Some students complain that the books we read in school are pointless.

They are written by old, dead guys. You would rather watch paint dry. Reading them is a waste of time.

I’m not going to lie; I’ve had my fair share of resentment toward certain required reading.

Sometimes it seems like your teacher just throws a book at you and expects you become some kind of a philosophical wizard.

But once you think about it, that’s their job.

Teachers are rarely going to tell you the hidden meaning of this book you just read because they want you to figure it out for yourself.

It’s hard to love every book you come across in high school but it’s even harder to actually find a book you like if you never actually read the books.

Yeah SparkNotes kid, I’m talking to you. I don’t blame you. Why would you actually bother to read the book when all that is expected of you is to answer some multiple choice questions?

It’s real tempting, I know. Just try and resist.

Go ahead and read the book.

Decipher your own meaning. Use that beautiful brain of yours.

The book may reveal something to you about the meaning of life, or the book may annoy the heck out of you, but at least you gave it a try.

Sometimes you have to take a few chances before you discover something great.

90% of the time there is a reason that your teacher wants you to read a book (the other 10% are those random books that your teacher doesn’t even like…but I digress).

Don’t be afraid to find that reason. Think of that book as a challenging game with the prize being knowledge.

You may even be the only weirdo in your class who actually liked the book. But that’s ok. It just means you found a little treasure in that book that no one else saw.

So next time you are assigned a book don’t automatically default to SparkNotes. Take the time to read the book and experience something new.

The old dead guys may surprise you with all of the interesting things they have to say.