NJ
It makes me feel alive to satisfy my curiosity, enjoy leisure time, and know that I have learned how to learn.
Jackie Robertson
Teacher
53
Delaware County Literacy Coalition
To learn and to escape from the pressures of everyday life.
Sherri Johnson
Special Projects - Bonne Terre Memorial Library
56
Helps me for education. I enjoy reading. Helps me read good books.
Doris Towner
Laborer-Community Workshop
65

LVA Student
It is my relaxation "get-a-way"; one that allows me to go back in history, travel to exotic places, or have mind-free adventures totally unrelated to the day-to-day pressures or requirements of today's worklife, while allowing me the freedom to read whatever catches my fancy at any given time.
Pat Gaunce
Public Library Branch Manager
65
I read because I love to escape into different worlds, different imaginations. I read to stay sane, to know myself in a different way.
Sara Darnell-McGee
Assistant Director, Upward Bound Math/Science Regional Center, University of Alaska
46

LVA State Liaison, AK
Reading allows me to relax, to learn, and to share what I've learned with others. It also reduces everyday life stresses and takes you to faraway places.
Charlene C. Thomas
LVA State Liaison, MI/Ameritech Trainer
52
Reading is how we connect with the universal power of the human spirit. It is a gift that we give to future generations to ensure that this spirit is never diminshed or lost.
Donna Champion
LVA State Liaison, No. CA, AZ, HI
46
My favorite reason to read would be to learn to go places, to learn about other places, to do things on your own. Another reason to read would be to learn about things normally you wouldn't know.
Billy Biles

Griffin Technical College
LVA Student
My favorite reason for reading is that I'm a very curious person. When I'm reading something I think of myself as being right there. I love reading the newspaper because I like to know what is going on all over the world. Reading is fundamental. It will help you understand the world, people, and yourself better.
Ricardo Jackson

Griffin Technical College
LVA Student
Through reading, your imagination is limitless.
Bethany Johnson
Adult Literacy Instructor
30
I like to read the Griffin newspaper and the Atlanta newspaper. I like to read the sports section. Reading will help your mind learn a lot more.
Dexter Jordan
Student
Reading can take you to many places. I would like to read about the solar system and the different things in each. Reading helps me learn new words and improve my spelling. I also like reading because I learn about different places that I've never been to.
Patricia McCord
Student at Griffin Technical College
My favorite reason for reading is your imagination is limitless. Also because of the fact that when I read a novel or a book, I feel that I'm a part of the story. For example, if I'm reading a story about the Civil War, I would feel like I was actually a part of the war. Another reason I love to read is it helps me understand sense of direction. If I were to be riding down the interstate, and come upon a sign, I would know which way to turn or know where I'm going. Knowing how to read is very important to me. It is something everyone, in my opinion, should know how to do. I couldn't imagine what it would feel like if I couldn't read. I would feel helpless if I didn't know how to read.
Tiffany Tucker
Student at Griffin Technical College
Reading allows me to travel anywhere in the world whether it's to the top of Mt. Everest or in the jungles of Africa. I can be anyone that my heart desires. The imagination and the experiences you can feel are endless.
Patricia Ann Hasty
Student at Griffin Technical College
I read to expand my imagination and vocabulary to the limit. Reading allows and helps my concentration on what I'm doing. It helps me open up my mind and heart and belief on what is written.
Claudia Crawley
Student at Griffin Technical College
To read is to learn. You can do anything life has to offer if you have the ability to read.
Sharon Smith
Student at Griffin Technical College
My favorite reason for reading is I can relax while doing it and not be in a hurry. Another reason is it is the best way to learn.
Francis Bailey
Student at Griffin Technical College
I enjoy reading because it helps me relax. I forget any problems that I have. I read different stories and wonder what it would be like to be as the characters are.
Dianne Harper
Student at Griffin Technical College
My favorite reason for reading is it takes me away from my everyday life. Whatever I am reading is what I become. I hear no one around me. I literally become lost. My family complains when I pick up a book because they know that when I am reading, there is no chance of communicating with me. I absolutely love to read.
Jennifer Freeman
Student at Griffin Technical College
Reading is an important part of my life. It is a map to the place or places I need to go in life.
Milton Taylor
Student at Griffin Technical College
My favorite reason for reading is because it opens a lot of doors to my imagination. It helps me understand things and is a great teacher of many things.
Donna Ice
Student at Griffin Technical College
To learn about others and the world around us.
Pierre Le Morvan
Philosophy Professor
My favorite reason to read is it relaxes my mind. It helps me to understand things and when I read, it makes me seem like I am in the book with the characters.
Angela White
Student at Griffin Technical College
There are many reasons to read. The most important reason for me is it lets me have a release from life. I can be someone else for a little while.
Charles Braswell
Student at Griffin Technical College
My favorite reason to read is that it helps you concentrate. It lets you be something other than yourself. My favorite reason to read is because reading is power. It can let you open doors in your mind that would normally be closed. Reading lets you enter a world of imagination. So take a chance, read! Let's see what's out there.
Youngard McGill
Student at Griffin Technical College
My favorite reason for reading is it helps you learn and get more information on life. Also it lets you catch up on what is going on in the world.
Celsey Middlebrooks
Student at Griffin Technical College
My favorite reason to read is it helps me to get through life. It helps me to understand what is going on in the world today. It also helps me manage and make money.
Laura Ann Pye
Student at Griffin Technical College
My favorite reason to read is to learn and gain knowledge, which would also lead into wisdom. Reading is a relaxation. The more you read, the more you learn. It is also enjoyable when you have small children that are very desperate to learn things. You can read for them. Last, but not least, reading also helps to challenge different situations in your life, simply because some authors tell stories through life experiences.
Demetria Jones
Student at Griffin Technical College
My favorite reason for reading is to find out what goes on in the world and to be a better parent to understand what my children are having to go through in school.
Sandy Bunn
Student at Griffin Technical College
My favorite reason for reading is that I love to read. I read books and newspapers. Reading is good for your brain. The more you read, the more you can learn. Reading helps you to go places in life. If you can read a book and newspaper, you can also travel.
Ethel Mae White
Student at Griffin Technical College
My favorite reason to read is that I learn a lot of exciting and amazing things. I also get to learn new words and explore many places in my mind. I sometimes act out parts of a play from what I have read.
Wymeka Miller
Student at Griffin Technical College
My favorite reason to read is because I like to keep my mind at ease. I can stay calm. Another reason why I love to read is because you can imagine all sorts of crazy things.
Natasha Hall
Student at Griffin Technical College
My favorite reason to read is it helps me release all my frustration. It calms me down because whatever I'm reading, I can see myself doing and seeing everything I'm reading.
Joel Baker
Student at Griffin Technical College
My favorite reason to read is to learn. Reading can be very fun. Reading is also a way to get away from everyday life. When you are reading, you can pretend you are the characters you read about.
Betty Alice Tanksley
Student at Griffin Technical College
I read to laugh or cry and to understand the dynamics of the author's world. And, of course, I read to obtain knowledge and widen my horizons.
Marion Huddleston
Retired Teacher

LVA Burlington County, NJ
LVA Volunteer
Reading is my escape from the hectic pace of life. It is a relaxing, stress-free mini-vacation.
Kim Shibley
Early Literacy Coordinator
32
I read not only to relax, but also to maintain a close relationship with my 11-year-old son (I still read to him at bedtime).
Pamela J. Price
Director, Community & Government Relations
45
So I can learn how to read.
Tigger
Student
16
Opportunity to visit exotic places, meet new people, and learn new wonderful things about a million different things.
Barbara Wyman
Executive Director, LVA-Greater Rensselaer County, Inc.
53
Reading connects me to my feelings, my imagination, the past, and knowledge.
Mary Lou Belisle
Trainer, LVA Volunteer
50
Racine Literacy Council
I read because I want to visit new places, meet new people, and experience other realities.
Lisa Gale
Literacy Administrator
36
Reading spreads diversity.
Mary Ellen
Student
16
Reading expands the language in which I think, the time in which I can exist, and the universe I can explore.
Judith Ecker
Assistant Director, DeForest Public Library, WI
52
My favorite reason to read is to learn about Jesus. Jesus died for me and hung on the cross for me so that I could be saved.
Kate Landers
Student at Griffin Technical College
My favorite reason to read is reading to my little boy. He enjoys nursery rhymes. "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" is his favorite. When I read to him and he sings it back to me, that is the enjoyment I get from reading.
Stacy Dooley
Student at Griffin Technical College
My favorite reason to read is not the reading of the lines, but the adventures it allows me to discover. The magnificance of a tropical forest or clues that could lead to a motive for murder. Anything is possible when reading.
Allison Presley
Student at Griffin Technical College
Because reading fiction gives me more than just one life to live and only one life is not nearly enough!
Linda Hyatt
Foundation Director
50
Landmark Communications Foundation
I have as many reasons to read as there are stars in the sky. My favorite reason, today, is to escape to a time and place different from my own; to feel and understand the emotions and motivations of those I read about.
Connie Schwein
Adult Educator, LVA-Burlington County, NJ
52
Why is it important to read? The reason why I think it is important to read is having good knowledge for your future. Another big reason is that the Lord Jesus Christ will want us to learn how to read because he made it possible to have schools and good teachers who are willing to teach students. Me, I will take advantage of learning how to read because I want to have a good knowledge in everything. Without knowing how to read, you wouldn't be able to get a job or travel if you wanted to. You would probably get lost if there isn't someone guiding you around. Reading helps you learn what is going on in the world. Not knowing how to read will make you miss out on a lot of things. You will find yourself shy or scared because you can't read. So take advantage of reading.
Roderick Starr
Student at Griffin Technical College
Reading is the keystone for education. It's the basic fundamental by which one can learn history, new/old ideals, and a way to interpret information.
Tabatha Kincade
Student at Griffin Technical College
I think it is very important to be able to read. Reading is a part of everyday life. When one is not able to read, you limit yourself.
Vera Williams
Student at Griffin Technical College
I think reading is important because you have to know how to read road signs to be able to drive correctly.
Tiffany Wright
Student at Griffin Technical College
It is important to read because you need reading skills for jobs, to be able to help children read and write, and to read menus when going out to eat. That is why it is important to be able to read.
Nicole Pendley
Student at Griffin Technical College
It's the only thing that I can do for free and then profit from it.
Carol Cannon

30
Jersey City Public Library
LVA Tutor
My favorite reason to read would be to get more educated. One more reason would be to get more proficient in English.
Eckhart von Wildenradt
Farm Foreman
35
Rosebud County Literacy
LVA Student
E.E. Cummings once wrote of love, "love is the whole and more than all." For me, that's reading. Why do I read? To be me.
Judy Beatty
Library Director, Gentry County Library
45
I read because the authors share with me in the way a friend would share - their thoughts, their feelings, their struggles, their triumphs - and I can sit and visit with these special friends whenever I want.
Betsy McCabe
American Red Cross Manager
52
Fiction: To lose myself in other worlds and experience many points of view. Non-fiction: To expand my knowledge.
Susan J. Ellis
Trainer and Publisher
52
I read English to make sense of the world and my place in the world. I read Spanish to re-capture my mother tongue, and to remain connected to my roots, my lifeblood.
Oralia Garza de Cortes
President

National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking, an American Library Association affiliate
I like to read because it is relaxing and it will take my mind off of the things that had happened to me that day.
Denise Hall
Student at Griffin Technical College
To learn new things to apply to my job as a school librarian or to help myself and my friends and family.
Diana Wendt
Teacher/Librarian
54
Reading a book is like traveling in a time machine. You can go anywhere in time and be anything or anyone you want to be. You don't need drugs - take a "trip" by reading a book!
Michele Martin
I use reading for e-mail letters to my daughter. She teaches English to Japanese children in Gyoda, Japan. She keeps me informed of her experiences, such as climbing Mt.Fuji, or sends requests for American toothpaste or DVDs. I tell her news from the states and family happenings such as the birth of her new niece, Maya. Letters are better than phone calls because you can reread the information and stay informed.
Mary Hartig
ESL Volunteer

Waubonsee Community College Adult Literacy Project
LVA Tutor
"We read to know we're not alone." (A line in the film about author C.S. Lewis' life, "Shadowlands.")
Catherine King
Teacher
53
My reason for reading? That's like asking what is my reason for breathing.
Henry Dunbar
Editor
36
My favorite reason to read is to keep informed and to keep stretching my brain.
Marie Albertson
Librarian
67
Indiana State Library
My favorite thing about reading is that it's a very relaxing way to travel the world and also to continue my education of many different subjects.
Amanda Jenkins
Student at Griffin Technical Institute
We experience so much from being able to read. As we grow, our knowledge is widened through what we read, as well as how much.
Debbie Bryan
Student at Griffin Technical College
While sitting in my favorite chair, I can go anywhere I want to go, see anything I want to see, and it doesn't cost a thing.
Elizabeth Bass
Student at Griffin Technical College
Because written descriptions, whether read silently or shared, allow my mind to make pictures that no acting or special effects could ever equal.
Shannon Hammond
Americorps VISTA
24
Literacy Council of Alaska
LVA Tutor
Books open doors to emotions and thoughts that make your life richer and brighter.
Lillian Greenfest
Teacher
25
My favorite reason to read is to escape reality for awhile. If life is too trying - or too boring, I can always immerse myself in someone else's world for awhile through reading.
Barbara Bear
Being able to read means that I can get INFORMATION. I can get help on any topic I'm interested in. I can learn to train a dog, cook food I've never had before, create a resume...the list is endless!
Janine Willis
Public Relations Specialist
40
Because reading takes you to the places you could never physically go, and the ride never ends!
Pamela Bickett
Home Loan Consultant
33
Reading soothes my soul by connecting me to others who may be facing similar life cirumstances. We can meet so many people through their writing that we might never meet in person, yet their touch on our lives is just as powerful as if we had met them.
Stephanie Boschee
Social Services/Education
31
South King County Multi-Service Center
I read to be independent and for enjoyment.
Gloria N.
Housewife
62
I want to improve my intellectual life, my work and social life, and to travel through the books in time and places.
Eduardo Martinez
Real Estate Agent in Columbia
45
I can change careers once I get my literacy up a little bit better and help my boys with their homework later on.
James Hise
Communications Installer
26
My favorite reason to read is that in doing so my children watch me and in turn they became book lovers themselves!
Mercedes Alvarez

LVA Tutor
I read because reading is the only sport that lets me be totally relaxed and totally challenged at the same time. When reading, I'm in control...I can choose what I want...drop into someone else's life and learn about my own. Reading is freedom, power, and pleasure.
Peggy Barber
Librarian
56
I have a lot of curiosity and read to learn new things. I especially like to read about the history of places when we travel.
Martha Spruitenburg
ABLE/GED Instructor
57

LVA State Liaison, OH
Reading is a fun way to learn more about the world. I love reading novels that take place in the past or in other countries.
Megan Ryan
Since I have been in this program, I have been reading more and finding new words. I am also paying attention to how the person is writing.
Mary H.
Electronic Assembly
43
That in doing so, I can pass the gift of reading along to my son.
Susan Miller Parr
Literacy Coordinator
44
Santa Clara County Library - Reading Program
LVA Tutor
Books are my friends, my teachers, my entertainers, my connection with the world, my magic carpet to worlds unknown, a springboard to thoughts and ideas...I can't imagine a life without reading!
Joyce Hartmann
Writer, Photographer, Retired Educator
I love to read to my children at night before they go to bed. They each pick out one story book, and no matter how many times they have heard the story before they want to hear it again. They even remember the story and tell me what is going to happen next. My daughter Megan is 5 and my son Jimmy is 3.
Carole Markey
LVA National Staff - Secretary/Reception
38
I just love to read, and have been reading since I was 3 years old because my parents were teachers and would always grade papers at home, so I was anxious at a young age to see what was so interesting in books, so my parents taught me to read. To this day it's my favorite hobby as it takes me away when I've had a hard day and to lots of places I have never been before; just by reading, I have visited numerous wonderful places.
Nadine Amaya
Full-time Student
24
When I read better, my self-esteem will improve. I will be able to follow directions, assemble things, read menus, and be more independent.
Floyd C.
Retired
62
My favorite reason to read is I like to read in a nook. I love to imagine for moments that I can be Cinderella.
Concepcion Gaytan
Because reading helps me find my way.
Jon Deveaux
Literacy Worker
52
I have no one reason for reading, that would be too limiting. I like to read for pleasure, for information, and to expand my horizons. Reading is an ongoing adventure.
Mary Kiniry
Volunteer Coordinator, Danbury High School
56
LVA-Danbury, CT
LVA Volunteer
It challenges your mind!
Tilisa May
Executive Director
33
I think C.S. Lewis said, "We read to know we are not alone." I think that's the reason I read.
Kelley Smith
Editor
26
Because I want to learn everything there is to know.
Jackson Gardiner

8
It helps you succeed in life.
Samantha Greenberg

11
Reading makes the world go round. My favorite reasons to read: 1. It helps me learn/educational. 2. It helps me when I have a problem. 3. Books, like classics, make me feel like I'm back in time. Reading sometimes is for fun but it helps people who aren't good at certain things. Reading is educational. Reading is learning and having fun. Reading helped me learn how to spell when I wasn't good at it. I love to read.
Murphy Leins

7
My favorite reason to read is because "I CAN." Reading is a privilege, and it hurts to think that there are people out there that cannot read. I wish I could help everyone read, but I can't. So I will help all that I can and that makes a diference.
Jennifer Abston
Family Literacy Coordinator
34
Reading to each other brings us closer together as a couple!
Rob and Mia Mclean
Radio Announcer and Teacher
30s
I take advantage of a good book as an escape from the stresses of day-to-day life. Reading allows me to forget my troubles and completely involve myself in a whole other world.
Emily Ledbetter
Assistant Account Exec. for PR Firm
22
While learning, I'm often entertained, and while reading for enjoyment, I frequently learn.
Azlyn
Retired
74
I was in a bad situation, unexpected, left alone. I couldn't read the fine print. My independence was gone. I needed help. I was pushed over the edge. Now that I can read, I can be responsible for my well-being.
Janet Turner

79
My FAVORITE reason to read is that it allows me to change my perspective on life to that of a character in a good novel.
Laurie Watkins
Office Manager, BoulderReads!
46
I want to help my children with their homework. Not knowing how to read is like a dark room without light. Reading can open windows so light can come in.
Laila Saied
Housewife
32
My favorite reason to read, first of all, is to gain all the knowledge and understanding I never knew before. To catch up on all the wonderful things I missed when I could not read for myself, nor to my children. It is so wonderful to see the words come alive with my eyes, then feel them grow in leaps and bounds as they become a reality in my mind.It's like putting a face with a name. When you can't read, many things are dead to you, but when you learn how to read all dead things become alive because you know what you are reading and what it means, therefore it becomes a reality. When I couldn't read, I was just a mother: Now I'm a mother, student, tutor, an LVA tutor, and a staff person. I CAN READ!
Annette Sessions
Community Liaison/LVA, Inc. Board of Directors

Literacy Volunteers of America/GNH
LVA Student
I read to gain greater understanding and depth of knowledge.
Patrick Caraway

