The Thrill of Reading

Do you recall what life was like before you learned to read? I have a few such memories:

I sat on the porch and cried. It has hit me that I know nothing other than what other people have told me. I, from my own mind, cannot point to a single fact that I know, unless I trust the words of others. For some reason, I found this revelation devastating. My mother asked me why I am crying. She smiled, and pulled me into her lap. “Next year you will go to school,” she reminded me. “Yes!” I was instantly cheered. "When I go to school, I will learn to read. And THEN I will know things for myself."