Books made me who I am, Zik. They gave me wisdom and laughter, beauty and truth. Books challenged me and comforted me; they made me stretch and grow. Books showed me how to dream and plan. They made me cry in big, gasping, ugly sobs. Books made me furious. Sometimes they put me to sleep. Books made me nostalgic and gave me great hope for the future. They gave me a mirror to look into. A voice to my pain. They showed me a path. They lifted me to the stars. They let me escape to a new world when the world I was living in was barely survivable. I was saved by books,