57
I read because words are windows to the world.
Linda Caraway
Registered Nurse
55
I read because it has always been my safe escape from reality.
Jenny Becker
Volunteer Coordinator
24
Reading is the greatest escape. The author's words combined with my imagination can take me out of my own world and into somebody else's in a way that nothing else can.
Audrey Kimball
America Reads Coordinator
26
Reading is better than TV or movies. When I read a book, I actively enter a new world, interact with the characters, and completely "know" what another soul(s) is really thinking/feeling. I have a tendency to read everything a particular author has written, especially if he/she evokes a sense of reality to the make believe world. I long to "suspend my disbelief" and live, for too brief a time, in someone else's head. When I emerge back into my life, I am refreshed, energized, and more aware of my own place in the world. Reading rocks!!
Cat Parish
College Administration
46
To be independent. To read books, to read the job tags rather than asking someone to do it for me, and to read a menu.
Gary C.
Carpet Installer
39
My job. Reading will help me with meetings, tests, and reading chemical labels.
Wha-ja M.
Housekeeping
56
To get a better education and improve myself and prepare myself for an Acute Care Class to improve my career.
Barbara Farley
Nurse's Aide
For pleasure and to escape reality.
Paulette Smith
Secretary
51
I read for pure enjoyment. Books let me learn new things, travel without leaving my home, and escape from the problems and worries of every day life.
Margaret E. Odell
College Placement Director
47
My favorite reason for reading is that I get to choose what I learn about, be it another language, another culture, a different history, a new medicine, or whatever I want. Because I read, I'll never stop learning, and that helps me realize my own humanity.
Shannon Harman
America Reads Coordinator
21
My favorite reason to read is to expand my horizons while I relax.
Joyce Anderson
America Reads VISTA Leader
52
Whether I am reading a newspaper, magazine, novel, historical account, biography, or a book to increase my knowledge of a particular topic, my world expands. I can be in someone else's shoes for a little while and get a perspective I didn't have before. Reading will allow me to stay connected to the world my whole life, no matter how old or infirm I may become. For these reasons, I enjoy reading.
Margaret Duff
Even Start Coordinator
50
The best reason to read is that you will never be bored - reading takes you to all different places and helps you meet new people!!
Eileen Zweig
Teacher
Because I know what it is like to not be able to read the newspaper, or almost nothing.
Jackie Peterson
Home Health Aide
57
Project: Learn
LVA Student
My 8-year-old son says a great book is a story that puts a picture in your mind. That's why I read, and that's why America should read!
Janet Ribaudo
RSVP Volunteer Coordinator
I love to read because I am able to travel to places, worlds, and times I would never be able to visit any other way.
Doyn Kellerhals
America Reads VISTA
48
Reading keeps me young at mind and stimulates my desire to know more about what's around me. You really do learn something new every day when you read.
Peggy Ponta
Information Specialist/Literacy Support Person
47
America Reads
Books are the best form of entertainment for people on the go. They are light, portable, and travel well.
Elizabeth McAlpine
Americorps*VISTA member
25
The Wilson Program has helped me put my ideas into paragraphs and separate ideas so they make sense. My spelling has also improved.
Esteya Ramirez
Caregiver
Unless we read, we are imprisoned on an isolated island; when we read, we may experience the entire world throughout its history, its thoughts, hopes, and dreams of the future.
Mary Hardy Mosley
Teacher
61
America Reads
LVA Tutor
Reading takes me places. It is like having unlimited frequent flyer miles!
Nancy Jellinger Graeve
Library Information Specialist
46
It can take me far away from reality.
Julie Yezek
VISTA Volunteer
37

LVA Volunteer
When reading a good story, one can make an imaginary movie in the mind's eye. It's enjoyable and passes time surprisingly fast.
Caroline Zielinski
Medical Assistant
38
It's exciting!!! All those interesting places, people, and adventures.
Reynea McPeak
School Librarian
47
I never feel lonely when I keep a stack of books by my bedside.
Nina Richards
Librarian
57
Books can bring the world's cultures, religions, views, and peoples together-nicely bound and portable. Reading opens the cover and helps to introduce a world dialogue.
Kim Hunold Mancini
Mother/Wife/Educator/Business Owner
30
When I read, I feel like Christopher Columbus exploring an uninhabited world full of imagination and wonder. Our minds are creative basins waiting for the words to flow from the worlds we explore through reading.
Deborah DiRoma
Graphic Designer
45
I read to love and be loved. It's a way to hug and be hugged, when you can't be with someone!! Here's a couple for you!-o-o Enjoy and Thanks.
Robert Meader
Fire Inspector
40
Reading relaxes my body, stimulates my mind, and feeds my soul.
Ann Woods
High School Library Media Specialist
52
I like to read and I am beginning to enjoy it. I am beginning to learn how to read things in the paper, like comics.
Mike C.
Retired Painter
49
I want to be able to read the information in a real estate course to help me buy and sell fixer-uppers.
James B.
Maintenance
I can read my mail better, read menus better, and when I pick up the newspaper I can read articles that look interesting.
Hilli H.
Special Care Caregiver
My favorite reason to read is to travel to unknown destinations without leaving my home!
Sandy Novak
Library Media Specialist
My reason to read is so that I can learn new things and expand my horizons. In this day and age of hatred and bigotry, it is very needed.
Melody Brindel
VISTA Volunteer/Project READ coordinator
22
Reading allows me to be in a wonderfully suspended state of sustained focus, it puts me in a mental gazebo on a summer day.
Bari Gladstone
Teacher/Administrator
51
I can live so many lives through books - I can be a pioneer doctor in the Rocky Mountains, an English mother raising her children during WWII, or even a cave dweller in prehistoric times. Reading takes me to new places and gives me vicarious adventures. Reading expands my life!
Sue Summers
Library Media Specialist
53
I read to invest in myself--my spirit, my imagination, and my mental health. I also read to invest in my family--to share knowledge, excitement, and fun.
Rachael Walker
Consultant
32
Borrowing an author's intellect for a while and adopting bits of it into my own.
Allison Archambault
Student
19
Boston branch
LVA Tutor
Reading is my quest for ways to express what is in my soul. I am looking for my voice through the voices of others.
Wanda Linz
Program Director
50-60
Reading Connections
My granddaughter, then 7, said reading is just like watching TV, I imagine pictures as I read just like a TV, I love it.
Mable Sutton
Media Specialist
63
I read to use my imagination to see a movie in my mind. A good book is better than a good movie.
Sandra Scott
Automation Technical Analyst
43
Reading fuels my many passions in life.
Susan S. Sautier
Teacher
Reading is a very important and essential part of life. I will do my part to help anyone to read. It is enjoyable and is something I would want everyone to be able to experience!
Sarah Hodges
Americorps member/ KY READS
18
Reading is a wonderful treasure and a gift of power. I read for many reasons, among them are: for knowledge or information, motivation, pleasure, to understand my world and things around me, and to understand the past and future, to get other views on issues.
Mary Norman

32
If a child sees an adult they care about reading and enjoying books, they get curious and begin to enjoy it themselves.
Stefani Crouse
Teacher/Coordinator
25
I love to read for two separate reasons: one is to learn about something I need to know more about, the other is to escape into a world I know nothing about. Whether at work or play, reading makes my day!
Joann McAndrew

46
LVA of Cattaraugus Co., Inc.
Improving my reading is the most powerful thing I've ever done for myself. People say they see a difference in me. It's nice to have this feeling.
Colleen
Sales
Reading links you with famous people, wonderful places around the world, and a chance to be anyone you want to be.
Adrean Pepper
Teacher
51
To learn about your past.
Nancy Cooper
Field Consultant
34
To know what I'm putting into my body.
Jeff Burkhart
Teacher
27
It takes me to a world where my imagination meets my intellect and creates my dreams.
Yvette T. Dunn
Educator/PH.D. Student
30
Through reading, I have mastered the language, traveled the world, and learned that the sky is not always the lmit.
Eileen Trainor
Trainer/Webmaster
47
To both broaden my horizons and escape the day to day realities of life!
Robin Cline
Cancer Education Specialist
25
I read to gain perspective on myself and on the world around me.
Barry Gary
Program Manager, NCFL
To stay abreast of what's new.
Rosie Maum
Books are my best friends. They never argue and always take me on journeys of exploration of people, places, and worlds I can only dream about. Reading allows me to grow and learn about anything and everything that exists, existed, or is only dreamed about. It is a rainbow of knowledge, allowing me to find my pot of gold...within myself. It allows me to escape from life's troubles and dream of perfect places, of Edens without problems. Reading is my vacation and my work. It relaxes and challenges my brain and helps me to become the person I want to be.
Janet Loewenstein
Teacher
48
Reading allows me explore new worlds or escape the one I'm in. It opens up one's soul and spirit to new experiences and people. It encourages personal improvement and imparts knowledge and wisdom. Without reading life would feel very limited and limiting.
Ludwig van Broekhuizen
Educational Researcher
40
Instead of "Calgon take me away," a good book will take me away! There are days when I need to be transported into another place and time. Escaping into a different world can make mine look that much brighter!
Cynthia E. Shermeyer
Coordinator, Reading Improvement Program
I love reading because it takes my children and me to places we have never been before.
Brenda Faz-Villarreal
Program Coordinator
30
Reading yields endless possiblities. It educates, entertains and enlightens. It reveals the world through someone else's eyes anew each time you open a new book.
Rob Murphy
Second & Foreign Language Specialist, Maryland State Department of Education
32
When reading to my 3-1/2-year-old, we share some of our closest moments together.
Janet Daly AlJunaidi
ESOL instructor
38
There are so many reasons to read. I like to read to learn more about how to teach (I teach flute, preschool children, and religious education). I think that reading is a great form of entertainment. It allows escape from the real world. Reading is also a great form of communication. Not only does the author communicate with the reader, but often readers communicate with other readers about what they have read.
Margo
Teacher's Assistant
41
To read is to live many lives, have many experiences, which could not otherwise have been mine.
Kate Gladstone
Handwriting Repairwoman (Handwriting Instruction/Remediation Consultant)
37
I read a book so that I can travel to the ends of the earth, share adventures, mysteries, and love stories all in the comfort of my living room. Books can take you places that your body can never travel to.
Jean Olsen
Administrative Assistant
59
Brooklyn Public Library Literacy Program
Reading fires my imagination. It allows me to explore decisions and feelings outside my normal experience. This treasure of knowledge deepens my understanding of life.
Heidi LoRash-Neuenschwander
Learning Lab Instructor
33
I read to explore with my imagination pathways and places that my favorite authors have created, sometimes those which I couldn't visit in this world.
Erna Golden
Literacy Site Supervisor
35
I can only live my life and see things through only my eyes. I like to read to live through someone elses eyes.
Tracy McKeown
Health Educator
33
Reading exercises my imagination and is a pleasure different from, and richer than, any other one I know.
Liz McLeod
Program Assistant at Social Svc Agency/Free Lance Illustrator
38
I read to escape to simpler times when people were not always in a hurry. I love the Little House books because of the relaxing atmosphere portrayed throughout the stories. The setting allows me to escape and enjoy a simpler time.
Jackie Hamlett
Technology Consultant, Illinois SOS Literacy Office
Books have been my joy for many years...they broaden my horizons and my world. Sometimes they make my world more palatable...sometimes less palatable! I am able to learn of new places, imaginary and real. I can read about great people and it gives me strength to redefine my goals and I like to think of books as my "search engine"!
Phyllis M. Bauman
My favorite reason to read is to take advantage of one more opportunity to share time with my children in their education.
James J. Villarreal
Director of Residence Life
34
I need to keep abreast of new things that come out in technology. Reading is one way of knowing what is new and exciting. It keeps me looking towards the future. Technology is a changing field and it takes many twists and turns. I enjoy learning about things that were not even thought about just a few years ago. And now they are a reality.
Eunice Snay
Regional Technology Coordinator
48
SABES -QCC
I read to get the whole story.
Penny Nolan
Director of Education, Polly Ryon Memorial Hospital
45
To satisfy my curiosity about people's stories, events, and new knowledge.
Juanita Rilometo
Education (Science) Program Specialist
48
I read for many reasons, but perhaps the most compelling reason is - simply because I can.
Jennifer Clancy
Language and Literacy Teacher
55
Reading lets me input someone else's thoughts at my own speed, stopping to contemplate without interrupting the writer's train of thought.
Donna Brian
Content/Curriculum Specialist, Southern LINCS
57
I love to read because it helps me to grow, grow, grow.
Kathleen Harrison
Adult Educator
Enjoyment and information. Now that I'm retired I read mostly for enjoyment. When I was active in education it was mostly for information. Reading has expanded my world, taken me places, and put me in touch with the great minds of the universe. Reading is all things for all people.
Mary C. Kerr
Retired School Principal
57
The occasional emotional jolt which can also occur when beauty and joy surprise via other artistic forms of expression, music, worship, nature. . . .
Robert Renwick
Librarian
58
I read anytime, anyplace, anywhere! The reasons...I can travel far away but never leave home and explore new ideas and views of others.
Angela Tessier
Adult Educator and Researcher
Reading helps me to read to my daughter, read traffic and street signs, helps me at my construction job, and helps me complete time sheets.
Daniel Beaks
Construction Worker
36
I can travel from North Dakota to Nepal and meet world rulers, gardeners, and fairytale princesses, all by opening a book.
Laronda Brewer
Americorps*VISTA Literacy Coordinator
23
Reading teaches me how to sound letters to make words. Now I can understand better, hope to keep getting better, and have gotten my driver's license.
Lawrence
Retired
Reading infuses me with new ideas and sparks new thoughts. It does not always provide answers, but it enables me to ask better questions and seek my own answers. Reading is empowerment!
Khari Freeman
Literacy Advisor
29
Coney Island Adult Learning Center
Reading is like opening a window into knowledge. Anything you want to know about, you can find in books. Read a book! It is better than a movie.
Joe Garcia
Retired
57
It allows me to see a reflection of my mind juxtaposed over that of the authors.
Maura Monaghan
Homemaker
over 21
Reading is a wonderful way to connect to anything, anytime, anywhere. It engages your whole being. You can be or become as involved as you want. It's my way of stroking my spirit and rewarding my soul.
E. Marcelle Penn Mathis
Assistant Dean
46
I find such delight in the thoughts and experiences of others through reading and learn so much about myself in the process. From my very first time to read until now, spending time reading has been a way to learn and grow and dream and hope.
Angela Hock
Executive Director, Literacy Agency
53
Partners In Learning
I read to travel to all the places I haven't been, but dream of going to in the real-time future.
Judy Guffey
Instructor
64
Reading changes the way that we think about life. We are transformed in the process of considering the ideas of others.
Mary Church
Psychologist
39
I have been a compulsive reader since childhood. I read murder mysteries, dictionaries, labels, and even other people's reasons for reading. I just can't stop.
Phyllis Bornstein
Librarian
Opening and reading a book opens many doors into new ideas, knowledge, fantasies, and so much more!
Nancy Calix-Benavides
I have always loved to read. Reading allows me to hear other people's ideas and experiences in my own voice.
Deborah Hawn
Employment Consultant
47
Because I am obsessively curious and I WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING!
Tona Barkley
Advertising & Promotion Manager
53
To read the Lord's Word.
Cliff Treyens
PR & Marketing
45
I read to understand other worlds and people, inform myself, unravel a mystery, forget my daily problems, relax, feel the beauty in daily life.
Nima Salehi
ESL Instructor
43
Reading opens the doorway to a creative dimension where the reader can be anyone at any time in history while experiencing the sights, smells, tastes and sounds found within the context of the story. Reading expands one's reality.
Denise K. Wilkens
Program Administrator

LVA of Middlesex Co.
I love to read because it takes me to places I could only dream of really going to and helps me put all my everyday issues at rest for a while.
Amy Normand
Adult Education Program Director
40 something
I used to read for relaxation, information, fun. But now that I have children, I have new reasons. I love to see the excitement in their eyes when they hear for the first time about the chocolate river at Willy Wonka's factory. I love to watch them tap their feet to the rhythm of a poem--hoppity, hoppity, hop. And best of all--I love to see the flicker of realization in their eyes when they first notice that letters make sounds, that words reappear, that every word can be sounded out, that they have all the tools. All this and they're only four and two. I haven't even started Harry Potter yet.
Elizabeth Lewis
Corporate Communications Manager
37
Reading is an avenue to obtain knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is gained from what is read. Wisdom is gained from the knowledge.
Shirley Collins
Substitue Teacher
38
My favorite reason at this point in life is to be able to teach my six-year-old grandson who lives with me the joy of reading.
Marie Albertson
Librarian
65
We have nothing to lose to read a book. If it is a good book, we learn something; if it is not a good book, we gain an experience of wrong pick. So, only if we have time and mood to open a book, we are winners.
Michael Tam
Librarian
39
I love to read to my children--to see their excitement when they learn that letters make sounds and they that can sound out words.
Elizabeth Lewis
Corporate Communications Manager
37
To enjoy a variety of experiences and to relax as my mind fills with wonderful images described in stories.
Carol Bell
Curriculum Specialist
34
When I read, especially fiction, I am in the story. I travel to faraway places, perform heroic tasks, solve incredible mysteries, and overcome horrific situations. I live another life and thereby enrich my own.
Thom. Probst
Reading stimulates my consciousness and opens my mind to self-improvement. Reading provides a connection to humanity and to the human voice within the universe.
Tracy G. Andrews
Administrative Assistant
35
Reading widens my wonder and wisdom of the world---and beyond!
Randy King
Coordinator, FRIENDS Family Resource Center
53
I wanted to learn more about everything because my father could not afford to send me to school. Today, I want to read to my grandchildren.
Abida C.
To kill time.
Archie
Spend time with my kids (reading to them).
Ruth Rodriguez
Volunteer Coordinator
I have gotten pleasure out of people reading stories to me, and I would love to do the same for other people.
Angel Grant
Cable Car Cleaner
Reading gives me a chance to explore "what ifs," such as what if women ruled the world or what if evolution took a different turn.
Amber McCrea
Librarian
28
Reading together with my 9-year-old daughter is a time for sharing personal confidences, discussing social issues, and discovering new and old books.
Bertie Mo, Ph.D. , MPH
Medical Anthropologist/Health Educator
For a brief period of time I can transform into Encyclopedia Brown, Harry Potter, or Scarlet O'Hara with a flip of a page.
Kim Redington
Director of Adult Literacy
34
Every time I read something, I learn something new and interesting.
Cathy Smith
Homeschool Teacher
37
Reading is power to live.
Yufan Ren
Student
17
I read because I aspire to a spiral of magical words and rhythms that touch the heart and the soul in a way that only language can.
Monica Kessel
ESL Family Literacy Coordinator
25
Reading takes you to a new world and lets you enjoy exciting adventures without ever leaving home. You can carry the memory of those adventures, and the things you learned from them, with you for life.
Brandy Voigts
Dietary Assistant
19
Expands your knowledge tremendously, which enables you to communicate effectively by whatever medium.
Margaret Goodison
Clerk
Total escape and relaxation.
Eileen Neill
Librarian
51
To keep all the words in my head under control...I exist on other people's plots.
Marie McDermed
Librarian
61
Reading is a free, if you use your library, ticket to ANYWHERE. Any place, any time period (past, present, and future), any dimension (fantasy or reality), anywhere in the universe that your imagination can take you. You can meet people that you otherwise never would. You have unlimited exploration opportunities right in your hands. It doesn't even require electricity!
Deborah Lueders
EHS teacher
I read to give myself an escape to another place. I use this time to just let my mind wander and just be.
Vanessa Perry
Special Education Teacher
28

LVA Tutor
Reading expands your horizons. It takes you to places of enrichment and discovery.
Judy O'Shea
Teacher
52
I love reading because it takes me to places I have never been, lets me meet "people" I never would have met, and takes me to eras I would never experience. It stimulates, humors, relaxes, and educates me.
Laurel Aasland
Ahh, there is nothing more fun to do than escape in a book, meet new people, laugh at great humor, cry at mistakes and sorrows, and remember that I am human and never alone when I read.
Jana Freese
ABE/GED/Families That Work, Workplace Instructor
46
I like to read because it gives me access to new worlds and grants me space from my own.
Jocelyn Gottlieb
Non-profit Administrator
26
For knowledge or enjoyment, to fill a few seconds stuck in traffic or a lazy afternoon, I can read any time, anywhere. It's the best!
Melody Snure
Executive Director of Family Learning Center
50
Opening a book is like opening a door to the whole world and traveling without ever leaving home!
H. Baker
Non-profit Homebuilder
32
Reading gives me widely varying viewpoints on the world, allowing me to see my life in a new way.
Cherri Jones
Librarian
42
Reading keeps me from turning the TV on.
Thaise C Adams
Receptionist
21
Reading provides me with experiences and insight into situations I might not otherwise experience. It also confirms my philosophies, ideologies, providing me with the comfort of knowing I am not the only one.
Bianca Roberts
Manager of Youth Services
30
I love to read because I love to feel the stretching of my own mind.
Chris Roberts
Educator
28
My favorite reason to read is finding out how to equip myself to help neglected or suffering creatures, especially children and animals. I believe that the more we read, the more effective ways we can find to help them.
Iris Roberts
Graduate Student
31
Reading allows me to connect or disconnect (escape); it nourishes the mind.
Wendy Lee Sabra
Workplace Education Instructor, Tutor
51
Reading allows me to be a part of many lives (real and imaginary) and visit many locations throughout the world and throughout time.
Pam Wiens
Business/Education Coordinator
I like to read to find out what goes on behind the scenes and underneath the surface. For instance, this summer I read to learn how emergency grain gets from the U.S. to the war-torn and famine-plagued areas of North Africa; and to find out where old ships go to die, and what life is like for the people in India and Bangladesh who dismantle them; and to discover what goes on in the kitchens of the gourmet restaurants of New York. By reading these details I gain understanding about the realities of others. It is a way of putting my own life and experiences in perspective. It allows me to break out of the trivia of my days, take a breather from my worries, and begin to hear the heartbeat of the world.
Kay Taggart
Adult ESL/Literacy Curricula Developer
42
Through reading the possibilities of learning are infinite. One can explore factual and fictional worlds alike, without ever leaving the comforts of home.
S.L. Uebinger
Library Director
30
Reading: enriches, connects, transports, entertains, challenges, gives solace, instructs, inspires, energizes.
Emily Hacker
Director of Learning Technologies
Now in my seventies, reading is precious to me because it keeps me growing--through content and by showing me new ways to express myself.
Floramae Geiser
Retired Writer, Editor
70
Indy Reads
LVA Volunteer
To experience the feeling of being in a different time and place.
M. Graham
Editor

LVA Volunteer
Transports me to any destination I choose; reading opens doors, too numerable to imagine!
Muriel Pierce
Retired Government
69

LVA Volunteer
To be able to do technical research on these Blessed Computers!
Doug Wiley
Retired
49

LVA Volunteer
To be able to read to my grandkids, get a driver's license, and read directions, masonry and landscaping books, and books for relaxation.
Leo Montoya
Retired
60
Project Second Chance
LVA Student
Reading is energy for the mind.
David B. Hollingsworth
Administrator - Adult Basic Education
The ability to use and share language: to speak, to read, to share ideas, beliefs, feelings, hopes, and dreams is essential to being human.
Olinda Young
Admin Asst.
54
Literacy Volunteers of Middlesex, NJ
LVA Volunteer
Reading is food for the mind.
John Young
unemployed
55
Books are funny and entertaining. You can learn a lot from a book.
Amy Smith
Student
13
Information, history, people's lives: they all come alive in a book.
Milton Smith
Construction Worker
47
I read because the imagination is a terrible thing to waste. I'd rather read the book with its fuller, richer descriptions and detail than watch a movie or tv. As a child I rode my bike to the library every day during the summer to get MORE books. To this day, I can't leave the house without at least one book to read and usually carry three or four with me. Reading allows me to escape and to learn and above all to dream of people, places, and times that were, may be and will never be.
Jane Balsiger
Program Specialist - Corp for Natl Service - WI
51
Reading takes my mind away from "real life." It is so relaxing!
Jane Rockwell
Instructor
44
LVA-Chippewa Valley
Because I can't imagine life without being able to read, without books, without the doors reading opens for me. Books are my life.
Kristina Anderson
Literacy Program Coordinator
52
Harborview Medical Center
My friends and family respect me more, and I respect myself. Reading helps me reach my goals and I like the staff and my tutor.
Craig A.

