Rangel 1

Kari Rangel
Sean M. George
English 1010D.03
13 September 2015

Because Of Twilight
At first glance, youre probably thinking the Twilight four-book series is for young
teenaged girls. You would be right to assume that. It is nestled in the young adult section at the
library. The Twilight Series certainly had its fair share of swooning teenage girls in Barnes and
Noble everywhere from big cities to small towns in Utah. This book series is a love story
involving a high school girl that falls for a mysterious boy. I know what youre thinking: me, a
middle aged mother of three, fell for this love story too. Youre right, I did. I fell hard for this
story. The Twilight Series may not be well written books, and they arent the classical Jane
Austen of its time. It got me reading, when before I wasnt reading at all. In fact, I hated to read.
But this book changed how I perceived reading. I believe it started a new found love and
phenomenon of reading among many people, including me.
In the winter of 1989, I was in fourth grade. I was a ten year old girl where
friends, fashion, and school was my life and I pretty much ignored anything else. My fourth
grade class was a typical elementary school classroom. Artwork from students colored the walls.
Desks were in groups of six. A small library was sectioned off with a large floor rug, decorated
with the teachers wooden rocking chair. I was a good student. I was outgoing and friendly on the

Rangel 2
playground. I was respectful and kind in the classroom. I tried my best to be helpful. A very
memorable experience in my fourth grade class is when my teacher asked us to take turns
reading out loud. The books we read were fourth grade level reading and vocabulary. I followed
along well until it was my turn to read. I could not say the first word. I had no air to speak.
Nothing would come out. Normally, it was the first word of the sentence I struggled with. Many
times, the first word happened to be the. There were too many times my neighbor would lend
a whisper in my ear telling me the word, as if I didnt know it. I knew the word and I wanted to
participate. I was saying it in my head, but I couldnt speak it. When I heard the laughter from
around the room, my confidence went straight out the door.
I was embarrassed, knew how to read, and I was a great speller. I wasnt afraid of being
the center of attention though I had a speech disorder. I stuttered when I spoke. I stuttered when I
was nervous, anxious, or excited. I could have spoken the word, but I was so afraid of stuttering
the word out, that I panicked and lost the air to speak. My mom told me that when I was little, I
ran straight into a glass door and hit my head really hard. Ever since then, I had spoken with a
stutter. Fourth grade was the time my stutter was very much apparent to me.
Miss Miles became my speech therapist. She was kind, understanding, and patient. I was
called out of class for our daily session. Miss Miles had stacks of Dr. Seuss books on her desk. I
wondered if those were the books I was going to read and felt a little disappointed because I
thought they were too easy for me. At first, she and I would just talk. Shed ask me questions
about my old school. She wondered what my favorite subject was. Shed ask about my friends.
Then she asked me if I liked reading. My answer was definitely no. She was puzzled, and
without asking me why, I told her reading was hard for me. I could read in my mind, but after a
while, the words would float off the page. I lost focus, concentration, and interest. During our

Rangel 3
lessons, she taught me breathing techniques that were very strange but very effective. To this day,
I can hear her saying (and sometimes I tell myself), Take a breath in, and then slowly breathe
out, speaking one word at a time. Later in the year, Miss Miles suggested to my parents that I
take an eye exam. Soon after that, I was fitted for glasses, arguing with my mom which frames I
should choose. I vaguely remember my dad in the background shaking his head expressing that
it was my face; I should be the one choosing what I wanted. I chose a round set of frames. They
were gold and shiny. The doctor said I only needed them during my school work. However, I was
a ten year old girl who loved fashion. They were the accessory that gave me the boost of
confidence I needed. They looked good on me, and I felt smart wearing them. I had Miss Miles
as my speech therapist throughout elementary school where she gave me the knowledge and
confidence to manage my speech disorder by myself.
Throughout the next 10 years, marriage and kids were my life. Occasionally, I would feel
the urge to challenge myself in attaining something new, such as fitness certifications, public
speaking, and event planning to name a few. They all required hours of planning, confidence,
time management and a lot of studying. I took one particular certification exam three times in
two years before finally passing it. . Finally, after passing some exams for several additional
certifications along with planning events and speaking in front of many people, it seemed as
though my desires had taken a turn. I had the drive to keep doing things I hadnt thought I could
enjoy, or be good at. At the end of the day, I was a mother. I required my boys to keep their
grades up by tending to their homework. Plus attending the library weekly allowed them to
always have a number of books on hand. I was persistent that they spent 45 minutes a day on
reading. My oldest son asked me a question that Ill never forget. Mom, how come we are
always reading, but you dont read at all? And you say its important to read every day. I

