Daily Cascade

As I Read...

Prompt:
Use these one or more of these words in your entry today to tell us about your reading preference: urban-fantasy, true-crime, romance, drama, memoirs or science-fiction.

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My grandmother, as she laughed, mentioned this about me several times . When I was a kid, if given a choice between two (or more) things, I always said, "All of them!" The same is still true for at least a few things such as my reading. That is to say, I like them all, provided they are well-written, but if I have to pick, I would probably prefer memoirs and dramatic fiction.

I'll begin with memoirs because they offer real-life insights about situations, places, and people that I may not be too familiar with. Plus, they are rooted in social, cultural, and sometimes historical events and people, as well as offering access to a human being's inner world, which is usually quite honest. This honesty is important to me because I do care a lot about people and I feel more connected to them once I learn more about them. After all, aren't we all human with our own growth and relatability issues!

Then, most of what I wrote above about the memoirs also go for dramatic fiction. To begin with, I like drama's insight into its perspective of varied characters, while stimulating imagination. This shows time, place, or even a very different alternate reality and these may represent symbolic meanings. Through dramatic fiction, I feel I am always gaining a better and deeper feel for social dynamics, cultures, people, and even historical periods.

A plus for dramatic fiction over memoirs is its presentation of a temporary escape from the real world. This comforts me and I even feel connected to some well-developed characters, while enjoying the intricate plots with twists and layers of emotion in them.

While writing this entry, I made myself aware of how important human beings are to me in fiction or real life. This is probably because I can easily relate to them, no matter our surface differences. This attachment began when I was still in junior high on the advice of our very wise lit teacher. She had told in class how Dostoyevsky's work had affected her personally. Since I adored this teacher, I began to read Dostoyevsky's books.

The first Dostoyevsky book I borrowed from the school library was his Notes from the Underground. This book was partly fiction and partly the author's own experiences when he was jailed under the tsarist regime. When another teacher saw me so immersed in the book, she was unnerved and she said, "For a young girl your age, you should be reading happier stories!" As if I weren't already being watched over like a hawk by my overprotective mother!

As such, I am still unnerved when adults want to rule over a younger person's reading material. They don't understand that readers, no matter the age, are trying to understand life's complexities and learning how to handle their own treks of self-discovery through those.

Ooops! I'm thinking on paper (or rather on a screen) and I may have gone off a tangent here, but then, that's what my blogging is for.