48
It lets me share the same experiences with my sons and daughter even when we can't be together.
Thomas V. Fiscoe
CPA, Treasurer, LVA, Inc. Board of Directors
45
Reading is my gift to myself. It connects me to the past and the future, of my family and humankind.
Margaret Northcraft
Children's Librarian
55
Reading is an escape for me, It takes me places I may never see, Whether foreign lands or torrid seas, Each page unfolds my destiny!
Heather Smith
Teacher
30
When picking out a book, the cover is very important because it tells a lot about the book itself...so one of my favorite reasons to read is to find out the reason why the cover of the book is the way it is, since the cover reveals the story...so it has a lot to do with curiosity.
Theresa Ka
Mentor
19
Reading a good book makes me feel like a yellow baby duck.
Caroline Nguyen
It is humbling.
Casey Lee
Student
17
It takes me places reality can't and it lets me feel things my inhibitions would otherwise stop.
Scott Sheidlower
Librarian
44
To me reading is very enriching, enlightening, fulfilling, and rewarding. I read for educational purpose, enjoyment, and spiritual reason. Reading keeps me alert and aware of what is around me and inside of me.
Cheryl Gray
Retired
53
General Federated Women's Clubs
I can do it anytime I want and I don't have to wait for a show to come on.
JoAnn Boss
Teacher
I read for entertainment, information, and amusement. Reading provides a lifetime of all of these.
Barbara Meyer
Educator
53
All the wonderful foods and recipes that are unknown to the person who cannot read recipes and cook from them!
Beverly A. Hobbs
Adult Education Program
56
Although my reasons for reading are many, my favorite reason is for sheer pleasure. I love getting lost in a novel.
Nora A. Holmes
Library Director
Reading transports me to other places to meet interesting people, learn about other countries and times and has given me an entire circle of "book" friends with whom to share my passion.
Barbara Van Horn
Educator
52
Reading is like taking a vacation without leaving home! I can go anywhere, to any time in history or in the future, and stay as long as I want!
Carolyn Werner
Adult Education Specialist

Lincoln Land Community College, TEAL Program
To be able to be a part of all those worlds, both real and fantastic.
Joyce Brooks
I love the enjoyment of reading! I like to identify with locations (setting) and characters as they pertain to my own life, or other times I just like being transported away. Reading is why I'm a librarian.
Francie Newberry
Library Information Specialist
56
Reading carries me away from my daily concerns; while reading, I am completely submerged in the story.
Pattie J. Tuggle
Media Clerk
49
The way the kids squeal "Mrs. B is here!" and race to the reading corner with anxious anticipation to hear the story I picked for them that day.
Lynne Buchsbaum
Paralegal
40
Rolling Readers USA
LVA Volunteer
Reading offers the most economical and fulfilling vacation ever. When reading, I can visit far away lands and escape from the daily humdrums of life. In addition, if there's something I don't know how to do, as long as I have my sight and reasoning capabilities, then I know that I can learn to do anything I want to from a book.
Diana Caldwell
HUD Computer Center Coordinator
43
Reading helps me rid my mind of the things "those" people did to get me upset today. And reading make me able to go on to the next person.
Wayne
IT Sales
30
It relaxes me and I learn something new every day. It takes me to another "world" for a short time.
Mary Deault
Media Specialist
48
I read to meet and experience the great minds of the world - at rest and amongst the living!
Judith A. Cochran, Ph.D.
Professor of Tutorial Education
To learn other points of view.
Patt Harvey
Resource Associate
59
To be transported to other times and places without leaving my chair.
Temma Fishman
Literacy Volunteer and Retired Teacher
60
Reading
LVA Tutor
Reading expands my horizon.
Dilara Bilal
Student
25
Reading has opened up a whole world that I finally feel I belong to. It's like I have come out of the shadows.
Doug Humphrey
Retired
I LOVE to read! It is my relaxation at the end of the day. It is also my reward for getting a project done. Reading is such a great gift. Teaching adults to improve their reading skills is a great pleasure to me also. I hope they can find joys for themselves in reading.
Sandy Evensen
Adult Basic Education Instructor
If you don't know how to read, you can't get a job. If you do get a job how would you read your bills?
DELONO
Student
15
If I were to explain why reading is enjoyable to me, I would have to start by saying that it is relaxing. It allows me to calm myself and rewind. It is also extremely pleasurable and intriging. The more I read, the more I want to read. Reading fills me with knowledge.
Stacy Bennett
Student at Griffin Technical College
Having always been mainly a nonfictional reader, I read to learn more about things that I am interested in. It increases my vocabulary and helps make me a better writer. I like keeping my mind active.
June Sanford
Education Consultant
47
It makes me feel very proud to be able to read and write, to understand the common things in life, to read the newspaper, to put a common child's bike together, to understand the common laws and standards of today's travel, because without reading and writing life is much harder to survive.
Johnny
Even if my day consisted of tough meat and yucky vegetables, I can still look forward to dessert: READING. How sweet it is!
Kim Chapman
Child Care Specialist
41
My favorite reason to read is to develop relationships with people I'll never know, visit places I'll never go, and deepen my understanding of the human experience.
Virginia Harrison
Editor
34
Because reading is fun, it relieves stress and I learn many new things from the books I read.
Lisa Dillenburg
Social Worker
40
Literacy promotes peace.
Susan G. Hayden
Library literacy consultant
46
I read, I think, I learn.
Ginger Good
Systems Analyst
36
Reading introduces me to faraway places and fascinating characters. Usually when I am trying to escape my problems by reading, I usually find the answer.
Maureen Cleary
Teacher
51
It is fun, reading has the ability to open you up to worlds you never knew existed.
Andrew Hicks
To read is to be updated in everything: news, fiction books, comic books, biography books, even the "Dummies Books" for those that don't understand. Reading is a way of life and communication; without it how would anyone know how to read traffic warnings, anouncments, or even invitation cards. Reading is the way to get around in the world, just like reading a map to the next city.
Ivon Perez
Student
20
Reading is addicting, it is my 'drug' of choice. Reading is fun and it makes me feel good and it is free!
Patricia Sutcliff

49
Orange County Read
LVA Volunteer
I read for empowerment, enlightenment, and insight.
Katie M. Hamer
Project Specialist
24

LVA Staff
I like to read for information, to learn new things, and just for pure enjoyment.
Ella de Palmo
Reading opens a window inside to all of my infinite possibilities.
Jamila Smith
Program Officer
24
I compiled a list of reasons from friends and relatives: You grow a lot; makes you learn; good hobby, pastime; escapism; research/directions/recipes; reading to children is a bonding experience; read and picture oneself involved in the story; read to relax; read for news/current affairs/sports/politics/follow financial markets; to learn about other people, places, and things; to learn about other people's lives; read to know what my friends are talking about; to be able to cook healthy things for my family.
Vicki M.
Adult Learner
I like to read because it can take you to another place.
Michael Amaro
Student
18
I will like to read more and expand my knowledge and when I finish, I will be able to help other people. One day it will be nice to go higher in studies.
Della Hing
Student
30
I didn't have any good reason to sit down and read. But now since I am a wife and mother of two boys, Kevon and Stephon, I love to read to them.
Zena John
Student
30
I read because I believe it's a key to the past, present, and future; to knowledge and understanding; and to the door that connects us all.
Tracy L. Coskie
Graduate Student, Teaching Assistant
33
My favorite reason for reading is the knowledge that I will have. The more I read the more knowledge will increase in me. It is a window that opens in my mind. My vocabulary will also get better. The other day I found myself reading a book and to my surprise I finished the book. And that makes me feel great. I can get to know other stories from books that I read, not what somebody tells me. I can say I read this book, like when I read Waiting to Exhale. I can hold a conversation with others about the book and its contents.
Joan P. Sutherland
Student
45
I didn't realize then what I know now, that I have a hunger for reading. I knew once I started reading, and I get so caught up it's like my mind soaks up like a piece of sponge. My brain moves with my eyes, and they both work together. I just love to read, and I love to encourage my children to read. Maybe one day I could help people to read or inspire them about my own experience.
Annmarie Ramos
Student
37
To learn new vocabulary so that I can understand my teenagers.
Maureen Whelan
Teacher
46
It is something to be proud of, not everyone can!
Austin Wheelock
College Student
18
I have to be informed of current events. So I read newspapers, magazines, anything I can get my hands on.
Darnette Austin
Family Service Assistant-Head Start Program
37
My favorite reason to read: Reading allows me to spend quality time with my wonderful 1-year-old daughter, Arielle, and my purrfect cats.
Lynda Brode Hall
Adult Basic Skills Instructor
32
Reading allows me to visit parts of the world that I cannot afford to visit. Even with computers, you still need to learn to read well.
Ernie Odom
Technology Instructor
Under 100
I like to read because it keeps me informed about things that are going on.
D'Marie Tangen
Student
18
I read everything that I see--cereal boxes, posters, advertising, and t-shirts. I want to know more about the world around me, and I know that reading is a door waiting to be opened. I start my day reading the Bible, work throughout the day reading e-mails, student papers, and professional information. Then I relax with mysteries, historical fiction, autobiographies, and novels. Reading provides inspiration, information, relaxation, and confirmation.
Sharon M. Taylor
College Professor
53
My favorite reason to read is that I can share the books I read as a child to a new generation of readers. What better way to share my wonderful, literary childhood with these students than reading such classics as Amelia Bedelia, Frances, and Frog & Toad? The look on the childrens' faces as I perform the different voices - a high-pitched, warbling sound for Amelia; a soft, quiet, girlish voice for Frances; and alternating excited and grumpy froggy voices for Frog and Toad is priceless! Plus, I can't really act that way at work, so it provides a wonderful outlet for my creative side. Another favorite reason to read: One day, I knocked on the classroom door. The teacher looked up and said, "Guess who's here, boys & girls?!" One girl responded, "It's the reading GIRL!!!" I loved it. I'm still a girl to these children, which is far better for my ego than being the Reading LADY.
Meredith K. Purcell
Publishing Associate
27
Rolling Readers USA
LVA Volunteer
Someday when I have children and I am putting them to sleep, I will want to be able to read to them, just as I was read to when I was younger, so they can get the same out of it as I did. Every child deserves that privilege.
Hope A. Bouchard
Student
18
Reading allows me to go places I will never go. I also get in touch with the authors' thoughts and ideas and am able to connect with all of humankind.
Carol M. White
Insurance Agent/Wife/Mother/GFWC Volunteer
42
I love to read. Books are my escape from the stresses of everyday life. They help me to become more aware of the world around me that I have not yet been able to discover.
Samantha Novack
Student at SUNY Morrisville
17
To take a break from everyday life. You can go back in time, to a different country, or to a fantasy world.
Jennifer Collins
Student/Cashier
24
Reading is magical because it connects and equalizes people. I can read the same books as someone halfway around the world. Books can offer me the same knowledge, the same opinions, lead me to draw the same conclusions (or not) as millions of other people.
Michelle Wichman
Teacher
Because it brings so much joy to my life. It is so enriching to be able to access such knowledge. It is fascinating to me.
Vickie Johnson
Homemaker
42
Reading is a glorious opportunity to learn about people and places, and it's fun. Whether reading a newspaper, a magazine, or a book, reading allows me to expand my knowledge and understanding.
Robin McCartha
Project Director
45
To be connected in a thoughtful way to something bigger than yourself -- other times, places, ideas, and feelings.
Brian Puppa
Publishing Manager, The Communication Project
The years fall away when I am reading, and I feel as mentally fresh as I did as a youngster.
Sandra Gustafson
Coordinator, Library Adult Literacy Program
58
So I can read the road signs that tell me where I'm going on the Thruway.
Alex Stopchick
Student
19
My favorite reason to read is to watch the expressions on my son's face as we read together.
Julie Fietek

31
Reading sparks my creativity! With a book in front of me my mind races to visualize the story, picture each character, and imagine possible endings.
Sandy Naffziger
Tutoring Program Coordinator
Robert Frost wrote of "the road not taken..." and it has always frustrated me that I can't do it all, see it all, make the multiple choices that would give me a variety of lives. Reading is free(thank Gawd for libraries!), needs no batteries or cables or projectors, and is the closest I can come to walking all those other untaken roads.
Susan B. Madden
Independent Consultant - Libraryland
56
Ever been bored?
Janet LaDuca
Cashier/Student
18
I love to read books, because I get knowledge the more I read. It's very important to read so I can help my children and other people who can't read.
Marian Cole
Student
39
Relaxation.
Linda Crawford
Academic Advisor
38
I travel through books. I travel in time, as well as geographically. I visit those I admire, even when they lived previously. Reading lets me see the world and more!
Anita Van Ouwerkerk
Teacher
58
Greater Orange Area Literacy Services
Reading is a great way to stay informed about current events from all over the world!
Jennifer Krueger
Student
22
Reading connects me to the world.
Kathleen Edwards
Teacher
It's the most affordable way to travel and meet new people.
Carla Kaiser
Library Director
39
Because it takes me to places I will never get to see firsthand.
Cathy Williams
Librarian
36
When my son says, "Mommy, let's read."
Lisa Durgin
Write and read a PROUD book (New Readers Press), a family literacy activity, to enhance self-esteem and share a family memoir.
Janis F. Glusman
Literacy Program Coordinator and author of PROUD Book
51
I like to read books that hold my attention, especially by Danielle Steele. Her books are similar to real life. I am especially interested in Oprah's book club. When I read I don't worry or think about other problems.
Virginia McConney
Homemaker
50
I read because I can go places I would never be able to go otherwise, relax and unwind, live someone else's life for awhile, learn and GROW!
Carole Bland
Reading Teacher
46

LVA Volunteer
To relax and get away from everything and exercise my brain.
Armando Gutierrez

40
Reading relieves stress.
Paul Germinario
SUNY Morrisville
20
Our reasons to read are to learn and write new and bigger words, to be better spellers, because reading is fun, and to become genuises!
Ms. O'Neal's Class

7 - 11
I thought reading was about the flight of imagination and the opening of new worlds until I became an LVA tutor. Then I learned it is about successfully negotiating real life in the mundane world. Reasons to read? How about understanding written instructions on prescription bottles, communicating with your child's teacher, using the ATM machine, or filling out a job application? This new perspective caused me to reflect about my life and my own experience with reading. It did engage my imagination and introduce me to places and things I would not see in everyday life. Now I believe my passion for the written word was also my passport from poverty to comfort, from passable medical care to better care, from a world in which I would not encounter the places and experiences I read of in books, to a world in which I might. And, richest of riches, I could help someone else have the same chance.
Irene A. Peloquin
Family Reading Program Leader
45
LVA - Kent County
LVA Tutor
I read to learn about the world around me and worlds far away.
Martha Imparato
Librarian
42
Reading has been my favorite hobby for as long as I can remember. Through reading, I have gone �Around the World in Eighty Days� in a hot air balloon, found out �For Whom the Bell Tolls� and discovered what was �Gone With the Wind.� I have traveled to places my pocketbook will never take me and had adventures that I will never truly experience in my lifetime. I have broadened my education, learned about new cultures and obtained guidance on issues such as parenting and religion. Most of all, reading is the one true pastime that allows me to relax and to temporarily forget about any of life�s little annoyances. When I am reading, I am in another world and can be whoever I want to be.
Chris Schmenk
My favorite reason to read is to make good, informed decisions. Many people have excellent information to share, but time does not allow me to meet with so many people face to face to gain their insight. By reading, I can get many different people�s viewpoints and the data that I utilize in my problem solving and decision making process. Sounds so serious and business-like, doesn�t it? Yes, my last reading helped me resolve what lake to fish, the bait and tackle to use, and the time of day to fish. It�s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.
Bill Hayes
Corporate Manager
Reading allows me to go places and different time periods that natural laws, time constraints, or lack of money will not allow me to go. Reading expands my world and the possibilities of my life.
Steven Lowe
Mayor
In the past few years, I have visited Seattle, Denver, South Carolina, Missouri, Washington D.C., and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. While in these places, I�ve been challenged to help the sleuth in the book resolve the crime. When I reach the end of a good book, I can�t wait to start another.
Shari Marsh
United Way Director
Of the several reasons I like to read (usually two hours per evening), the primary reason is that I can travel worldwide or be in any setting or circumstance through the written word. I�ve traveled through ancient Greece and Rome, driven cattle and experienced the thirst of swallowing trail dust, observed the sinking of the Arizona at Pearl Harbor and smelled the tulips in Amsterdam. The thrill of learning and being transported to exotic places through reading is an inexpensive mode of travel I wish more people enjoyed.
Bob Whitman
Chamber Executive
I read for relaxation and inspiration.
Anne Davy
Health Commissioner
I read to connect with all the people of the past so I can be part of the great tapestry of the human journey in the world, and because I like to read.
Nora Marie Qudus
Teacher
48
Because I am a professor of language and literacy and I love to read about reading.
Barbara Guzzetti
Professor
51
Learning how to read helps when you have to put your car back together.
Dan Carter
Student--SUNY Morrisville
18
I love to read to find out about the world we live in and the world we will live in tomorrow.
Amy Appell
Nurse
I like to read because it helps me learn neat things at home and at school.
Morgan Appell
Student
8
It helps me D.R.E.A.M. "Daily Reading Enhances All Minds," including mine. (P.S. I gave the D.R.E.A.M. project to a club to encourage reading.)
B. Pfrogner
Executive Director
Griffin Technical College Literacy Advocate
Griffin/Spalding Literate Community Commission
LVA Volunteer
Sight, sound, taste, touch, smell, intuition, and reading put me in touch with life! I love to read because I can reach beyond my boundaries.
Fran Ellis
Reading is the means by which we acquire knowledge and understanding. It is the door that will let our imagination grow and by which we will achieve any goals we set for ourselves. Reading is the fountain of knowledge that is available to everyone regardless of race, gender, or economic status. The most important reason for reading would be to understand and enjoy everything around us.
Bertha Bearden
Child Care Professional
I think reading really helps me to think clearly. I generally read a lot of non-fiction that makes me think very hard about my reality and offers up new ideas to consider. I often feel refreshed and challenged after reading, and many of my more creative ideas come after I have spent time with a good book or magazine article. It almost seems to unlock something. I am more productive when I am on a regular diet of good reading material. Although it may seem somewhat contradictory, reading helps me escape and take a break from things. When work is overwhelming or I have a lot on my mind, it relaxes me to read a good book. I feel recharged after I have had the opportunity to forget things for a while. I am then ready to take on some of the challenges at hand.
J.R. Kruse
Company Executive
Reading allows me to enjoy a vacation every time I pick up a book!
Mindy Stice
Child Care Specialist
Reading is like "the staff of life." It is difficult to identify anything in our daily lives that doesn�t involve the printed word. There isn�t a subject in any school that doesn�t have the printed word as part of the class lessons from math to literature. A person�s ability to progress, grow, learn, and achieve is all hinged on the ability to read. The ability to read has broadened my horizons, taking me on historic adventures, travels through foreign lands I�ll never be able to experience in person, novels that lead me through heroes� and heroines� lives, solving mysteries. I would be much less of a developed person and personality without the ability to read.
Esther Kunkle
Chamber of Commerce Operations Manager
Whatever or whoever you want to be, wherever you want to go, anything you need to know can be found in books, our best friends.
Janet Regina
Communications Director
43
LVA-Suffolk County, Inc.
Reading makes me happy, reading makes me sad. Reading helps me to find information when I don't know who or what to believe. Reading is an escape and reading takes me to the heart of the matter, drawing me where I may not want to go. Reading is truth, reading may be corruption. Reading is what only humans can do. Because we can read we may save the world. Because we can read we may destroy the world. Because we read. . . .
Lael Carter
Fund-raising Professional
55

