how stories can save you

Yesterday, after 11 days home with a sick 4-year-old, I went to the school I where I attended Kindergarten through 12th grade to give a chapel talk.  It's book fair week at my old school, and this year, I am the featured author.  They asked me to address the question "Why read books?"  And I had 12 minutes to do it.

Here's a version of what I said:

I wrote my first novel right here, at St. John's, in sixth grade. 

 I was totally miserable in sixth grade.  (Though maybe if my history teacher...