I Love Reading Again Because of Graphic Novels

I've always enjoyed how colorful graphic novels were. Even if they weren't flashy, the graphics always helped add to the story. Graphic Novels are my favorite type of book. They let me easily dive into whatever world the author has envisioned, but schools make it hard to give students opportunities to read graphic novels. One year in middle school, my ELA teacher wanted us to read at least 30 minutes a day and write a paragraph summarizing and analyzing what we read. We were able to choose whichever book we wanted as long as we could write the paragraph every day. 

I remember many students, including myself, dreaded this assignment. We would often forget or struggle to find topics to write about. I had the hardest time because I liked reading graphic novels, and the assignment would make it difficult to enjoy them. When reading I would only focus on finding something to write for my paragraph, not what was happening in the story. Writing a paragraph wasn't that hard, but many of the graphic novels were too short or didn't have the literary elements that I needed to find for the nightly assignment. I had to force myself to read thicker, traditional books and that made reading a chore. When I was able to read on my own, I didn’t want to. The forced reading assignments made reading difficult and extremely boring for me.

 When I was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) last year, it finally clicked why I didn't like those assignments. One of the main symptoms of ADHD is a lack of focus, especially on things that do not interest you. It took the fun out of reading when I had to force myself to write paragraphs, read longer books, and drop graphic novels. Without any interest or desire to continue reading, I stopped reading and thought I would never pick it up.

Not everyone with ADHD needs medication, but I do. The medication has helped my focus. I've been getting back into old habits like reading. I started reading for my own enjoyment when the pandemic started because we were at home so often. I had nothing else to do. Even with the medication and my understanding of ADHD, it still has taken me a long time to want to consistently read although I was interested again. Graphic novels pull my focus with the images, colors, and creativity in them. It’s harder to get distracted now. When I read traditional novels, I always try to imagine what is being described, which can be hard for me because it distracts me from the main story. I can read graphic novels for hours without noticing or getting distracted because I don't need to imagine. I just look at and even analyze the images on the page. Graphic novels have revived my love of reading!

(My favorite graphic novel that I read recently was Spider-man: Miles Morales. For more information on ADHD, visit: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/facts.html)

-DW (High school teenager diagnosed with ADHD)

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