LVA Volunteer, LVA, Inc. Board of Directors
I read to learn new things, to see if I can figure out the ending, and for the temporary escape from the world.
Marilyn Emerson
Health Care Executive
40
I read for educational and entertaining purposes.
M. Montgomery
Specialist
30
The best reason to read is to learn, to learn about people, places, animals, anything. When you open a book, you step into a whole new world, a world you knew nothing about. By the time you have finished, you are changed, you have learned, you have grown.
Tamara Belinc
Reporter
23
To be swept away to another world without leaving my room.
Adriana Carlos
Literacy Aide

County of Los Angeles Public Library, Duarte
To experience another world.
Leslie Mehana
Adult ESL Instructor
53
Because Atlas Shrugged.
Harry Kingsmill
Capitalist

Former VP & Board Member of LVA Burlington County NJ
Reading can lift you right off the ground. It can take you on a special journey and make you feel free like an eagle.
Macy McCullough
Student, gr. 6
Reading expands my vocabulary. It is also very exciting and fun. You never get bored - like riding a bike, you never forget how.
Kayla Hightower
Student, gr. 6
I read because it is fun. It is useful time. Your vocabulary can grow if you read a lot. Reading is important in your life.
Rebekah McGee
Student, gr. 6
I like to read because it is fun and exciting. It helps me explore and gives me a bigger imagination.
Breanna McKneely
Student, gr. 6
I read to become smarter and to build my vocabulary. Also, I enjoy it!
Keiylene Burgess
Student, gr. 6
I read because it gives me joy. It also helps me with my babysitting job. I also read to pass the time at school.
John Jenkins
Student, gr. 6
I read because I want to learn how to sound out new words an be part of an adventure in the book.
Josh DuPree
Student, gr. 6
I read because I can. God bless our teachers for their never-ending patience and support.
Dorrie Emmerich
Business Support Coordinator
35
Reading makes my world bigger, brighter, and a lot more fun!
Ann Harris
Teknimedia Corporation - Director, Sales & Marketing
Why read? Enjoyment--recreation; become aware of our roots; learn about our�s and others� cultures; live in times past; live experiences of others; increase vocabulary; appreciate literary skills of authors; qualify for a job; follow safety instructions and other directions; fill out a tax form; learn a game or sport; find out the weather; sing a song; read advertisements; write more effectively; become acquainted with foreign lands; relax; teach us about ourselves; obtain information; cheap way to travel; become a more fluent reader; make us more humane; study languages; visit fantasyland; make better choices; build a house; find the best bargain; study history, science, geography; learn to spell; sail a boat; make predictions; gain the writer�s knowledge; select and follow recipes; order from a catalog; order in a restaurant; use a dictionary, encyclopedia, and other references; buy a car; read an airline/train/bus schedule; read a football/basketball scoreboard; use the computer; use the telephone directory; find an address; read your mail and newspaper; obtain world and local news; recognize new ideas; become open-minded; improve talents; develop speaking skills.
Dr. Ethna R. Reid
Exemplary Center for Reading Instruction
I read to expand my mind. Learning from reading is more satisfying than from the watching television or listening to radio, because you actually did the work to get to the knowledge you learned.
Jennifer Hoch
Student
18
Reading is one of life's greatest pleasures. I love reading to my grandchildren and helping them to learn to read and to develop a love of books and learning. Reading gives me the thrill of exploring so much of the world and life which I will probably never experience firsthand but I can do this through the written word.
Patricia J. Campbell
Reading is critical to improving the quality of my life. Just as good food feeds the body, reading feeds the mind and the soul.
Bernice McGuire
Retired - Working with adult literacy
53
I read and have read because I love to read. When I read the world is at my feet.
Connie Richardson
College Student
50
To laugh, to cry, to learn, to understand, to motivate, to rejuvenate, to escape, to dream, to feel, to experience . . . and 1990 other reasons, too!
Maureen Leidy
Legal Secretary
45
Reading takes me to far away places without leaving my chair. It inspires me and makes me feel closer to God.
Dianne Sanders
Benefits Coordinator
47
I never want to be the person in a conversation that is completely clueless as to what the other person is talking about.
Dina Michele Napoli
Third Grade Teacher
28
Reading takes my mind off the present and puts it into a new dimension. When you read a very good book this is so easy to do. You can actually put yourself into the book as if you are one of the characters. This can take your mind away from any problems you presently have and put your mind somewhere else. I believe reading helps keep the stress down in your life.
Tricia Novak
Manager
45
Reading takes me all over the world to different places, different times, and different people. It is my way of traveling through time and space without ever leaving my rocking chair.
Sara D. Huff
RN, retired
65
I dropped out of high school in the 10th grade. Today I have a successful business, created my own web store, and I take charge of my own stock portfolio. I learned this all from reading!
Kim Haist
Business Owner
33
My favorite reason to read is for my own enjoyable entertainment and interest in the subject or topic that I have choosen.
Chris Looney
Student
17
I like to read because it is a great learning exercise. You extend your reading and vocabulary skills. The more you read the better chance you have to suceed. I like reading because it helps you become a better person.
Ryan Johnson
Student
17
My favorite reason to read is to gain knowledge. When I read, I gain knowledge without even realizing it. Reading books allows my imagination to soar and reading the newspaper and/or a magazine helps me gain knowledge about the world and all its different people.
Courtney Hudson
Student
17
I really don't like to read unless they are books that help me in the future. My favorite books are those that pertain to computers.
Stephen Collins
Cashier
17
My favorite reason to read is that of the joy of having a good book in my hand sitting under a tree on a sunny day which makes me feel awesome. To get into the book and to understand what the author is trying to tell me.
David Domis
Student
17
I like to read because I like to update my mind on the knowledge of the world today.
Meredith Martinez
Student
17
My mother makes me do it. Teachers make me do it. Uncle makes me do it. School makes me do it. I like to do it.
Derek Moultrie
Food Service
17
My favorite reason to read is because I enjoy reading and knowing some information that is important to know. I love reading magazines and novels.
Rasmita Meisuria
Student
17
My favorite reason to read would have to be for relaxation. Reading is a time were I am by myself and can do some thinking.
Torrance Squirewell
Student
17
I read to find my pathway to success. It's something that I hold on to that helps me live my life with passion for Christ.
Tiffany Gathers
Student
17
Here are my 25 reasons: to inspire, to teach, to learn, to enjoy, to imagine, to express myself, to fantazise, to dream, to improve my skills, to exclude myself, to laugh, to cry, to fall in love, to create, to experience, to believe, to travel, to live, to relax, stay alert, know updates, always accomplish, openly visualize, be define.
Candis L. Richardson
Student
17
My favorite reason to read is to gain knowledge and learn life experiences. I read the Bible daily and I gain much wisdom from it.
Jennifer Allen
Student at Irmo High School
17
My favorite reason for reading is because it betters my vocabulary. It opens up many windows for my imaganation to run wild.
Latoya Hersey
Student
17
I really don't have a favorite reason for reading but to inspire myself while I read and understand what I read so that I can learn for success.
Joanne Allen
Student
17
I really don't have a reason to read, but I do like reading magazines that have black people in them. I'm not a racist it's just that I don't find anything interesting in them if they don't have any black people in them. Black people make things interesting because they always have something going on in their lives.
LaBarraus Bridges

17
I really don't like to read but magazines with interesting covers, short stories, and fine men I enjoy. Also books about black history, sports, and educational infomation.
Tonique Crawley
High School Student
17
I like to read because reading is very educational. You can learn a lot of things from reading books. Reading a book can broaden your vocabulary.
Cheryl Hope Deas
To keep informed.
Sally P. Knight
I like to read because it helps me dream and imagine things better. Reading takes you to another world, while you escape the real world.
Ali Rayfield
Student
15
There are so many different stories and books, so reading never gets old.
Brian Leventis
My favorite reason to read is to learn more and know more about the world I am living in. To learn more so I can do well in school.
Trisha Miller
Student
15
I read for many reasons. My favorite reason to read is that I enjoy reading and I enjoy the stories the authors come up with.
Heather Helrigel
High School Student
15
I like reading because I learn a lot from it. It keeps me from being bored, and it lets my imagination go wild.
Jennifer Sears
Student
15
I like to read because I can use my imagination to create a visual picture of my own of all of the characters and settings.
Monica Wagner
Student at Irmo High School
15
My favorite reason to read is because as soon as I open the book, "I know I'm not in Kansas anymore."
Salia Long
Student
15
My favorite reason to read is because you build your vocabulary.
Ashley Johnson
Student
15
My favorite reason to read is that I learn new and bigger words. I do better in school because of reading.
Trisha Miller
Student
15
Because a good book, a comfortable chair, and a warm patch of sunlight offer a better getaway package than any travel agent can.
T. M. Jorstad
Executive Assistant
28
Reading for me is empowerment and this vital and important information from books, magazines, and newspapers allows me to not equal, but excel.
Edward Maner
Teacher
49
Staying at home and reading helps me stay out of trouble.
Jonathan Dennis
Student
17
People read to catch up on sports, news, and history. Reading is relaxing and a good task to do to make a bad day good.
Josh Puryear
Student
17
I think it's just fun to read. It makes me relax and have time to myself.
Donny Culver
Student
18
I like to read because it's relaxing. It's a good thing to do when you're stressed. It's also a good way to learn new things.
Chris Thomas
Student
17
My favorite reason to read is that it can take you far and depending on what you read it can take your mind far. You can explore places.
Demetrius McIntosh
Student
17
My favorite reason to read is because it gets me away from reality and puts me wherever I want to be!
Colby Prime
Student
17
The reason I enjoy reading is because it helps me to forget about everything else that is going on. Reading is the key to education.
Bethany Ritchie
Student
16
I like to read because each book is a different adventure. You can leave the problems of life and be an entirely different person.
Jason Kirkland
Student
17
My favorite reason to read is to get information about a subject I'm interested in. Another reason would be to relax and go to sleep.
Rebecca McGraw
Rising High Natural Bread Company
17
I like to read because it is fun. I enjoy reading books by Stephen King. They are very entertaning.
Allen Oglesby

17
I like to read for many reasons. It informs me of the news in the world. That is one of the reasons I read.
William Shrigley
Mechanic
18
I like to read for many reasons, one of which is it lets me know what's going on in our world today and how interesting our world is.
LaShaun Rogers
Food Service
17
When I want a rush of excitement or a trip to the moon, extended imagination and exciting literature take me.
Alicia Ramsey

17
I like to read because sometimes there are really some interesting books out there. For instance I like to read books by Stephen King.
Louise Wentworth
My favorite reason to read is because you can learn a lot of stuff. Reading is very educational and is a large key to success in life.
Greg Weston
Student
17
I have many reasons that I like to read. My number one reason I like to read is for my education. I like to read to learn about things. I also like to read for fun and that is also the number one reason that most people like to read.
Shayla Chavis
Hostess
17
Reading is one of my favorite hobbies. Although time is very scarce in my busy schedule I try to read every day. I love reading because it improves my vocabulary every time I read.
Joel Shayne Hilton
Golf Course Maintence
17
The reason why I like to read is because it helps me learn about different topics. I read because it helps me spend my free time wisely, and keeps me out of trouble.
Meeka Jones
Hostess
17
There are many reasons that I like to read and the number one reason is to learn. I also like to read because it is fundamental and it is also interesting.
Alondo Boyd
Body Work
18
Reading allows me to meet new people and travel to their worlds. It is relaxing and exciting and allows me to continue learning.
Margo Waddell
Family Literacy Specialist
53
I like to read because it is very fundamental. Reading can take you a long way in life because if you didn't know how to read you would not be able to survive. I like to read because it informs me of what is going on in the world.
Amber Robinson

16
To me reading is an exercise for my brain. So my favorite reason to read would have to be that it opens up my imagination.
Charlie Dupuy
Student
17
My favorite reason to read is to sharpen up my skills so whenever I want to make a speech I can speak properly.
Greg Booth
Computer Programmer
18
The reason why I like reading is because it is fun, and you can find a lot of interesting things when you read.
Korey Coit
Student
17
The reason why I like to read is because the more I read the faster I can accomplish things.
Marquita Boyd
Student
16
My favorite reason to read is because it makes you smart. Whether it is reading the newspaper or reading a comic book, knowledge is power.
Chelsea Felder
Student
17
My favorite reason to read is that it takes you places that you have never been. You can live your imagination through reading.
Marquitta Gleaton
Student
16
Reading is a great source of things to do in life. It takes you through the aspects of life that contain logical thinking.
Ashlea Haltiwanger
Student
17
My reason to read is that it gives you more knowledge and it takes you places that are imaginable. No matter where you are you are never alone as long you have a book with you.
Roberta Laporte
Student
16
Reading is the cheapest way to travel! That's my favorite reason to read. Growing up, reading provided a safe means of escape - all I needed was a library card and I could go anywhere, do anything, and be anybody. Later, in an interview with Paul Baca of the half-time show during the Socorro Council Meetings, he told me "your library card is your passport." I had never thought of my library card as being my passport, but he's right - it was then and it still is now.
Barbara M. Romero
LVA-Socorro County, Program Director
41
To escape the stresses of everyday life and to transport myself into another world that is more interesting than mine.
Anne Stiene-Martin
Retired University Professor
60
Reading is an excape from the norm for a short time. Time to indulge!
Nellie Nutting
Instructor

LVA Rock Springs, WY
LVA Volunteer
I read because I absolutely love to do it. Through reading, I have learned more about myself, the world and the universe.
Cathy Hilton
Attorney
41
LVA--Metropolitan Atlanta
LVA Volunteer
Reading allows you to see the world from your front porch; allows you to live out your dreams from the security of your bedroom; allows possibilities to arise from limited options. There is nothing that cannot be read about, learned, and experienced through the magic of a book. Passing the love of the written word is the greatest gift we can give to our children.
Melissa Jarvis
Columnist/Homemaker
34
All Americans should read to be able hold and perform job responsibilities.
Angelo Alberti
Service Planner
50
Operation Read
LVA Volunteer
A good book gives all the symptoms of being in love: racing heart, thrills, intense emotions, sweaty palms - without the hassles of another person.
Carolyn Marret
Sales
33
I read to learn! I can learn about many more people and ideas, far away and in interesting activities, than I ever could experience directly.
Marc Gordon
Trainer/Researcher
43
Indiana Literacy Foundation
My reason for reading is so that my mind can "boldly go where it has not before."
Martin Chen
Attorney
34

LVA Volunteer
Reading takes you on a magical journey, allowing you to discover and explore new places, people, ideas, and fantasies.
Stephanie Wyant
Attorney
33
The reason I like to read is to escape the real world and to place myself as one of the main characters in my romance novels.
Stephanie Parrott
Student
17
Reading is my involvement with knowledge, travel, fantasy, relaxation, and broader horizons. I can read leisurely in private for pleasure and broaden my mind's vision.
Donald N. Thurber
Retired Teacher, School Board Member, and Author - D'Nealian Handwriting
72
I read to enlighten my brain with new knowledge I did not previously know.
Carrie Kirkpatrick
Student
14
Reading helps me keep up with my everchanging work enviroment and relax after a long day.
Jim Kirkpatrick
Insurance Representative and President, LVA Rhode Island
51

LVA Volunteer
I read so that I can teach others.
Faith Kirkpatrick
Student
17

LVA Volunteer
Reading illuminates previously hidden beauty. It connects us with the world despite time and space. The intelligence and understanding some are capable of is inspiring.
Dennis Osorio
External Diploma Program Advisor/Assessor
26
Washington Literacy Learning Center
I read to expand my life and horizons.
Rick Peck
CNC Programmer
43
America should read because it opens the doors of the world to us and imparts within us the knowledge we need to fulfill our dreams.
Helen LiMarzi
Administrator
53
LVA Putnam County, NY
You need to read because if you read a job form you must have reading and writing skills. I love to read because one of my cousins can't read or write. Also, my mom is a poet, and my grandmother said if you don't read you'll never make it in life. But the real reason is I made a promise my grandmother I will stay in school.
Jerry Smith
LVA Student
21
Round Up for Literacy
I read to gain knowledge and for enjoyment. You can travel anywhere with a book and never leave home. My favorite reason, though, is to read to my children and grandchildren. What a joy that is, to share favorite books and poems and silly knock-knock jokes. Being able to read is a gift!
Cheryl M. Bragger
VISTA Coordinator
57
LVA-Trempealeau County
My reasons? Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, Dune by Frank Herbert, and Discover magazine.
Kate Rajala
Director of Operations

LVA - Westchester County Affiliate, Inc.
My favorite reason to read is to be able to help others.
Lawrence D Etchison
Poco the Magic Clown
42
Literacy Volunteers of Preston County
LVA Student
Reading helps me relax. I take several books on vacation and read them all. It is exercise for my brain.
Patricia Dubey
Realtor
41
My favorite reason for reading is that reading can be fundamental, and so much fun. I enjoy settling down to a good book every now and then. I have kids, and this enables me to help them with homework. Learning to read has benefited me, and anyone else whom I can help.
Bobby Moreland
Student
37
Round Up for Literacy
To read is to CONSTRUCT REALITY by learning what we know...knowing what we learn. But best of all, reading provides us with the tools to fabricate fantasy when REALITY seems too harsh.
Elizabeth Booth

LVA Tutor
I read to visit places I've never been, to meet people I'll never know, and to enjoy experiences about which I can only dream.
Deborah Kelly
Teacher
50
I enjoy reading because it gives me something to do. No matter what book you read you always learn something interesting.
Courtney Sowell
Student
14
My favorite reason to read is that you can learn all about different people, places, and things.
Lauren Huebner
Student
14
I like to read because it's really fun! I'd rather spend my time reading an interesting novel than watching a boring, dull football game.
Shane Lawson
Student
16
I like reading because I learn from it. Other reasons are that it keeps me from being bored, and it lets my imagination go wild.
Jennifer Sears
Student
14
I like to read because I can use my imagination and create a visual picture of my own of all of the characters and settings.
Monica Wagner
Student
15
I like reading because it is like watching a movie, except you get to make up yourself what everything in the story looks like.
Lauren Calkins
Typist
15
I like to read because it helps me use my imagination and helps me to learn all about our world's history.
Kathy Vaughn
Student
15
I read for many reasons. My favorite reason to read is that I enjoy reading and I enjoy the stories the authors come up with.
Heather Helrigel
Student
15
When I read, I'm not only Paris, I'm what I'm reading. I'm amazed what a book can do to your imagination - that's my favorite reason!
Paris Nicole Stephens
Student
I like to read because it helps you learn more and understand what you are reading. By reading you can also find out lots of information. People who CAN read can also help other people learn to read who don't know how.
Lakiesha Ogletree
Student
"Education is the passport to the future for tomorrow belongs to those who prepared for it today." - Malcolm X
If you do not read; no education. No education equals no future. Think about that!
Chantale Edouard
Program Coordinator
22
A reason to read is so you read a bedtime story to your children!!
Archana Ailawadhi
Service Learning Coordinator
22
So I can read books and become more and more educated!
Rachel St.Germain
Grant Coordinator
23
Reading takes me away to a place of total relaxation - and sometimes allows me to walk awhile in someone else's shoes...if only in my imagination!
Brenda Cafazza
Director Information Services
49
Reading helps me to relax, to go places I might never go and to meet people I might never know otherwise. Reading energizes my spirit.
Louise Johnson
Elementary School Counselor
50
My reason for reading is to learn, live, and grow. I learn new things when I read, I understand the world around me better (or at least think about it more!), and I grow mentally and spiritually when I read.
Diane Taylor
Administrator
46
Kenai Peninsula College
I think it is wonderful to be able to read old novels (1910-1940's) to catch the flavor of the times they were written. There is really no better way to step into the shoes of people who grew up and lived and loved than reading their thoughts and words.
Sharon Gilbert
Public Relations Director
55
The Literacy Connection
To view the beauty of our world through the eyes of an author warms my heart and gives me faith in humanity.
Lewis Armstrong
Librarian
59

LVA Volunteer
To find escape from everyday routine and for relaxation.
Reyna Garcia
Library Aide

Los Angeles County Public Library Baldwin Park
With a little imagination and a lot of reading (or a little reading and a lot of imagination) you can go anywhere, anytime, any way you choose.
Walter H. Curchack
Lawyer
49

