The Book That Changed My Life by Stacy

The Book That Changed My Life by Stacy - July 2013 Scholarship Essay

The best book that I have ever read for school is The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer.
    I came to the United States in late April of 2006, at the age of 12. In August of that year, my brother and I were enrolled in a charter school, starting the seventh grade speaking very little English and not knowing how to write. In the summer of 2007, we were given two books to read: The House of the Scorpion and Lord of the Flies. I remember feeling mad because reading was something I never liked. Two weeks before school started again, I saw the two books sitting on my table and realized that I put it off as long as I could and had to read it now. Curling up on the couch, I opened The House of the Scorpion and began reading. The moment my eyes scanned the first word, my brain just shut down. Something about a person being born with unreal technique. Somehow, I managed to read through the first chapter and could not read it any more. I closed the book and put it as far away from me as possible.
   I was so confused and a little scared because the book contained a lot of vocabulary words that I did not understand and I could not grasp the idea of what was going on in the plot. Having been in the US for only a year and a half, I did not know or understand the concept of cloning, immigrants, organ harvesting, or drug lords. A few days later, I picked up The House of the Scorpion and gave it another try. I could not put it down. Even though I understood very little, the new knowledge of science, human nature and motivations, and individual discovery captivated my mind. And I finally understood what the  book was about. The story centered around a young boy by the name of Matt, who is a clone of a148-year-old drug lord,El Patrón, who intended to take Matt's organs when his own organs fail and live on. I remember going back to school and the excitement I have felt waiting for the teachers to test us on the book. That academic year, my newfound love fore reading helped me with my writing and communication skills, boosting me to become an honor roll student from there on out.
   For me, The House of the Scorpion opened the limitless and creative world of my imagination. After reading that book, I craved more, begging my Mom to constantly take me to Barnes &Nobles. I would come back to read this book over and over again, discovering my current love for reading. Not only did this book help me with my English skills, it also helped me discover my love for writing in high school. Thanks to The House of the Scorpion, I have started writing my first teen-fiction book that I hope to publish within the next year and dream of becoming a professional fiction writer like J.K. Rowling and Stephen King.