I read a lot of highly unsuitable books for an 11-year-old. I was desperate to read as widely as possible. I thought, 'There are so many places I am never going to get the chance to visit, but I can if I read them.' And I did. I could go anywhere in the world - and off it - by reading.
Interpretation
Reading allows us to explore new worlds and experiences beyond our own limitations.
In this quote, Malorie Blackman expresses the transformative power of reading, particularly for a young audience. She reflects on how books provided her with the opportunity to travel to places she may never physically visit, emphasizing the limitless horizons that literature offers. Her experience underscores the importance of literature in expanding one’s understanding of the world and nurturing a sense of adventure and curiosity, especially for those who are eager to learn and explore through stories.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of literacy, you might quote this to emphasize the value of reading.
What I wanted to do was use literature and different kinds of stories and poems as a springboard, tapping into the creativity of our teens - I wanted teenagers to come up with their own creative responses to literature - using books themselves as a starting point.
I remember going into a bookshop, and the only book I saw with a black child on the cover was 'A Thief in the Village' by James Berry, and I thought, 'Is this still the state of publishing?' Then I thought, 'Either I can whine about it or try to do something about it.'
I hope to instill, in every child I meet, my love and enthusiasm for reading and stories.
Children will go with any story as long as it's good, but white adults sometimes think that if a black child's on the cover, it is perhaps not for them.
History should belong to all of us, and it needs to include people from different cultural backgrounds. Otherwise, it risks becoming irrelevant to children, who could then become disenchanted with education.
Don't you know that boys don't cry?' Adam grinned. 'Shall I tell you something I've only recently discovered,' I replied, not attempting to hide the tears rolling down my face and not the least bit ashamed of them. 'Boys don't cry, but real men do.
I think children love reading, and they will make time for it if we put the right books into their hands. And I hope I get the chance to keep being one of the people that writes them.
There is something so deeply visceral about libraries for me-rooms and rooms full of people dreaming and remembering.
To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous.
It is not like studying German, where you mull along, in a groping, uncertain way, for thirty years; and at last, just as you think you've got it, they spring the subjunctive on you, and there you are. No- and I see now plainly enough, that the great pity about the German language is, that you can't fall off it and hurt yourself. There is nothing like that feature to make you attend strictly to business.
The most valuable of all capital is that invested in human beings
To teach details is to bring confusion; to establish the relationship between things is to bring knowledge.
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