LVA Volunteer, LVA, Inc. Board of Directors
My favorite reason to read is I like to share what I learn with friends, family, and acquaintances. Reading is fun and very fulfilling. It makes me feel knowledgeable and super smart!!!
Elizabeth
Library Aide

County of Los Angeles Library Baldwin Park
I open the book and start to read and the movie starts in my head. I don't like to see movies made from books because my imagination does a much better job than Hollywood does.
E. Michielle Katkowsky
Bookkeeper
52
County of Los Angeles Public Library, Baldwin Park
LVA Tutor
My favorite reason to read is because I love to read. I've been reading since I was a youngster and cannot imagine what my life would be like without books.
Barbara Ponzio
Semi-Retired
63
County of Los Angeles Public Library, Baldwin Park
I like to read because I could learn something new every time I open a book.
Cynthia Bautista

County of Los Angeles Public Library
LVA Tutor
One of my favorite reasons to read is to get informed of stuff. Another reason is to spend time reading.
Antonio Marin
Student
14
County of Los Angeles Public Library
LVA Volunteer
Reading has opened the doors of opportunity because I have visited places without being there physically and I have experienced and learned other things through reading. Reading is knowledge and power for one's self.
Luz M. Gonzalez
Literacy Aide

Couty of Los Angeles Public Library
LVA Staff
Reading allows me to be someone else, to know what someone else is thinking. It not only stimulates the mind, it sharpens the imagination.
Zulema Henriquez
Library Page/Homework Center Tutor
19

LVA Tutor
Reading is a passport to the world. You can go anywhere with anyone in any time period by escaping into a book or story. Freedom!
Rochelle Gealt
Reading Teacher
54
The reason I love to read is because I always learn something new. It could be the meaning of a word to the meaning of life.
Sonia Bautista
Library Assistant
25
County of Los Angeles Public Library
LVA Volunteer
To escape into an adventure of my choice.
Karen H. Joichin
Without being able to read, I couldn't enter a contest like this!
Sue Steinbring
Executive Director
64
LVA-Bastrop
I like to read because I want to improve my English and sometimes when I talk with people they do not understand what I said.
Fang Zheng
Student
20
LVA-Schoharie County, Inc.
To be captivated by a book, making you feel like you are part of the story. Also traveling to countries without having to carry luggage.
Pamela Curry
Business Consultant
42
To escape into another world. I have been a voracious reader since I learned to read at age 3. Whenever my day is going a little rough, I take a book down to the park and read it all away.
Katie Johnson
Director of Marketing
30
I read to enjoy God's gifts to me - my sight, my ability to comprehend and reason, and my ability to feel joy, excitement, wonder and sadness.
Jim Williamson
United Way of Dutchess County, NY
50
I read to escape, I read to relax, I read to learn, and I read to share special times with my children.
Rochel Abrams
Media Specialist/Resource Teacher
48
I like to read because I want to improve my skills.
Rosa Evelia Vega
Housekeeper
39
County of LA Public Library
LVA Student
So that I can float on the lake with Anne of Green Gables, survive the Civil War with Scarlett, live the Russian Revolution through the eyes of Ayn Rand and never have to leave southern Illinois.
Mabel Hayes
Director of Literacy, John A. Logan College
49
LVA John A. Logan College
My favorite reason to read is because I learn new stuff every time I read.
Sandra Romo
Student
16
Literacy Center
LVA Student
I need to know what is happening around me, and it is an opportunity for me to be in touch with many people, and share different kinds of thoughts and ideas.
Xenia Ramos Villela
Student
27

LVA Volunteer
My favorite reason to read is because it's the safest way to be a part of the Mafia, the Holocaust, and in wars. A book can be so much better than a movie sometimes and you can gain a certain satisfaction from reading that is unlike anything else. I love to read, especially the great writers of today - comedy books from Tim Allen and Drew Carey, Stephen King thrillers and bestsellers such as The Green Mile and Needful Things. There are so many good reasons to read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Thomas A. Pethybridge
Student
18
Reading provides me with an opportunity to share a moment with my children, in an all too busy world.
Carol Piechnik
Director
35
LVA-Schoharie County, Inc.
I read because it is the only thing that I know that makes life bearable.
Deborah M. Fanning
Homemaker
49
My fondest memories of reading were during pre-adolescence and I enjoyed the Judy Blume series, with Margaret as the main character. My favorite reason to read is because it transforms ones' world view. You then know that there's someone else out there who feels or is interested in the same things that you are - it's another validating experience.
Shiann Brown
Executive Director
33
Literacy Volunteers of Greater Syracuse
A chance to step into someone else's world, whether it be fantasy, a travelogue, a historical account, and share their experience.
Carolyn M. Hackworth
Training Support Specialist
54
Operation Read
LVA Tutor
Reading - a way to escape to a wonderful world of creativity, fantasy, learning and imagination, which helps to handle the realities of life!
Terri Lynn Bickford
LVA Program Assistant
44
LVA Chenango County
Since I am a single parent with a daughter and not a lot of funds, reading lets me take off for places without leaving my home.
Shari Epps
Teacher
41
Reading helps me adjust to my environment and opens the door to wherever I want to go, for whatever I want to do.
Nicholas C. Bressi
Artist
45
LVA at Thrall Library
LVA Tutor
I like to read for enjoyment and to keep up with what is happening in the world.
Ann Shoemaker
Retired Teacher, Tutor
56
County of Los Angeles Public Library, Baldwin Park Literacy Program
I love to read because it is enjoyable and exciting. Reading improves the imagination and enables your mind to go places it's never been.
Courtney D. Ware
Student
16
I love to read because I have a very curious mind. Reading feeds my curiosity and helps me imagine and explore new horizons.
Brandon D. Ware
Student
14
I read so that I can better understand myself, other people, where we've all come from, and where we can get to together!
Amy Slutz
I read because it's healthy for mind, spirit, and soul.
Ted Slutz
Writer
30
When I read a book it takes me away from all of the stresses of daily life. The only limits are my imagination. It immerses me in a world of adventure and knowledge.
Jennifer Peterson
Literacy Coordinator
25
Reading challenges my mind. The information available is endless.
Anthony Peterson
Manager
25
Being Mexican/American my reading skills were never that great and I had to take advanced reading in college before I could start any curriculum just to keep up. That was the start. Now I have a master's in PA! It helped me so much I now want to give back to the community. Now I hear my Thai students say "When I pass my citizenship test, it's on to college!" That gives me the stamina to come each day to the library after working 8 hours just to see their smiling faces and their eagerness to learn.
Sara E. Davila
Admin. Asst. Army Corps of Engineers
48
Bay County Public Libray
LVA Tutor
I like to read because it takes me away from the stress of the world around me and takes me away from my problems and puts me in a perfect world where there is no violence or all the bad stuff in this world. I love to read.
Erin Morgenthaler
Student
15
I read because it lets me escape reality and enter my own world, where I make the rules. Plus, who wouldn't like to hang out with mythical creatures for a few minutes?
Andrea McFall
Student
15
Reading is a way for me to visit all the exotic places I might never get to see.
Brad Harris
Executive Director
32
Literacy Kansas City
I love to read e-mail and letters from my family because I can feel their love through their words.
Marie Doerner
LD Specialist
46
I hope that reading doesn't ever become an exotic hobby like tatting or whittling. I don't think that it will. Reading gets me dates. It makes me beautiful and popular. A girl reading a book is one million times sexier than someone with a Gameboy, a cell phone, or a thumb-twiddler. If everybody read, we'd all be smarter, funnier and friendlier - definite date material.
Margaret Rodriguez
Librarian Trainee
24
My favorite reason to read is it gives me an excuse to sit around in my pajamas!
Janis Doty
Volunteer Coordinator
35
Literacy Kansas City
LVA Tutor
Because it's just cool.
Ryan MacCammon
Student
18
My number one reason to read is to educate; ourselves and future generations.
Beth Hoyt
Student
25
Sometimes the pressures of this world become too great and you need a break. Books open the world, allowing you do whatever your heart desires.
Vera Carter
Student
13
I read to stay sane and to expand my experiences and horizons.
Marty Angelone
Manager

LVA, Inc.
LVA Staff
I read because it is as much a part of me as eating, sleeping and breathing. I read everything. I fill every idle moment by reading something. My grandchildren don't realize it yet, but Grandma is passing on this addiction. The have activity bags that go everywhere with us, so there''s always an easily accessible book. My seven-year-old grandson read to me daily, and my ten-year-old granddaughter delights in reading to her three year-old sister. For us, reading is indeed a family affair.
Altamese Hamilton
My favorite reason for reading is to learn. I am learning all I can about early brain development, so I can help others learn also.
Deborah Schmid
Family Literacy Coordinator
45
To broaden my knowledge locally and nationwide. I cannot afford to visit other countries but they can come to me through reading.
Johnnie M. Boyd
Counselor/Recruiter
50
Actually, there are two reasons I read: 1) I am a visual learner and when I want an answer, I find a book and 2) it's how I relax. I have seen individuals increase knowledge and vocabulary simply by reading a work of fiction. For low level readers, I always suggest books on tape and as adjunct faculty - the first thing I ask for is to see your library card. Inquiring minds want to know - read a book!
Susan D. Fleck
Special Needs Program Coordinator
49
Literacy/Career Assistance Center/Scott Community College
To gain knowledge, that when tempered by experience, will produce wisdom.
Lequita Spear
Homemaker/College Graduate
52
Reading, for me, is a passport - a vacation from the mundane! I can be anyone, go anywhere, experience anything - all through the pages of a book.
Laura Farwell
ESL Program Coordinator, Seattle WA
24
My favorite reason to read is just relaxation. My love of reading has taken me to many places that I probably can't visit. It has also given me knowledge to help myself and others. Thank goodness we have the printed page!
Anita Boutet
Retired Teacher and LVA Coor. & Trainer
59
Greater Saco/Biddeford Affiliate
Because a book is where dragons can fly and the blind can see.
Samantha Brooks
Student
18
Because it can help me in my job.
Jose M. Gutierrez
Empacador
29
Los Angeles County Public Library
LVA Student
Reading is very important for me because nobody can fool me. I can read for myself and make a judgement from one author to another. I can read any subject from different sources and compare them from one to each other.
Cirila Russell
Housewife

Framingham, MA
LVA Student
I like to read because it is some thing you can do when you have nothing to do, and it helps you learn important things like spelling, reading, and writing.
Miguel Gallegos
Student
14
Los Angeles County Public Library Literacy Program
The reason I like to read, is because the more you read the more you improve the way you write and talk. When I want to read I look for something that gets my attention, and also something I'm into.
Edwin Avarado
Student
17
County of L.A Public Library Literacy
I like to read because it's fun and you get to imagine things.
Alcides Abundes
Student
11
County of Los Angeles Public Library Literacy
I like to read because books open your imagination, and give you a different way to view things.
Alejandra Moreno
Student
16
County of Los Angeles Public Library
The reason I like to read is because I imagine things and then I draw them.
Angel Soriano
Student
12
County of Los Angeles Public Library
When I read my mind expands. I become more educated and cultured.
Bertha L. Sicairos
Child Care Attendant
49
County of Los Angeles Public Library, Baldwin Park
I like to read because my imagination expands.
Jeanette Sicairos
Student
12
County of Los Angeles Public Library, Baldwin Park
My favorite reason to read is because I like stories.
Jasmine Sicairos
Student
10
County of Los Angeles Public Library, Baldwin Park
It is the best way to learn. You don't need to travel around the world if you just take a book and read it. You will learn about all those places.
Juana Ambriz
Stay-at-Home Mom
28
County of Los Angeles Public Library, Baldwin Park
LVA Student
People should read because it is fundamental.
Devin Bennett
Student
19
It allows me to go to other worlds, see how other people live, all without leaving my chair.
Mary Ann Dixon
Retired
72
To escape from the day to day realities of this world to my dream world. Also to seek and experience life from different worlds.
Rosemary Churchill
Case Manager HACA Family Link Resource Ctr.
58
HACA Family Link Resource Center
My young children see me reading. They understand that reading is a source of information and enjoyment, and they love to read.
Karen Oswald
Executive Director
37
The Literacy Connection
My favorite reason is the pleasure I've had, since my first storybook, in becoming part of so many wonderful, or even tragic, lives and worlds.
Jeanne A. Rowe
Basic Literacy Program Coordinator

The Literacy Connection
I read because it is an energy boost for both mind and body!
Helene Levine
Director of Customer Relations
52
Anixter Center
I read to make sense of my life, making connections to the world I'm reading about to the world I'm reading in.
Scott Lunsford
Writer
30
I can't think of a reason not to read. Reading takes my imagination to places it would otherwise never see. I read for language itself: how authors create with words. And reading is a great escape into a world other than mine.
Neil Mikota
Sales Support
36
I read to learn, to grow, and to explore; but mostly because I love it.
Paula Jackmore
Staff Trainer
29
By reading I can visit places, people, and times that would not be possible for me to do otherwise.
Joyce Reynolds
ABE Teacher/Literacy Coordinator
51
LVA Otero County, NM
To fill my brain with knowledge.
Sandi McDonough
Customer Service Secretary
37
To be able read empowers you, improves your self-esteem, and opens the door to reaching your full potential, and helps you become independent.
Marie Gallegos
Executive Director

LVA, Inc.-Cibola County
The reason I like to read is to gain knowledge and knowhow. I love to read to go back in time or foward into the future.
Melody Thomas
Enforcement Assistant
45
The reason is because when you read you learn new stuff. Also for school and to get a good job and be a good person, and so when your kids ask you to read to them you don't have to say no. It does not just help you but you help your family too. When you have kids they can see that they can do it. And if we all help each other to read the kids of today could have a bright future tomorrow, because we are the future.
Liset Ceron
Student
16
County of Los Angeles Public Library
Because it can help me with my kid and my home.
Monica Balderas

28
County of Los Angeles Public Library
LVA Student
Es importante por que me gusta leer la Biblia y me gusta leer otros libros.
Lucina Valadez
Masking Parts
53
County of Los Angeles Public Library
LVA Student
I read to discover a bit of life's meaning told in a story that makes me realize we're all humans together.
Barbara Brown
Communications & Marketing Officer
47
Anchorage Literacy Project
LVA Volunteer
My wife says I"ll miss too much if I don't read...and she's right!
Barry Gealt
Teacher
56
My favorite reason to read is R.I.F. That means, Reading Is Fundamental.
Haliama Calliste
Student
I love to read to my children because it's a time for us to be together in our imaginations.
Ursula Rothe Correll
Homemaker
43
I read to reduce stress.
Frank Correll
Executive
46
Books can take you to places you'll never be able to physically travel.
Charles Tookey
Executive Director, Private Literacy Organization
54
I read technical books and publications to increase my knowledge and fiction for entertainment, split about 50/50. In each case I have to filter through several items before finding the ones that I wont to read. I read some, every day.
Jack Gardner
Retired
84
Anaheim Public Library Life Literacy Program
To meet new people and travel to new places!
Kristen Polanski
VISTA-America Reads Coordinator
25
My favorite reason to read is that there is nothing better than to curl up in bed with a book and a cat on a rainy afternoon and be transported to the faraway place that a book takes you to.
Karla Gottlieb
Volunteer Coordinator
33
Reading allows my imagination to run as wild as it wants too!
Alissa Magrum
Learn and Serve Program Officer
26
There are many more interesting books to read than TV shows to view!
Cynthia C. Carlson
LVA Director
58
LV of Otsego & Delaware Counties
Entertainment in its best form!
Hella Viola
Tutor
64
LV of Otsego & Delaware Counties
LVA Tutor
The reason for me to read is because when I have doubts or questions about translating into any other language or to find out about any illness, I just read and educate myself. If I have any questions about the way I'm raising my daughter, as far as colds or education, as long as I have a library with books I feel confident and sure of my procedures. I'm glad books are available to me, for my family's own good. We just had a death in the family and we were not aware of the illness, so I went and read about the illness and it made me understand the illness better.
Elbia Gardea
Housewife
34
County of Los Angeles Library
LVA Student
Reading lets me travel to different cultures, different time periods, into different people's minds...without even leaving my home. Reading teaches me, challenges me, inspires me, and gives me hope. Reading is a joy that I treasure deeply!
Ann Bailey
Director of Community Service
26
Reading lets me escape into another world and travel to new and exciting places while still in the comfort of my home.
Mary Tolman
Prevention Program Coordinator
22
I like to read three books at a time because it's like having three diffferent TV channels, I never get bored.
Sarah Connelly
After-school Program Supervisor
28
Safe Havens for Youth
My main reason is because I can learn more and help my three daugthers. The older one wants to know more about her own problems and I think that only through the books I can learn how to help her, not only in this matter but with homework, too. Another reason is that reading helps me to learn more about English and others subjects like math, science and general knowlege about children.
Erlinda Carrero
Housekeeper
37
County of Los Angeles Public Library
LVA Student
Reading gives me time to myself and helps clear my head of life's obligations.
Mary Primm
Educational Administrator
34
Reading is a way to learn about places and events in the past and present. It opens up a whole new world. The joy I get from seeing a childs face light up when I read to them is truly amazing. I think that is my favorite reason for reading.
Tamara Myers
Student, Educator
32
I read for many reasons but my favorite reason to read is to experience things in my imagination that are different from my everyday world.
Christine Schlichting
Executive Director, Nonprofit Agency
49
There is no greater joy for me than to be reading a book to my grandson Max, when he begins to read the words with me. Hopefully, it is just the beginning of a never ending passion.
Kathryn Parsons
Student Employment Director
52
Reading enables me to meet other people, visit other places, experience other lives, all from the comfort of my own universe.
Betsy Rosenblatt
Writer/Editor
26
I like to read because it enriches my life. Reading can take me to places I've never have been. It also enables me to gain wisdom and knowledge of things going on around me. I truly hope I can encourage others and children to grab a hold of this precious thing called reading.
Christine Campbell
Americorp Vista
I read to improve my knowledge, especially to improve my writing.
Ken Khounborin
Student
20
I love to read because you learn more things about history.
Joe Satterlee
Student
22
My favorite reason to read is to learn more and/or new things about anything and everything. I write music so I have to be able to read it. I also write poems so I read to help my writing skills. My favorites are scary stories and music.
Curtis Taylor
Student
I read to learn new things about people in the past.
Alberto Aguilar
Student
17
I read because it gives me a lot of information.
Miguel Gonzalez

30
My favorite reason to read is because it is interesting to hear or know about things that happen somewhere else.
Robert McCallister
I love reading because I love to learn, and because I feel connected with the author when I read something that I savor and enjoy.
Wendy Mongeau
Elementary School Teacher
29
Stoughton Public Library Chapter
LVA Tutor
I read to live.
Jacquelynn Grote
Teacher
25
In my one man show I share my excitement for reading by singing about and demonstrating things I�ve learned to do by using this skill.
Jeff Reiter
Educational Consultant and Tutor Trainer
59
Reading is a privilege. There are so many people in this world that would love to know how, but through either lack of resources or inablility, they are unable. We should always take advantage of this incredible gift we are given.
Elizabeth Ramsey
Student (High School Senior)
17
Nothing is so wonderful as curling up with a cup of tea, a dog at my feet, and a book to sweep my imagination away.
Jennifer Cox
French Teacher
45
Because it takes me somehwhere I've never been and sometimes somewhere I never want to go.
Jean-Marie Bibb
Because it is fun and it gives me imagination.
Jasmine Wilcots
Student
10
Lynwood Library
To learn how to learn more. They make me laugh sometimes. I like to read books of space. I like to read books so I could do a book report. My mom makes me to read a lot of books. They are cool.
Erick Gomez
Student
8
Lynwood Library Literacy
I like to read health. It is very interesting to read. And I could write a report too.
Estephanie Hernandez
Student
7
Lynwood Library Literacy
I like to read because it is really fun and we could learn words and read more.
Jessica Bernal
Student
9
Lynwood Library Literacy
It is fun. It is good for you. It make you learn. It is good. The teacher can help you read. I would look for an intresting book.
Brandon Solares
Student
8
Lynwood Library Literacy
I like to read science books because they are really fun books. They show you experiments and you could learn a lot about them and if you read a lot about them you could be a scientist when you grow up.
Karla Arevalo
Student
9
Lynwood Library Literacy
I like to read good books. I like to read because it is fun and it makes you learn more.
Ricardo Montelongo
Student
8
Lynwood Library Literacy
My favorite reason to read is that they have pictures and lots of words to read and learn. If it has pictures I don't like it! I only like the ones with words. Because I can just imagine in my head what's it about.
Margarita Pineda
Student
9
Lynwood Library Literacy
My favorite reason to read is to read quietly and because I don't have to talk.
Mayra Vega
Student
9
Lynwood Library Literacy
Because I can learn and because it makes me happy.
Silvestre Navarrete
Student
11
Lynwood Library Literacy
If we don't read we will not learn anything. I want to be a doctor and I have to study hard and mostly read. If I don't read I will not learn and I will not be able to be a doctor. People are very intelligent for their reading.
Anais Campos
Student
10
Lynwood Library Literacy
So I can learn more about stuff that is real or is happening.
Christain Garcia
Student
10
Lynwood Library Literacy
You learn a lot of things and you get more smarter and you learn more. When you read you get more smarter!
Rocio Gallegos
Student
9
Lynwood Library Literacy
I read at home a lot, that way my mom won't make me do chores. My favorite books are the Goosebumps - I read almost all of them!
Daniel Navarrete
Student
10
Lynwood Library Literacy
Reading is a great way to pass the time on a rainy day.
Kay S. Bailey
Program Director Learn and Serve America
50
My favorite reasons to read are for relaxation, enjoyment, to take me to wondrous people and places. But, the most important reasons to read are my grandchildren. Reading with my grandchildren brings me joy. We learn together.
Malinda K. Duncan
Foster Grandparent Program Director
To feed my soul.
Andrae England
My favorite reason to read is because I learn a lot usually.
Morgan Sharpe
Student
7
There is no better way to exercise the mind than to read books.
Jody Staggs