Rangel 4
responded in a generic way to stop the conversation at once, because I dont like to read. I
knew how it sounded, and I wasnt proud of what I said. Im certain he had more questions to
ask, but I walked away. I told him the truth, and it was obvious to him I wasnt living what I
preached.
I was prompted numerous times to read the popular Twilight book. Though, I was
confused, and bored just thinking about reading a book. Every time a friend would bring it up, I
responded with a polite no, it doesnt interest me, but thank you. With so many close friends
talking about this book, its possible that reading was a normal thing to do for a mom with young
kids who had an early bedtime. But it wasnt normal for me. One night, my friend Katie insisted
I take her copy of Twilight home and start reading because I wouldnt regret it. Upon Katie
giving me this book, its as if time stopped. My thoughts searched for ways I couldnt read a
book; such as, my life felt too busy to sit and read. Or when I found the rare opportunity for free
time, I liked watching movies with my husband. I decided I wore too many hats; a mother to 3
young boys, a household manager, fitness instructor and the wife to a man who meant the world
to me. Then I started being honest with myself. The main reason for not reading is because I was
afraid to fail. After all the help with speech therapy, my school career and even my own set
challenges I conquered, I still hated reading. Reading frustrated me, so why would do it for fun?
It wasnt often to get a Saturday night to myself. My husband and sons had ventured off
to an overnight fishing trip 40 miles north in a little town called Enterprise. My house was clean
and quiet; something else that I didnt get to experience often. I sat on the couch enjoying a
peaceful moment when I noticed the book, Twilight underneath some non-important, forgotten
papers. I didnt want to ruin the uninterrupted quiet by turning on a movie, so I grabbed the book
actually started reading. I finished the four hundred nighty eight page book in approximately 5

Rangel 5
hours. Upon waking up after a few hours of sleep, my only goal was to get the following books
in the series. After a short trip to Barnes and Noble that Sunday morning, I owned all four books.
After reading Twilight, I finished the rest of the series, and I was devastated. I
didnt want it to end. I actually read the whole series a second time. After finishing the second
time, I was curious if other books were as good. Were they as interesting and entertaining as
Twilight? I was concerned I wouldnt enjoy reading other books, so I put it to the test. My first
novel after Twilight was These is my Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine by Nancy Turner.
Then I read novel after novel. My favorite genres were novels about day to day life set in the
olden time eras. Jane Eyre quickly rose to my number one favorite. Although I found Jane Eyre
challenging to read, its a book I can re-read and learn new things. Though mom life never
ended, reading a book about everyday life on the Colorado frontier in 1867 gave me the escape
that helped me deal with the dishes, laundry or loud and whiney children. I read so much I had to
learn to be appropriate and not ignore the other important things in my life. My husband did get a
little jealous, but he got over that real quick when he learned the Spanish Channel had his
favorite shows airing at night. Id sit next to him with a book, while he enjoyed a novella on the
Spanish cable channel.
Im a girl who used to struggle with a speech disorder and words floating off the page.
Reading gave me unpleasant memories, and I simply didnt want to be reunited with those
feelings ever again. But, with time passed and peace and quiet I allowed myself to continue
moving forward with things that challenged me. It helped that I had friends who were
exaggeratingly persistent in their plea of wanting me to read Twilight. Positive thinking, feeling
good and relaxed allowed me to start reading. Interest and joy kept me reading. I finally realized
I didnt have to be the fastest, or the best reader to find joy in reading. Finding happiness in

Rangel 6
reading has pushed me to learn new things. Im thirty five years old, and my desire to grow
intellectually is huge. Who knew a book like Twilight could start my desire to get smart? I want
to be an example of drive and determination for my kids. I want to debate among people and
politics. I want to argue with confidence in knowing what Im talking about makes sense. I was
faced with difficult challenges with a pessimistic attitude, but choosing to read a book has
changed everything.