We’ve all heard of writer’s block, right? But I’m sure you’ve never heard of reader’s block. I wasn’t quite sure I knew what it was myself. I’ve certainly never had a problem with not reading anything. If I got paid to read all day, that would be the best job in the world.
But then I thought about it, and it turns out I know exactly what “reader’s block” is. For me, at least. Yesterday (September 30), I finally finished reading Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal, the Spanish version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone. I started it in November when I had to read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for my Children’s Literature class.
I never ended up finishing it for class because reading the Spanish version took a lot longer than I thought it would, and as much as I wanted to devote all my time to it, I had other homework to do.
So I put it off until the summer. I quickly realized that if I tried to read a book in English at the same time, I would gravitate towards English, and it would never be read. So I finished the book in English I was reading at the time, and dove in.
I didn’t expect it would take as long as it did. I didn’t expect anybody to be against my reading it. But people kept saying “You know that’s not helping you [with Spanish], right?” It really hurt my feelings, because I’ve had multiple friends tell me that it would help. I know reading in Spanish isn’t everything, but it is certainly a starting point for fluency.
I wanted to read it because it was fun and I was enjoying myself, but at the same time, I didn’t want to be caught reading it because I didn’t want people to say anything about how it apparently wasn’t helping me.
And then, when I got closer to the end of Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal, they said “How come you’re not finished with that yet?” Oh, I don’t know, maybe because it’s not in English and I feel like I’m not supposed to be reading it.
But I’m proud of myself for finishing it, because I finished it in spite of the people who didn’t exactly approve of the endeavor.
2 replies on “The Forbidden Book”
I come from the Community Pool.
I would have thought it would have helped you with Spanish, unless your Spanish was particularly good: it would get you thinking in Spanish.
I liked your post. I had not thought of “Reader’s Block” before, though I have found books impossible- I gave up “The Secret Agent” by Joseph Conrad ten pages before the end. Keep writing and sharing your experiences. Have fun blogging!
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