30
If I have a book or magazine to read, I am never bored. I read for information on topics in which I am interested, and I read for sheer pleasure. I have always read and loved it!
Barbara Denton
Educational Grant Writer
Reading is the best way to share the human experience. To learn about how other people have chosen to live their lives and how they think and feel. I read to be inspired! :)
Abby Gladstone-Strobel
AmeriCorps*VISTA America Reads-Vermont
23
Reading is the window to the world that not only shows you what is there but allows you to imagine between the lines.
Linda Summers
Service Learning Coordinator
56
Literacy Volunteers of America Lee County
I have always loved to read as it is my best way to escape to a place that is magical, no matter the subject or style of presentation, whether reading alone, with my children or other persons.
Carol H. Rasco
Director, America Reads Challenge
I like reading because I love using my imagination and soaring through history and time. It is so exciting to go to different worlds, times, and places. I love books with sadness, excitement, and adventure.
Sarah Sharpe

10
My mind is cluttered with thoughts of the day. I open a book and it takes me away. I can think about my troubles another day.
Kelly Morrow
Recreation Center Worker
18
I love to read because I can travel anywhere that I would like and meet people of all types. These are mini vacations at no cost!
Barbara A. Frier
Executive Director - Non Profit
49
Reading brings far away places, times, and new friends all to meet you.
Mike Adams
RSVP America Reads Coordinator
59
Reading is the great equalizer! When we all read, we all explore and grow together.
L. Robert Bolling
Manager, Richmond Region Reads
42
When you open up a book you can become part of the story and experience the lives of the characters...taking you to another place and time. I love to read to learn as well.
Holly Scheonhoff
Financial Aid Counselor
29
When I read novels, it helps me to learn about different time periods and cultures by reading about others experiences. Reading enriches my life.
Meg Wright
Student
15
I love experiencing, learning new things. I can travel around the world, universe from my armchair or bed. Reading has enabled me to grow as a person, through the words and thoughts of others. I have been able to confirm my values while exploring those of others. I can share my favorites with friends and strangers alike. I love reading.
Patricia Spain
AmeriCorps, Promise Fellow
49
It allows me to get into the stories.
Abigayle Piechnik
Family Literacy Student
8
LVA-Schoharie County
I like to read because books help me to fall asleep.
Dehlia Piechnik
Family Literacy Student
7
LVA-Schoharie County
Reading helps you to think about things in a different way or to visit that place you've always wanted to go to!
Nancy Sharpe
Student
14 (grade 9)
I love to learn from books like the Bible because when you can read a fascinating but true story that strengthens your faith, it's radical!
Marshall Sharpe

12
Reading is a way I can relax and at the same time educate myself and keep in touch with what is happening around me.
Joan Wywialowski
LVA-Price County Executive Director
62
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IIIII
( o o )
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This guy says that you should read...do you really want to disappoint him?
Martin Hansen-Nord
Student
16
When reading I can shut the world and everything out and for that time dwell in a world of my imagination as the author takes me into a world of his imagination. What better way to connect with another. And there is so much to learn from the written word.
Jo Ann B. Jahn
Prevention Professional
60
Community Angels
Just knowing that I am learning to read is my favorite reason. Reading is important because it is something I didn't take serious before...now I am learning to read to my girls, signs on the street and other things - it's great! My goal is to be a better reader, even if it takes time.
Freddie Martinez

County of Los Angeles Public Library Literacy Program-Paramount
Reading gives me all the information I need about the world.
Ron

County of Los Angeles Public Library Literacy Program-Paramount
LVA Student
Reading exercises the brain. Reading rejuvenates the spirit. Reading inspires the soul. Live better...Read a book!
Rodolfo Romero

County of Los Angeles Public Library Literacy Program-Paramount
I like reading because I get to go on different adventures each time I read a book. It's fun!
Emili De La Cruz
Student
12
I'm improving my reading skills now. I am discovering the wonderful world of reading. I enjoy reading books because I learn about other places and cultures.
Gary Miller

35
County of Los Angeles Public Library Literacy Program-Compton
My favorite reason to read is to obtain knowledge. I like to stay informed as to what is going on in the world. There is so much one can learn from books. I love to read.
Marie Riley
Tutor

County of Los Angeles Public Library Literacy Program-Compton
My favorite reason to read? In a nutshell - it's fun, eduational, informative, therapeutic, but most importantly, it's very simply packaged. It's all in a book!
Yolanda De La Cruz

County of Los Angeles Public Library Literacy Program
Reading is educational. Before, when I couldn't read I was always lost in a puzzle I couldn't solve. Now it's different. I try to read everything. Reading is food for my brain.
Yvonne Hopson
Student

County of Los Angeles Public Library Literacy Program-Compton
I love to read true crime and mysteries because I want to solve the mystery before the detective does.
Dolores Renteria

County of Los Angeles Public Library Literacy Program-Compton
Reading helps rekindle the imagination. Every time you pick up a book you can live another life, take part in another adventure. Perhaps the best part is you can give each story a custom touch in your mind, paint a picture using your own palette.
George Denny
Student
17
I love to read to maintain my connection with other perspectives that exist in the world and to revive my creative spirit that sometimes gets shuffled to the back of my mind when it should be in the forefront; and just for fun. I love to read aloud to my grandchildren and see their spirits grow and shine. We often read together to relax and to learn the joy of sharing a common interest and keeping that form of communication alive in families is vitally important. I am blessed because my children are all readers and my mother reads more than anyone I know...perhaps that was the fire she lit long ago in her young children's minds.
Dorothy Aguilera
When I was younger, reading gave me the inspiration to become a writer and create stories of my own. Also, reading content on other people's creative websites encouraged me to build my own, filled with articles and reviews authored by myself and my friends.
Cortney Dueweke
Reading allows you to expand your mind.
Anne Gillenwater
Reading is the best way to develop imagination, vocabulary, spelling skills, and the ability to just sit still and entertain yourself, not just be entertained. Parents should consider bookshelves and books as primary furniture pieces with which to surround their family.
Martin Hodell
I am a kindergarten teacher and our favorite reason to read is to laugh! Our favorite author is James Marshall and his "Dumb Bunnies."
Susan Wildes
Learn to read so you can read the tremendous amount of e-mail that friends (and others) forward to you.
Amy Wisniewski
Learn to read so you can enter and win contests like this....
Jason Wisniewski
Reading is crucial to everyday living.
Catherine M Zygmunt
Reading is important because it helps you expand your creativity and lets you enter a fantasy world where you can be a space traveler, detective, or cowboy.
Chris O'Neil
My company sponsors Toastmasters meetings (public speaking) once a week at lunchtime. Wouldn't it be great if they also promoted a book club? Employees could attend monthly meetings prepared to discuss a recently assigned book. The members of the club could vote on the next book to be read. This would encourage people to not only read, but to exercise their minds! I think the mere process of conducting some research to pick a book for the next meeting is educational!
Cathy Traietti
To get kids to read more, they need to be encouraged to read both at school and at home. It's too easy nowadays for kids to spend all their time watching TV, playing video games, etc. A love for reading starts at home when kids are young...so parents should be targeted by the media to raise awareness to get kids started reading young and to make it fun.
Johanna Cogan
Imagination. Reading develops and encourages your imagination which in turn helps provide you with inspiration for making things better, for yourself or others.
Jennifer Jacobellis
Reading is an important part of life because in the age of the Internet, it allows you to use your imagination and create how things would look in your mind.
Dan Bergin
Watching TV can only get you so far in life. READ!!!
Brian Apter
Utilize the Internet at local libraries to help teach people to read. Encourage people who read often to volunteer to help teach others by doing more publicity at book shops.
Ann Camden
Ask people what they are interested in. Like food, cars, movies, traveling, then find stories and short articles about their interest. Also help them develop a curiosity about the topic and they will want to learn to read.
Sheila M. Logan
Create a journal of your readings throughout your life. After reading each book, write down the name of the book, author, date and what you learned from the book. Then you can go back many years down the road and see what you have read and what you learned from your readings.
Keri Ellingboe
To have the Yellow Pages and other corporate entities, such as the U.S. government, sponsor community literacy workshops in areas where illiteracy is highest. These workshops could be set up at local libraries, parks or American legion halls. It would include a paid English teacher or volunteer educator, and prescribed reading materials of exciting works in American literature. Perhaps authors of outstanding classics or novels could also volunteer to read thus creating publicity. Include a dinner as well, anything to lure them in and simply spark their interest in reading a bit, to gradually read and write just a little bit every day. More activities involving reading and the benefits of such a basic skill could be highlighted in PSA's, that is it, Yellow Pages could recruit celebrity volunteers, like Michael Jordan and Britney Spears to do public service announcements about reading. We've seen them on drinking and driving, drugs, child abuse and the results have been significant. More public attention at the polls would help as well. Get local legislators involved with the illiteracy crisis. Education has been a tremendous platform for our presidential candidates as well. Why not include reeducation?
David Sands
Good books that I have read this summer: This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald; The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger; The Great Game, a history of Wall Street by John Steele Gordon; Roda by Ellen Gilchrest (read for the third time - great book); Harry Potter I and II; Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie; and Hannibal by Thomas Harris. I think that it's really important to mix reading "classics" and historically based works with contemporary, "easy read" fiction - it helps you appreciate the benefits of different genres of literature.
Lauren Lunsford
When I was in the 1st grade I vividly remember checking out a book with fantastic drawings of dragons-in the book the little boy calls the dragon a "nincompoop." I thought I was awesome and called everyone a "nincompoop." I was the only first grader that knew what it meant-ah the power of knowledge!
Catherine Blalock
Reading is the most important thing we can do to foster learning. A simple idea I had a couple of years ago came from a biography that I read in which a woman complained about how her brother would always leave the toilet seat up. My solution was to develop a seat that automatically went down after flushing. I never got around to creating this but around a year later I saw that someone had signed a million dollar contract to produce these. The point of the story is that you never know where your motivation will come from.
Paul Davis
Reading keeps kids like me off of the streets!!
Colby Trexler
Reading about far away places allows me to feel like I'm there without having to spend $2000 to get there and have money left for lodging, food, and other expenses. With a $20 book, I get all the insight into the culture and the place itself, all from the comfort of my living room couch. Obviously it's not QUITE the same experience, but it's as almost as close as you can get!
Derek Jones
Get a group of friends together and create a book club. It can be a potluck at a different person's house each month and the menu will be dictated by whatever book is being read that month. For instance, if it takes place in the south, everyone can bring some good southern home cookin'. My friends and I do this monthly and it helps me get through books so quickly.
Lisa Bible
While reading keep a journal as to why you would recommend a particular book to a friend. As with children adults can also reenact scenes from books with finger puppets or from photocopies picture from the books glued onto a popsicle stick.
Lisa Luttrell
Reading takes you on a free vacation. Explore the world, meet new people, discover new time periods - all by opening the cover of a book.
Liz Mountjoy
Reading for me has opened up my imagination. I have been reading since I can remember and it is something I can't imagine not doing. Reading a book allows me to take the story and its' characters and create my own vision of where it takes place, what characters look like, etc. This is a gift that books and authors have given me, and it is something I cherish.
Kerri Schroeder
Book clubs are fun ways to peak an interest in reading more. Try them with different themes each month and that way everyone involved will learn about the areas that interest others!
Nell Custis
Reading in the best way revisit your childhood and rethink your dreams.
Anna Witt
Learn to read so you can understand the craze about all the new Harry Potter books.
Amy Carlson
So people can read a book on the go, provide books free on-line for people with PDA's (Palm, Handspring, etc.).
Stephen R. Trujillo
Reading makes a mind grow, encouraging great ideas.
David Rhodes
Reading takes me out of my world and into another. Through books I have traveled to many places, empathized with many different characters, laughed, been frightened, and cried. Reading is a journey.
Katherine Harding
Reading brings the world to you.
Donna Trujillo
It's important to read so you can find out about the world and figure out where your next adventure will be.
Dawn Koshio
I believe reading is important because, as we read, we engage many elements of our minds in a way that passive activities such as TV do not. We imagine, feel, think and create. A book can touch our souls and influence our minds for a lifetime - rarely - if ever - does a movie or TV show have that impact.
Elisabeth Koren
Reading is important in following instructions for something that comes disassembled.
Carrie Galles
It is important to read to open doors to unlimited opportunities and possibilities we encounter during every day of our lives.
Joshua Eager
Reading is a comfort when you find that someone was able to put into words your own thoughts and feelings that you yourself were unable to express.
Anne Koshio
To promote reading we should encourage reading of magazines. This could be incorporated into almost any other activity that they are interested in.
Jeff Camden
I tutor an adult student who is learning how to read. She is a fantastic cook, but never bakes. I thought it was cultural. After meeting for about a year, she asked me if I could teach her how to make peach cobbler. She loves peach cobbler, but could never make it because she couldn't read the recipe. So I've found a recipe to start with, and I'll be helping her read through it, now that she's learned enough to build her confidence in reading!
Shannon Hammond
I think that everyone who can read should read the "classics." Almost all of them are really good, and they can give anyone a great perspective on life in the past. I'm reading Vanity Fair by Thackeray right now. When I start college this fall, I might try to volunteer with LVA so that I can share my love of reading with others.
Emily A. Prather
As an elementary school teacher I have always implemented "contests" for my students where they can earn points for reading books and answering questions about them or completing a test to make sure that they read the book.
Lauren Lunsford
Reading about an article about establishing goals (personal and profession) in my life led me to the idea to write a list of roughly 25 goals that I had at the time that I was starting my first job out of college. I still have my list in a file cabinet and check it from time to time and realize that some of those goals have been attainable, some may not occur and there is a good chance that I am on my way to having more from my list occur in the future. Reading allowed me to get the idea to set specific written goals for myself and to work towards them.
Taylor Custis
To join a book club and each member conduct a book club (using the same book) at a local YMCA or youth club.
Mollie Storey
Reading lets you enter new worlds. You are able to learn of others' aspirations and dreams.
David Schmieskors
Reading is a wonderful hobby. It is especially important to read to children and see how they learn from the books. My children like to pretend they are a part of the book and act out the scenes.
Lynn Geller
A person needs to find a book relating to something that really interests them. I have taught 2 sons to read finding that special interest book.
Kelly Fuller
Encourage folks to read the book before they see a movie. This is great to instill in children at an early age, movies like Stuart Little, 101 Dalmations, etc. Working with movie theatres, etc. to pass out the books would also help encourage reading.
Ann Gottbrath Camden
Reading is like lifting weights. The more you do it, the stronger your brain becomes.
Todd Rudzinski
Parents should encourage reading at every opportunity from an early age. This encompasses more than bedtime stories. Parents should lead by example by reading for pleasure in front of their children. Once kids reach reading age, families should read books together- like a book club. This provides not only a joint reading opportunity, but also provides parents insight into how their child thinks, how he's maturing, and how he interprets the world differently.
Allison Hodell
In my community, I have started a program in which each baby born at the hospital received a book bag with a book and information on literacy. In this manner, children are exposed to literacy from the beginning, making them more likely to enjoy and continue to read later in life.
Katie Baldwin
Reading is important because it is a pastime that can be enjoyed throughout your life - from childhood through adulthood. It can be a source of increasing your knowledge or just done for the sake of entertainment and enjoyment. It's also a great feeling to be able to pass on a great read to a good friend.
Andrea Rinaldi
Books help me tie pop-culture and movies into history. It's amazing to see history repeat itself over and over again with different generational spins on each occurrence. The tie between the recent movie Fight Club and the book A Catcher in the Rye really made me think, dig deeper into the mental insanity and self-indulgence themes and re-read the classic. I know in another ten years there will be an emergence of those themes and characters in another such film or book, and I'll go back and read A Catcher in the Rye again. The classics truly don't die, they make you think and they ground you. There's a certain security in that.
Ann Cooper
Reading is important because it empowers you to seek out your own truths.
Alex McKindra
It is a good idea to read because you can get just about anything you want out of it. If you like history, you can read about how countries came about and what shaped the world today. If you are looking for entertainment, there are many novels to fit anyone�s interest. If you want to learn how to make chicken pot pie, there are cook books that will tell you exactly how to do it. Basically, reading is a great way to learn anything you want!!!
Mary St. Onge
Although some people believe television is the bane of literacy, you can use a TV guide to help teach a practical reading lesson.
Beverly A. Jacoby
Reading lets your imagination grow... but can also let your mind rest.
Jennifer Irby
Reading is a wonderful learning tool. It is also a great way to relax!
Christine Irby
It is important to read in order to open up doors throughout life that would otherwise be closed. Reading breaks the physical boundaries of people�s lives by enabling them to travel to far away places in their minds. Reading encourages learning, imagination, and growth in all individuals, - especially children. As an elementary school teacher, I promote reading in my classroom every day in hopes that my children will one day love to read as much as I do.
Kathryn Sgoutas
Reading is important as it helps improve every part of your life. You should read every chance you get. It will help you in places you never thought possible. You don't like Dennis Miller on Monday Night Football? Pick up a book or two and figure out why what he says is actually funny. �Learning is good....� - Animal House
Morgan Oaks
It is important to read to expand our knowledge and expand the knowledge of those around us! One is never too young or too old to gain information from books. Books can make us laugh, make us cry, connect generations, or just simply make us grow as individuals.
Melissa Kosiorek
If I have a book, I am never lonely. I have met so many interesting people, have witnessed so many events, situations, joys, tragedies, triumphs, and never left my home. I have been reading since I was four years old. I know that I am a better person because of reading. It has made me aware of the huge world we live in and how people's lives are so different from our own in some ways, but so similar in other ways. I am so thankful I was blessed with a love of reading.
Shelley Thompson
Adult Education Administrator
4
To learn, to laugh, to escape.
Joe Rogers
Teacher
57

LVA Volunteer
I read to survive.
Elayne Abnathy
It is important to read because you can learn a lot and it will get you ahead in life.
Katherine Allee
Student Employee
19

LVA Student
To open doors to new possibilities.
Donna L. Aragon
Supervisor, TVI's Volunteer Tutor Program
52

LVA Tutor
America should read because a person who can read, no matter how poor, restricted, or burdened by the difficulties of life, has the freedom of mind to explore the world and dramatically improve his of her quality of life.
Erin Baratta
ESOL Program Coordinator

LVA Roanoke Valley
To gain information, insight, and understanding so that I may utilize it for personal freedom. Likewise, to impart and pass on this knowledge and experience of reading to others.
Earnestine Barkley
Adult Literacy Coordinator
54
LV Gadsden County, Inc
It opens 2000 doors to knowledge, opportunity, and self-fulfillment for anyone, regardless of status, gender, race, ethnicity, and is totally personal for each individual.
Donna Bentley
Executive Director
55
Victoria Adult Literacy Council
Reading is fun and most jobs require reading capabilities.
James Becker
NJROTC
18

LVA Volunteer
To transport myself into places where I have not gone before, or to revisit familiar sites through reading. To live with joy! To fully enjoy the gift that gets better and better as one uses it, and re-opens each book again and again.
Marta Bookbinder
Coordinator, Literacy Program
49

LVA Volunteer
Toimprove my reading and spelling.
James Bowles
Customer Service
42
LV of Lake County
LVA Student
To read the Bible to my nephew.
Deborah Bradt
Student
45
LV of Lake County
LVA Student
My reason to read is obvious, I love to explore different thoughts and ideas of others. I read to sometimes escape the chaos of the day and relax for a nice calm night with my daughter.
Jan M. Bryant
LVA Collier County
46
The joy that comes with reading is God's special way of smiling at us!
Deb Butler
Kindergartners Count, Inc.
43
Reading is chicken soup for the brain, heart, and spirit. I read to journey into the world and into the hearts of people. I read to know I am not alone. I read to pray to being.
Karen Carlisle
Educator/Executive Director
57
Ozarks Literacy Council
I like to read books because it is fun. I think that every kid in America should read at least one book per month. They can be very fun. :) :) :) :)
Chris Vincent

