Personal Narrative-Lack Of Literacy

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I never intended to be an illegal smuggler. Seriously. But when four-year-old me found out that preschool had "naptimes" (in which apparently nobody napped, making it a waste of time to me), I decided to take matters into my own hands, with drastic measures. The next day, my top-secret contraband came in with me, in the form of a book. At 1:30, while everyone else did whatever preschoolers do during naptime, the book snuck out of its carefully concealed hiding place and I disappeared into its pages.

While I have never since resorted to smuggling literary contraband, I have not stopped reading. Bookcases filled with my books are scattered around. These books would include everything from Mark Twain and Charles Dickens to books about relativity and economics.
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Reading is such a focal part of my life that I sometimes lose sight of the fact that many people can't do it. Aside from the more practical and obvious benefits of a more literate society, those who can read and write suddenly have a way to change their lives and their world. Literacy is a prerequisite to an education, and receiving an education is a way for those living in poverty to change their

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