Overall, 2013 has been a great reading year for me. I was able to further my reading life and skills, making each book meaningful. My two favorite books out of the near 53 were definitely, "Native Son" by Richard Wright and, "Every Day" by David Levithan. "Native Son" definitely struck me and provided lessons as well as knowledge I was unknowing of before. "Every Day" also showed me the different things that people face, as well as life in different perspectives. Because both showed me different views of life and taught me valuable lessons, they are my favorite books of 2013.
One of the valuable lessons I was taught by Richard Wright and David Levithan was to never judge a person before you walk a mile in their shoes. Sometimes I take the life that I have for granted. I often forget that people struggled and that has gotten me where I am. Bigger Thomas the main character from "Native Son" faces segregation, prejudice, and harsh judgement. Being the 1930's, a time where African Americans faced very many hardships Bigger does. Also comparable for the same lesson being taught but in a different way, "Every Day" had the same effect on me. "A" lives as different people everyday, seeing how difficult life is for some and how easy it is for others. Days like the one that "A" experienced in Leslie's life are wake up calls in mine. Both books and authors make me look back at my life, compare them to what characters lives are like and appreciate what I have or in some cases don't.
Yet another reason why "Native Son" and "Every Day" are my favorite books of 2013 are because of the different perspective each book shows. Richard Wright's approach on life was to make the best of what you have. All though Bigger has a lot of challenges he never gives up, striving to make his life better. This is a strong approach and view of life in my opinion. I took it away as showing personal grit through hardship and a different way of living. "A" in "Every Day" takes living day by day to a whole nother level. It is also a different way of looking at life. Because "A" doesn't necessarily have his own perspective he is able to live through others views and create his own thanks to that. Both of these perspectives on life have made mine grow and I have slowly crafted some of my own thoughts after theirs.
The lessons, thoughts and ideas I was able to take away from Richard Wright's "Native Son" and David Levithan's "Every Day" is what made them my favorite books of 2013. Over all in 2013 I was able to open up my reading horizon, try new things and have fun while doing it. While reflecting and looking back I can specifically remember the experiences I had with each book. 2013 was a great reading year, and hopefully 2014 can go above and beyond.
- Aleyna Ndaw :)
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