12
Life is full of wonderful things to do and places to see. If you read about these things you will learn about what interests you and what you might pursue. Also, if you read you can do these things "in your head" if you never have an opportunity to actually do them.
Susan Doneis
Artist
54
Bastrop
LVA Tutor
To become a better person in life. To succeed.
Lourdes Castaneda
Executive Director
26
My reason to read is to be enriched in every way in order to be fully equipped to succeed, to explore, to cherish, and to experience the joy of life and pass on that joy to the future citizens of the world and all humanity.
Raj Chekuri
English Professor
54
LVA Laredo, TX
LVA Tutor
There is nothing else better to do. I work on my reading seven days a week. I have to read to do my work.
Harriet L. Cole

39

LVA Student
Reading is like conversing with friends. Wherever I am, whenever I have a moment to relax, I can open a book, magazine, or newspaper and enjoy a special sensation of awareness in a new world of imagination, inspiration, or information.
Barbara Coughlin
Housewife, Grandmother, Volunteer
73
LVA Stamford/Greenwich, CT
LVA Tutor
Reading is the key that unlocks the door to unlimited possibilities and is synonymous with freedom. Reading enables a person to pursue any interest he or she has.
Carol J. Craig
Teacher/Student/Research Assistant
40
South County Rhode Island
LVA Tutor
Escape - exploration - dreaming - wonder - wander. Love of the written word in all forms.
Pam Creighton
Executive Director
43
Operation Upgrade
Reading is such a necessary part of life for everday functioning! But I think the best reason is the enjoyment of reading. A book can take you anywhere you want to go in a very short time, for free!
Donna Curran
Administrative Assistant
30
Mid-Ohio Valley Literacy Volunteers
LVA Tutor
To travel the world, past, present, and future for free!
Priscilla Donovan
Literacy/Library Director
43
Commerce Library Literacy Program
Because knowledge is power!
Janis Doty
Volunteer Coordinator
35
Literacy Kansas City
To open a world of ideas that will last a lifetime.
Rosalie Durbin
Literacy Coordinator
54
Northwest Missouri Literacy Council
I read to relax.
Bonnie Englant
Executive Director

LVA Orleans County, Inc
Because I like it very much and I can see different worlds.
Catalina Espino
Adult Education Coordinator
25
For fun.
M.S. Fennewald

LVA Tutor
Just too curious not to.
Chloe Fessler

54
LVA Liaison for Montana and Wyoming
Reading is life. Without it, life is not just the same.
Decklan M. Fox
Literacy Education Specialist
38
The New York Public Library
Reading helps me understand where I want to go and makes me a better person and helps me keep my job. And so people won't have me a sign a paper for something I can't pay for.
James Abel
Driver
50

LVA Student
To help myself and help others.
Darlene Carter
Clerk
44

LVA Student
To help people learn.
Anthony Edwards
NJROTC
20
So I can be very successful.
Michelle Hair
Student
21

LVA Volunteer
To help others and myself.
Eartha Johnson

45
Lake County Literacy
LVA Student
So I can do things myself and help a lot of people.
Joyce Mayfield
Mail Room Worker
44

LVA Student
Because you need reading for everything. If you don't know how, people will try to get over you. I know this is the truth because my mother doesn't know how to read and it's very hard on her.
Aajwa McGrone

17

LVA Student
Me gusta leer para informarme de toda las cosas que pasan. Todo es muy interesante, pero si no puedes leer, no sabes nada. My English is poor but I try to read and English sometimes is difficult for me. Siempre me gusta tomar papeles para tratar de aprender una palabra cada dia. Es muy importante, aprender el Ingles para mi.
Velia Ramos
Clothes Presser
43

LVA Student
Health, communication, and a better way of life. The writen word is the most efficient and effective (read: cost effective) means of communication.
Clarisa Rodriguez
Self-employed
34
Literacy Unlimited - Framingham, MA
LVA Tutor
All of America should be fluent for general communication, highway rules, voting, and idle conversation at the bus stop.
Donald A. Ross
Self-employed
76
L.C. of LVA of Elgin, IL
LVA Tutor
Reading is my sixth sense - it opens all my other senses.
Jesus E. Sanagria
Community Liaison Assistant
28
The New York Public Library
Reading opens up doors to knowledge and takes you to a higher dimension.
Marion Sisco
Student
57
Bergen County, NJ
LVA Student
To have a better life.
Cece Tilsley

Moraine Valley Community College
My, oh my, what people miss when they don't read. Opportunities come and go and they don't understand what they need.
Mary Lou Weiss
Administrator of Adult & Community Education
63
Literacy of Collier County
Reading helps me communicate with society.
John S. Wyatt

43
LV of Lake County
LVA Student
I love to read - for pleasure, for new information and I wanted to help others so they also could enjoy books and be able to obtain information.
Jennie Geibig

LVA Mid-Ohio Valley, WV
LVA Tutor
Relaxing, visiting far away places.
Cheri Geiger
Program Director
29
To gain knowledge.
Diane Giarratano
Education Specialist
24
Through reading I have been able to learn about countries other than my own, including their cultures and governments.
Anne Gillenwater
Advertising
26
Yellow Pages Get an Idea Tour
Reading works wonders. Students learn to read so that they may read to learn.
Mr. Andre' S. Gleaton
Executive Director

LVA-Bergen County, Inc.
To help students at Operation Read to buy books.
Patricia Golden
Student Coordinator
48
Operation Read
Learning to read changes families and communities through better employment, more educational and civic participation, and children start school better prepared to learn.
Mattie Grant-Miller
Program Director

Duchess County Literacy Volunteers
I like to read because books open the world to you. Every new idea is one more opening to knowledge. You can learn about yourself and others. Reading can take you out of here and now and transport you to yesterday, tomorrow, or into the thoughts of others.
Linda Hayes

America Reads
America should read to enjoy the beauty of the English language.
Jo Fredell Higgins
Teacher

Waubonsee Comm. College Adult Literacy Program
Reading is important because if you can't read you cannot understand the sports page. People should read to learn all about the Dodgers!
Rudy Romero
You should always read. Read all subjects. It will always come in handy, one day! Somewhere, someday, you might be able to really help someone, somehow, with the information you've read.
Suzie McClure
Reading expands your horizons and allows you to explore new things and new places.
Dave Ranke
Reading broadens your mind and enriches your life. It's probably the cheapest method of seeing the world without leaving your home.
William Midlock
Reading is so important that without reading you wouldn't be able to do anything in life.
Geneva Conway
Reading is important because it teaches you how to read!
Audrey Padilla
Reading expands your mind.
Shawna Noji
Reading is important because it could alter your future.
Jason Fernandez
Reading is important because without it you wouldn't be able to tell who was on the Dodger's scorecard!
Jennifer W.
Reading is important as the only way to feed the brain.
Patrick Barnwell
Reading is important because it exposes you to new worlds.
Niki Williams
You don't go anywhere if you don't read.
Ruth Ewas
A life without the ability to read is immediately stunted and discouraged.
Martin W.
Reading is important because it will take you places in life.
Jonathan Torres
Reading is the knowledge of today and the dreams of tomorrow.
Richard Torres
Reading is important because you don't have to leave your home to travel around the world . . . you're just a fingertip away from flipping a page as you READ!
Yolanda
Reading takes you to places you would otherwise not get to visit!
Jim Peelgren
Reading is important because it expands your mind with ideas and helps you explore and learn.
Justine Perez
Know the world. Read!
Manuel Nunez
Reading rocks!
Ting Wang
Reading is important because it takes you to places you've never been before.
Jenna Thanarajakool
Reading is good because it helps you throughout life.
Janell Lopez
Reading develops imagination and growth in all people of all ages.
Joelle Peelgren
Reading is important because it teaches you the way in our future.
Marisol Lan
To know what's goin' on!
A.A.
Reading - it's your future.
R.A.B.
Reading gives you the advantage to use big words. I'm a school girl, therefore I use big words!
Seawin
Reading rules!
J. Garcia
Reading is creative.
Ruggles
Reading helps the brain.
Omar
Reading can enrich your soul, spirit, body, and mind.
Jacqueline L. Hopkins
Manager of Literacy Site
33
New York Public Library
Reading is important to me because the more you learn the more you earn!
Anonymous
Are you as smart as you want to be? Have you been everywhere, met everybody, and done everything? No? Then read and you will be!
Barry Grant
Reading takes you places where you can't go every day.
Geodi Sunabe
You learn something new every day!
Stephanie Ahumada
The more you know the more you grow!
Ron Tanf
It's the best way to find out about the 5 billion years that preceded today.
Tom Millhouse
Learn to read and travel the world.
John T.
Reading is Ronderful.
Kathleen Barton
So you can find out how to get where you need to go.
Anonymous
The reason I love to read is that it opens the door to consider other choices and learn how to improve the quality of life for myself and others.
Sadie Husko
VISTA

Lake County
So you can find out how to get where you need to go.
Anonymous
If we don't read, we will all be replaced by computers.
Mark
It helps you to limit your chances of being stupid.
Martin
Reading has changed the way I see myself. It gives me confidence, knowledge, and adventure.
Yvonne Janicke
Coordinator, Project Read
47
To travel to other places where I can't afford to go, and to other times to meet other people who I couldn't meet any other way.
Becky Johnson
Workforce Coordinator

Advocap Literacy Services
My reason to read is because I want to help other people to interpret for appointments, to help my kids doing homework, and when I have a conversation with different people, I have subjects to speak about: politics, government, business, religion, children, and the future of the world. And learn what is important in our lives.
Alla A. Jerrano
Housewife
35
Literacy Council of Lancaster-Lebanon
LVA Student
To dream, to live, to thrive however an individual so chooses in whatever way the individual so chooses.
Teresa L. Keeler

LVA-NJ
LVA Tutor
When you are through reading . . . you're through!
Jim Jenks
Reading opens doors for success.
Diana Hernandez
Reading is the key to success.
Mirna Perez
Reading to children when they are young is very important.
Amanda Curley
Reading is the ladder to success.
Sader Gonzalez
Read to become successful and it is also a lot of fun.
Alisa Earnest
Reading takes me to places I've never been before.
Chris Vick
Reading opens doors that you never knew existed.
Einet Barnoy
Reading takes you away from the places you don't want to be.
Sarah Klein
Reading is knowledge.
Mike Nguyen
For relexation and pure enjoyment!
Dorris Kissee
Credit Supervisor
36

LVA Volunteer
Reading is fun!
Ray Ferrar
Reading is a form of travel, and it's fun!
J. Wenegas
Reading stimulates the mind!
Vikki Soudaros
Reading is adventure.
Paula Pollack
It's informative.
James Hong
It takes you to another world.
Cari Novell
Reading takes your mind off everything and helps you learn something you don't know.
Lani Sabara
Reading holds the key to expanding your quest.
D. Blackwood
Reading unlocks a world of imagination.
C.R. Martinez
Reading is a learning experience that takes you out of reality.
Jimmy Nguyen
Read - get smart!
Jennifer Dreager
Inspiration, imagination, and passion - it's all there when you read.
M. Tyree
I read for pleasure and relaxation.
Carmen A. Knox
Program Coordinator
61
LVA/Wilmington Library, DE
For reading is learning more and more knowledge of the world we live in and the many adventures of fiction and non-fiction.
Jacqueline Legon
Program Coordinator
48
Literacy Center for Midlands
To be able to get away without leaving home, to be able to be entertained without the expense, to take a break without being bored, to continue the learning process.
Carolyn L. Lidge
Retired
52

LVA Tutor
People should know how to read. Reading is very educational.
Angela Macon
Student
19

LVA Volunteer
If you know how to read, you don't need to travel the world.
Daniel Van
Read and open your mind to a whole new world.
Rebekah
Read and make your own choices.
Melissa
Because you can go to places you might never see without leaving home.
Jamila Hudson
Reading is a good thing because you can learn things you've never known.
Megan C.
Reading is good because it will take you places and you can learn new things.
Jasmine
We will be a stronger and smarter nation.
Mary Mayhew
Adult Literacy Coordinator
53

LVA Tutor
Reading is fun.
Chelsea O.
Reading helps you discover all kinds of emotions.
Edwina
Reading helps to discover situations that one did not know about.
Berny
Reading is important so you can expand your vocabulary.
Graham Wahlberg
Since we're a democracy, people need to know how to read to be informed.
Richard L. Mayhew
Retired
63

LVA Tutor
Everybody should learn to read because there's a great big world of information out there that doesn't show up in reruns.
Carlotta McBrayer

Literacy KC
LVA Tutor
Reading is the great escape--the cheapest way to get out of town!
Carrie McDonald
Librarian
48
Reading not only gives you a chance to enhance knowledge, but a chance to travel to far off places and discover new and wondrous lands. You meet people and share their adventures together. Reading allows you to experience feelings and emotions which you can only get from a book. Reading also helps you to discover who you are.
Anthony Arr
You should be able to read because you get smarter.
Matthew O.
To learn to read is like opening a whole new world for me and so I can eventually read well to my grandchildren. I wasn't able to read to my children but I can read to my grandchildren. I wanted to read for myself. My mother, relatives, and friends are happy for me that I'm learning to read.
Deborah McVey
Janitor

Mid-Ohio Valley, WV
LVA Student
I read for pleasure and relaxation first and for information and learning second.
Teta Minuzzo
Tutor/Retired Teacher

Literacy Volunteers of Lake County
LVA Tutor
I love to read my Bible.
Dwain Moss
Cook
45

LVA Student
There is so much to learn and without knowing how to read a person is left behind. He or she misses out on so much. He or she misses the opportunity to use the library, which is rich in culture and other worlds.
Peter Pauole
Student
51
To delight my heart, soul, and mind - that is my reason for reading.
Paula Phipps
Teacher/Literacy Coordinator
54
Lake County Literacy Program
I can travel anywhere in the world without leaving the comfort of my home!
Bev Potter
ABE/GED Co-director/Instructor
44
Literacy Volunteers of Casper
So much to learn and ideas to share and so little time.
Jim Preschlack
Management Consultant
33

LVA Volunteer
To help myself to get somewhere in life, and to be someone who can teach my kids how to be someone too.
Tina Rangel
Housewife
38

LVA Student
To learn more when you read.
Jennifer Renno
Student
17
I love to read what's written on cards I send and receive - Christmas cards, birthday cards, friendship cards, cards of encouragement. It gives me a lift and helps me form lifelong friendships. The words linger even when we can't be together!
Gail Rice
Consultant
52
LVA IL VITA(Volunteer in Technical Assistance)
LVA Tutor
My reason for reading is that it opens up a world of opportunity for me to visit places that I will never have an opportunity to visit. In addition I totally involve my whole mind and body in reading.
Linda Roby
Credit Supervisor
48

LVA Volunteer
My favorite reason to read is pleasure. It takes me away. I can, through reading, be in a different time or place, an adventure, or experience. I can emphatize with the characters or rage at them.
Kathy Russertt
Retired
51

LVA Tutor
Reading is the key that opens the mind. Reading answers all the questions and curiosities.
Sabra Shepard
WICS Transition Specialist
46

LVA Volunteer
I need it to shop.
Sandra Shore
Credit Counselor
52
LVA-NJ
LVA Tutor
Reading is not a privilege, it's a right, a necessity and the key component to being a full functioning member of society.
Tensonlage Smith
Adult Program Coordinator
31
Literacy Council of Alaska
Reading transports the reader to unimaginable destinations without having to leave one's home.
Barbara Steiner
Student-Tutor Coordinator
50ish
LV of Ontario County, New York
Reading is power. If you can read you have the power to learn what you need to know!
Peg Thornton
Literacy Coordinator
44
Three Rivers Literacy Alliance
I love to read because of all the different sights, smells, and sensations I can experience through words.
Ellen Tompkins

LVA-Providence
I found out that reading is interesting and I have realized that the more I read the more I know.
Carlos Trujillo
Student
30
L.C. of LVA of Elgin. IL
LVA Student
Reading is the best exercise for the mind - it challenges the neurons, brings joy to the pleasure receptors and if all goes well impels us to action!
Katherine Vaccaro
Freelance Writer
44
Adult Literacy League
LVA Volunteer
It promotes intelligence, learning, and confidence in oneself.
James Vanderslice
Student
19

LVA Volunteer
It's a good feeling to learn to read a book and a newspaper. It will give you confidence.
Damon Thomas Vincent
Dishwasher
26
Sheridan College
LVA Student
I read to assist the families I serve in developing a sense of reading responsibility to their children.
Constance Washington
Social Service Coordinator Head Start
66
Literacy Volunteer-Niagara County
LVA Volunteer
It gives a chance for fairy tales to come true and it teaches. It's a challenge for others.
Aimee McCloud
Student
20

LVA Volunteer
To explore new worlds, expand my mind, and let my dreams take flight.
Kellye O'Bryan
Literacy Consultant
29
Reading allows me to become a priest, medical examiner, mother, lover, countess, etc.
Jolene Olsen
Adult Educator
48
When you know how to read it opens up a whole new world for you. Then you are able to get your GED and then go to college.
Sharon J. Osiadacz
Lunchroom Supervisor and Bus Aide

LVA Bergen County, NJ
LVA Student
I have read all my life. Books take you to other places where you will never go and lets you learn about people you will never meet. As I have gotten older reading has kept my mind active and kept me in touch with "what's happening."
Jerre Williams
Retired
over 50
Literacy Kansas City
LVA Tutor
I read for pleasure. I read for survival, there is no getting around it. I read because knowledge is power. In order to be a success I must read to know.
Mattie C. Williams
Housewife
48
Indy Reads
Reading is an hourglass into the past as well as the future.
Lanelle M. Wood
GED Instructor
28
Literacy Volunteers of Casper
For enjoyment! Before, I wrestled with it - but now I enjoy it!
Sylvia Wooten-McGrone

58
Indy Reads
LVA Student
My reason to read is I work in a hospital. I am one of the best nurses on the heart floor. I want my GED real bad. I will become one of the best RNs the hospital can have because I love people and helping them. God is good!
Flossie R. Wright
Certified Nurse Assistant
53
Indy Reads
LVA Student
Reading helps with language and spelling! Proven fact!
Danielle Simons
So you don't turn out like me.
Ben Phillips
You should be able to read because if you can't you won't be able to communicate!
Megan
If you can read you can travel all over the world.
A.M. Stapley
Reading takes your imagination to places you may never be able to visit!
Terry
If you can't hear, the written word can be read (by Braille or books). The word of God is everywhere.
Shed Jons
To get a good education.
Veronica McCall
Reading informs you about what's going on in our world, gives you ideas and spurs your imagination. There are no limits once you understand how to read.
Elaine Esqueda
Reading takes you anywhere.
Danielle

5
Reading promotes creativity and enhances the imagination.
Jolene Green
Reading opens your mind to a world of adventures.
Jannie
Reading is important so your brain doesn't shrink!
Erin
On-line or off-line, you still need to know what you are reading. Electronic or paper, reading is 80%, understanding is 10% and doing it is 10%. So read!
Sal
Reading expands your mind and opens the door to a bright future.
Patty
Reading enables you to journey to places one might never go, to broaden one's experience, to live more fully and participate in life
Debbie
Reading allows you to realize people care about you.
Mark
Reading enhances your mind and the ability to learn, you get more knowledge from reading and can learn many things about life. And it can bring you the joy of being your own person. My dad said if you can read you can go anywhere and do anything you want to accomplish.
Quincella
Because there are a lot of good books out there!
Marti Alvord
Because then you can get a good job and make a ton of $.
Carey
Learning to read is very important especially to the many children born to illiterate parents!
Nicole F.
People should read so people know whats going on in the world.
Chris Cummins
Reading takes you to places people have only dreamed of going. It starts children on their way to a wide future. Teach a child, read a book.
Tahier
To explore unknown places and possibilities, to visit worlds created by God for me to know, to appreciate diversity and differences, and to value the importance of recalling special moments with words.
Doris Sides
Student Coordinator

