The Benefits of Sherlock (or How I Inspired Someone to Read)

Okay, story time!

I'm taking a Public Speaking class this grading quarter, and the first speech that we're doing is an anecdotal introduction speech in which we bring items and explain how they are significant to us or symbolize some aspect of our personality in front of the class.

Of course, one of the items that I brought in was my book of Sherlock Holmes stories.

So, the teacher has us break into groups of two with our items in order to practice our speech and give each other on what we did well and what we need to improve on. My partner, this girl one year above me with dyed burgundy hair, and I finish before the rest of the groups and start talking. We're talking about stuff, and all of a sudden she asks me,

"What's your favorite Sherlock Holmes story?"

To which I reply, a little taken back, "The Three Garridebs, because it's the most pivotal story in the cannon."

To which she replies, "I've never read any of them before."

And then we laugh, and she says,

"You like reading don't you?" And I of course say yes.

To which she says, "I've never liked reading," and then she laughs.

And then I ask why she didn't like it, and she tells me how she finds it boring, and I tell her about the "English Class Hole," a thing I came up with in which students don't want to read outside of class or think that they hate reading because they're forced to read certain books in English class and are told they're good even if they personally don't like them.

So, I told her to go find a genre or a series that she liked and to read it, and that maybe if she did, she would find reading enjoyable, like how I did with Sherlock Holmes. And here's the thing: she said she would do it!

So, yeah. I think I might have just inspired someone to start reading again.

All thanks to Sherlock Holmes.

Don't ever let someone tell you this series isn't important or that it doesn't have benefits.

Because it bloody does.

By the way, my apologies for typos. It's very ironic because this is a post about reading, but I can assure you, I can read and write! I just hate the iPhone keyboard! I have a hard time typing on it sometimes!