Reading Connections
Reading is the window to knowledge and power and growth as an individual.
Donna Slaughter
Office Manager
49
Literacy Kansas City
Words are an art form for me. I love the medium of language and the creativity that can be expressed with it.
Sylvia Weaver
Student Coordinator
46
Literacy Council of Lancaster-Lebanon
To know how to successfully recruit volunteers.
Carole Witcher
Volunteer Coordinator
59
An ability to read is an ability to know, befriend, or dislike the thinkers of the world - past and present. Without this, one cannot reference their original works in their original format, and one must rely upon others' interpretation.
Wendy Woodward
Literacy Coordinator
32
People should read because it gives you something to do when you're bored stiff like me.
Amy
If you can't read you don't have the benefits of freedom and independence. Read and find a cure for diabetes, so the people that have the chronic illness can have freedom too.
Tracy
Reading gives you the opportunity to learn about the things that are important and/or interesting to you.
Raid
America should read so everyone would be smarter!
Robyn M. Gross
America should read so everyone knows what's going on.
Aimee Munzi
Give your child a head start - Read! Read! Read!
OESD 114 Head Start/ECEPA Program
If children do not learn to read by third grade, they will struggle for the rest of their lives. We need volunteer tutors!!
Donna Gears
Reading gives kids something contructive to do with their spare time.
Philip Kinkade
We live in the U.S., it is important to know how to read and write, the opportunities are endless.
Jorge
So kids won't do drugs.
Justin
So people know the difference between right and wrong with their actions. "Do unto others as you would want done unto you" Psalms:32 & 33
Anonymous
A room is never empty or a person is never alone, when your mind is full!
F.M.L.
It's important to me because it gives me a chance to escape the world in which I live that I have little control in. And envision a different lifestyle and life for myself and my freinds. A place to be alone sometimes.
Aleasha Hover
To speak and learn from one another. It helps to develop thought processes, organize ideas into concepts and expressions.
Bill Grgurich Jr.
Reading is important because we are surrounded by letters and numbers and its a universal language we all can benefit from and understand.
Bryan Andrews
Reading is the basis for a civilized world and it opens this world to all who open books.
LVA-Wasatch Front
Reading opens up the world.
C. Middleton
Reading lets me ignore my family!
Shelby Snyder
Reading lets the imagination soar!
Steve Clements
Reading is "fun"damental.
Jason Young
Reading helps you learn new words.
Jeremy
Reading takes you away!
Kat
Reading makes you smart.
Pam
Reading makes the world a whole lot better.
Khris Johnson

xx
Just think of the things we would never know if we didn't know how to read: school, going shopping, checking our fat contents on boxes and packages of food we eat, street signs, etc.
Bonnie Stellmacker
Reading is an excellent way to educate yourself, and I believe education is the answer to the problems plaguing the world today.
Valerie
So people can help understand other people.
Will Pickett
Speech is a gift and to learn to comunicate. Every word has meaning toward the future of your life
Anthony J. LuSan
Reading is power, in knowledge and in the world around you and others.
Sandy Sabry
As Matilda said (per Roald Dahl) when she discovered books - "Now, I'm not alone."
Pat
Reading gest me away from my mother.
Sarah
Reading is a wonderful way to explore the world.
Carol LaCombe
Literacy is necessary in any democratic country so people can get the information they need to fully participate.
Meredith
I can travel to different countries through the books I read.
Maria A.
I love to read, because it allows me to take part and experience much more than who or what I am by myself. I can be anyone or anything, anywhere in any time through a book.
Cathy Williams
Director of Elementary Curriculum
Reading engages your being. You can go anywhere, do anything, or be anyone you want when you read. It can fuel your imagination and soul.
Grace Velchansky
Teacher
42
I like to read about farm animals, especially pigs!
Emmy
Reading is a part of life, it is like a spiritual thing; it feels so good to expand your mind from books.
Shamuki Evans
Reading can get you where you can't be!
E. Saenz McAllen
Reading is a way of life. It can get you where you want to be and do.
Sandy A. Lejo
Literacy helps people get a job or a better job.
Agnes Flores
Learning to read increases your self-esteem.
SeSee Munson
Learn to read to become an informed citizen.
Neva Staudt
Reading is fun.
Shirley Johnson
Literacy is our future
Anonymous
Reading is cool. To be cool, you must know how to read.
Craig Ford
Reading is cool so don't be a fool.
Wes
You can't get through school if you don't know how to read.
Cody
Because it gets you educated and helps you achieve your goals.
Rube Castnency
Because it helps you to learn and think better and it helps educate your mind.
Chesley Rozzell
To open a book is to open a world of discovery.
Joseph Padilla
I love to read because you can learn lots of stuff.
Alyssa
I think reading is a very important part of learning and growing up.
Marty
Reading helps improve your mind.
Chris
It helps you learn new words!
Alison R.
Reading helps you expand your mind and use your imagination.
Andrea Richmond
Reading helps you to expand your imagination to new and different levels.
Carrie G.
Reading is the perfect gift. If you get down it's the perfect lift. If you get angry and need your space, pick up a book and travel to a new place. Reading is the key to unlock the imagination.
Jak Kendall
Reading is important for your self-esteem. You can learn whatever you want, you can get a better job, and you can read with your children and be a role model.
Kristin Runyon
Reading is important for learning. We need to read and understand history so we do not make the same mistakes over and over.
Kacie S.

7
Because everything requires reading and also enhances speaking abilities.
Dawn Slechta
Reading is the key to imagination.
G. Hill
Reading builds thinking minds.
D. Mask
Reading educates the mind and imagination. It's a great way to escape everyday stresses.
M. Swanda
So you will be able to finish school and get an education.
Joanna C. King
To improve your communication skills.
Rachel E. King
If you couldn't read you wouldn't be able to read the Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages.
Jonathan King
Reading allows one to broaden his horizons through other people's knowledge, experience and imagination.
Kareen King
Reading opens you to a new world, full of imagination.
Kimmy Keehn
Basically, if you can't read, you won't be able to do anything. Buy, sell, or communicate. Reading is essential.
Anna Nystrom
If you want to shop through the Yellow Pages, you need to know how to read.
Patsy Weiser
Reading is the sharing of information and dreams for the past, present, and future.
Nancy Ayala
A vacation!
Sheena Ayala
It's fun.
Jayda Ayala
To learn.
Holly
Everybody likes to read.
Nathaniel
Because it's FUN!
David
Because if you can't read you can't get an education.
Melissa
So learning can continue for a lifetime.
Cathy
So you can expand your vocabulary and mind.
Daniel
So you can use the Yellow Pages to order pizza.
Jeron
Reading is fun!
Ramona Metzger
You can learn things about people and all kinds of stuff.
Shelly Baker
Reading magazines and comic books.
Michael Brandon
I like to read about dinosaurs.
Nick
Reading keeps you busy.
Amanda
Reading takes you places you may never really go in life and on adventures. Also, job opportunities are much more available to you.
Wilma
Reading is fundamental!
Lil
So they can get a good education.
Taylor
It broadens your outlook on different issues.
Nat
Reading opens the door to more choices and possibilities. It's your future!
Janice Tschelter
Reading lets you travel, explore, and learn in worlds you never even dreamed about.
Jeny Sydinaj
Reading breaks down barriers that once stood in your way.
Kathy Lee King

Literacy Council of St. Joseph County
Go further in life!
Dana
It's part of life.
Kim
It helps in life.
Melissa
Education is the foundation of society. It is what propels us forward. Reading allows us to communicate ideas that otherwise may be lost.
Denise
It makes you smile when you read a funny joke. It is very uplifting.
Cherish and Cathy
So you can learn and grow closer to God through the Holy Bible.
Ben
Reading is very important to our society, without reading it's hard to find your full potential.
Bennett
Reading takes you to another world without leaving your home.
P.P.
Learn to read . . . read to learn.
Pam
For all the grandchildren in the whole country to be better citizens.
J.K.
Just to get by.
Alex
To enhance your knowledge, the more you read the more you know.
Juanita
A person who can read can have the same knowledge as anyone else. You cannot control a person who is your equal.
Anonymous
Because you can only talk to so many people.
Matthew Moorman
Reading is another way of expressing yourself and being more creative.
Mark
Learning different things.
John
It's the gateway to knowledge and understanding!
Anonymous
I think people should read because you can learn more things that you don't know.
Anonymous
It takes you to a whole new world and helps you learn.
Janel Joseph
To better understand your pre-nup! To recognize the difference between toothpaste and Preparation H.
A. Crouse
To understand what to read and what not to read.
L. Miller Johnson
To know what is going on in your community.
Campbell Welsh
Opens up a whole new world to you.
Mark Wass
It helps you to get what you need.
Ray Marcier
Making a difference in everything you do.
Melinda Caswell
Reading is our future for our kids. So, open up your mind and eyes and explore!
Sherry C.
Reading is very important and opens a whole new world to you.
Brenda Turner
Reading is a good thing for everyone in life.
Mark Delaney
I read so my brain doesn't die.
Miloe Siskew
I like to read because reading takes you places that you won't be able to go.
Megan
Reading feeds hungry brains.
Michelle Noe
It takes you somewhere . . . different places without leaving your house.
Dina Serrano
People should read in order to get smarter.
Lucas Sikes
Learn to read to enjoy your leisure time and read to the grandchildren.
Rosemary Boyce
Reading will help in many ways.
Erica
Reading is a good thing!
H.B.
Without reading life is just television.
Shawn S.
To read is to know!
Mary R. Clay
Reading is the door to the world.
Stephanie Hill
Words are our horizons and if we can't read we will never leave home.
Fred duRosset
Reading is the doorway to the world.
Dan
Reading is a portkey. Grab a book and it can take you anywhere.
Teresa C.
People who read find that the world opens for them,, introducing them to new places, new people, and new ideas. Only when we know and accept others and their ideas can we truly have peace in our world.
Pat
People should be able to read so they can know what's going on in the world around them.
Riva
Read so you can get a good education.
J.W.B.
Reading expands great ideas into action.
Sallie
So they do not have wrecks, people need to read stop signs.
Nick
Reading expands your imagination.
Sarah
So you can know what people like to write about.
Christian
People should read because in school you need to read.
Krystal
People should read because you can learn new things to do.
Nicki
People should read so they will get smarter.
Megan
People need to read so they can use the Sprint Yellow Pages. "The Best Read Yellow Pages."
Mary
I have a person in my family that cannot read - he has had a hard time in his life, working and traveling. It would have helped if he had been encouraged at a younger age.
Cathy
Reading is a huge blessing in my life. It takes me to strange and wonderful worlds!
Lisa Davidson
Because it is fun.
Heather
Reading is informative and helps with life's questions.
Andrea Roark
Reading keeps everyone informed of what's going on.
Joel
Reading is the window to our universe.
Judy
Reading is the key to the future.
Jennifer
So people know how to find home.
Jessica
Reading the Yellow Pages helps you find the businesses you need.
Angela Chandler
Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.
Mary
Read so you can appreciate good books.
Christina O'Quinn
It can be very informative about your area.
Janet Owens
It will be a better place if we could communicate better with each other.
Freddy Honda
When you read, you learn more.
Melinda Cunningham
Literacy = personal safety. Can I take this medicine? Driver safety - what does that sign say?
Amanda Harrell
If they didn't know how to read, they couldn't work in school.
Brittany Morrell
Reading opens up your mind.
Vicky Melvin
It's an election year - stay on top of the issues.
Joan Boehm
I like to read Harry Potter.
Brad
It helps kids beome smarter so they'll go farther in life.
Heather
You learn about places you may never see.
Pam
It helps the world communicate better with each other.
Lisa
It teaches my daughter valuable learning skills.
Kelly
Books open your world.
Sandy
It helps you when you start driving.
Chris
People can learn from books.
Josh
It's an adventure.
Jana
Reading offers an escape from everyday life by exposing people to new places and people.
Jennifer
Because you can learn.
Lysander
Read stories before nap and bedtime.
Andrew

4
Because it is an adventure waiting to be told.
J.B. McCoy
Because you have to know how to read to get into good schools.
Chelsea
To broaden your mind and go places through books you might never be able to in real life.
Mary
Reading is to the soul and mind what food is to the body.
Anonymous
Take a trip to faraway places without leaving the room. Next best thing to TV, yet you don't go blind!
Caroline Lee
Because it will help you communicate.
Keith
To grow.
Russell
To improve understanding of our world and city.
Tammy
To learn from books and others who read them.
J.A.S.
It can be funny and informative.
Jeff
To learn.
Travis
To travel the world without leaving home!
Anonymous
The more words you know, the more clever and witty comebacks you can deliver to people who annoy you.
Chromaboy
To open doors.
Frank Randazzo
Your imagination is better than anything a network or movie studio can produce.
Don F.
You can picture yourself as the characters in the book!
Britanny
I think America should read because reading leads to knowledge and knowledge leads to success.
Ron B.
I think America should read because reading is the foundation of education and that is the foundation of emerging societies.
Anonymous
It's tough to check you e-mail if you can't read.
W.W.W.
You should read so you don't get stupid.
Anonymous
Reading expands your horizons. The more you read the more you learn!
Anonymous
Everyone should be able to read, so we can all be on the same level, to communicate more freely.
L.C.
Escape.
Chaz Hathaway
SUNY Morrisville Student
Reading will take you places that you might not be able to afford to go.
Valerie Conner
Reading expands a child's world. It takes them places they can only imagine.
Laural Wilson
Reading makes you smarter. It helps build your vocabulary as well as overall personality and attitude.
Patricia
Reading takes you to new worlds!
Anonymous
Reading - the window to the world at your fingertips.
Liz R.
Stupid stuff makes you look bad.
Jamie
Reading gives you something to do on a rainy day.
Josh
Reading keeps you informed and opens new worlds.
Kim
Reading is relaxing and fun!
Myrtle
Reading is important so that our morals, values, and opinions that are necessary for everyday common living will be preserved!
Dru
Reading is fundamental, and everyone should enjoy a good book, shared together with a child.
Bruce H.
Reading gives you power and freedom.
Lucy
Reading can give you understanding and information on things.
Swanzeh Holloway
I find reading far more important than T.V. and computers. It is a miracle.
Mike
Reading feeds the imagination which feeds everything else that is created.
William Cudiz
I like to read because I'm a writer.
Presley Ward
Reading means a lot to me. I have traveled all over the world in books. I quit school early and by reading, it helped me receive a high school diploma after 14 years out of school. So please read, and travel the world.
Brenda Cobb
People need to learn how to read.
David Bochard
Everone should learn to read. Reading is something everybody needs.
Annette Cotta
So people can use the phone book to call friends.
Jeremy
Reading is a wonderful part of my life!
Peggy
Reading takes you into another world.
Jean
It's so very important - we all need it!
Nat
We learn to communicate through reading.
Hanna
Reading is the only way to get to many places.
Royce Gilham
Reading is important in America because if you can't do it, then you're stuck watching TV to get information and be entertained.
Chris Hinson
To help people in school!
Melissa Nelson
To live life to the fullest.
John Nelson
Reading is relaxing.
Robbin Nelson
Reading is the key to developing an imagination and to go places you might never venture.
Walken
I like to read because it exercises my mind and I can learn cool stuff!
Rachel Davenport
I like to read because it helps me fall asleep.
Brian Davenport
Reading helps me learn.
Carter
We should read because we can expand our minds and motivate others to read.
Connie
We should read to improve our vocabulary skills
Ebony
Read about something that is your deepest interest, when you do, you become enlightened and sent down new paths you had never imagined!
Anonymous
Reading is good for better grammar and increased vocabulary.
Tyrone
Reading skills are required to figure out Philadelphia's parking signs.
Anonymous
Reading to a child provides education and one-on-one time in our fast-paced society.
Ray Louis
Reading helps to expand your mind
Jamar
I think people should read to have knowlege of what they want to know about.
Anonymous
I think all people should be able to read and write all over the world!
Anonymous
Because it's normal.
Anonymous
Reading is the basis for intellectual thinking. If you can't read - you learn very little!
Anonymous
To expand horizons, personal and national.
Anonymous
Reading is the ladder you can climb!
Anonymous
I like reading because I like mysteries.
Swain
I like to read so I can study further into my religion.
Eric Hartman
SUNY Morrisville Student
Reading is very important to everyone. Without good reading skills, jobs and other opportunities could be denied. Communication is important.
Anonymous
The written word has brought me into worlds which I may not have otherwise been able to travel. And thoughts which I might have otherwise not been able to think.
Peanut
The pen is mightier than the sword or gun, therefore a mastery of the written word is a mastery of one's own destiny.
Anonymous
Reading is food for thought.
Jamie
Reading is cheap entertainment, with a huge payoff that other forms (tv, etc.) cannot provide. It is my favorite activity.
Andy
Reading educates you.
Shirley M.
Reading is the key to success.
Bette
Reading takes you where money can't.
Cynthia D.
Reading is the most viable source for communication.
Shirley Kennedy
Reading keeps people connected to their spirit and with other people.
Josie Tilghman
Reading is important to children every day.
Ricky
Reading enhances your verbal skills.
Ricky
Reading opens billions of doors into the imagination and reality. It allows people to make their imaginations reality.
Carla Acosta
Reading opens doors and windows of the mind.
Bette
Music is the very best way to communicate to the masses and "Popera LMP" will make it so.
James LaMont
Reading clears the mind.
Brador Schaffer
To read is like mind-traveling all over the universe.
Lonnie S.
It's our key to communication.
Gee
Reading opens doors.
Angeline
Reading develops your brain power and allows you to preserve that knowledge forever.
D. Crea
Reading empowers the reader and those who may listen to them.
Geraldine Robinson
Reading is obtaining knowledge.
Brenda W. Philly
Reading is understanding.
Liz Alby
Reading is fun, inspiring, and educational. With reading you can take as many vacations or trips in a year as you want with minimal expense.
Lisa Laflamore
Fastest way for abstract thoughts to register from one brain to another.
Aaron G. Stock
Because people learn stuff from the books.
Anonymous
Reading is communication.
Willie Allen
Life opened up for me through reading.
Jeff
Reading is extremely vital to American society. Without the knowledge of reading we would be cave people.
Anonymous
It all begins with reading.
Mary
Because reading is fundamental and without knowing how to read you will get nowhere in this world.
Shannon
Reading is a way for me to experience new places and things using my imagination.
Damarys
Reading prepares you for current, past, and future worldwide events.
Delores Solomon
Reading gives awareness, awareness produces action, action changes the world.
Marla
Reading feeds the soul, nurtures the mind, and warms the heart. It takes us to places we may never otherwise know and is the number one way to help us all grow.
Janice
Read - learn - grow.
Gabrielle Nicole
To read is knowledge.
Angelique Williams
If all the world knew how to read, the knowledge that would be gained could cure all the world's woes.
Chantal Morris
Reading gives power. Philadelphia is the city that loves to volunteer.
Deborah Mansfield
Mayor's Commission on Literacy
Please keep the peace in the world. We all need love in our lives. Help the kids read.
Jacqueline B.
The world today is in a very difficult situation and we all know it, so read.
Vince
It opens the world to you.
Anonymous
Because it's a cheap way to bring a world full of knowledge into the smallest of spaces.
Christina
Success is like a smile: it's wide and broad and full of fun!
Lady D.
Read and travel the world in your classroom.
B.W.
Reading is the best way to meet interesting people. People we do not know open themselves to strangers so we can appreciate their creativity and knowledge.
Nicole
By reading people can learn to survive and walk an open path to new adventures and places. It's an open book of knowledge.
Walter
To find info. Also, it's important that people who don't know how to read learn because 36% of adults can't read.
Anonymous
It's important for people to read because a mind is a terrible thing to waste.
Tony S.
It is important to know how to read to be successful in life.
Ramonita Castaing
I believe it's good to read because you can gain information about equipment and other things.
James Hinton
You have to become educated to know what's going on in your life, community, and around the world.
James and Shafeeullah Gaines
Reading makes the man.
Maisie
Reading makes us smarter.
Joshua Modeste

7
Reading helps us to function in the world.
Rachael Krinsky
Reading will teach you not to make the same mistakes.
M. Lafitte-Soler
I think reading is important for life.
Louie
I like to read because it's fun and has lots of adventures.
Ben
Reading is living.
Anonymous
If you know how to read you will never be bored.
Anonymous
Reading is the road map for life.
Marieta
Reading stimulates the brain. Also, it helps children learn.
Tony
Reading expands the mind and prepares us to compete in a growing technological society.
Donald A.
I love books!
Cassie
Reading is knowledge, knowledge is power.
Nellie
Reading is the foundation of life; my people perished for their lack of knowledge.
Erica L. Kelly
Reading is the great link to the world.
Anne Whitley
I can travel to far off places that I am unable to go to. I can go with or without my grandchildren. Move over world, here I come!
Sandra Mit-Chelle
Every book is an adventure. It can take you to faraway places.
Renee McDonald
Fight ignorance - read.
Jen Park
I love to read!
Larissa Olewinski
The best part of life is reading.
Mitchell Olewinski
To experience all of the things I might never otherwise experience.
Patricia Durkin
Teacher
55
I read to get to know the wonderful characters in books and to find a centered stillness in myself.
Virginia Lockhart
Teacher
50+
Reading is a way to feed the mind and take the mind for a little journey. You can travel anywhere in a book by simply opening the cover and reading.
Beth Ann Lash
Program Director Central Northside Reading Is Fundmental
26
Reading is food for the soul.
Linda Manuel
Reading Teacher
36