成人快播

Nemanja Demic (he/him) is the AmeriCorps recruitment manager on our national team. He remembers learning to read when he was in first grade, and the start of his literacy journey was somewhat unique.

鈥淢y family and I came to the U.S. as refugees from Serbia in 2001, and, for me, the process of learning to read was also the process of learning the English language,鈥� he says.聽

For Nemanja, those first few years of learning to read in English weren鈥檛 the easiest. 鈥淭hat process came with its own set of challenges and that made connecting to the love of reading so difficult to do,鈥� he remembers.

But in fourth grade, everything changed. At Nemanja鈥檚 elementary school, the librarians would gift each child a book on their birthday. Nemanja鈥檚 book that year was , which was the catalyst for his love of reading. 鈥淔rom there, I just had to read the entire series, and then any other book that I could get my hands on!鈥� he says. To this day, he still has that same copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.聽

鈥淚 know, I know, it’s kind of corny because so many of us fell in love with that series, those characters, and their adventures, but Harry Potter (and Hermione and Ron!) took so many of us out of our realities and into a world like none other,鈥� Nemanja says. 鈥淚’ve reread that series dozens of times at this point, and watch the movies at least once every year. Although the franchise continues to expand, there’s nothing like the original books.鈥�

Another series that Nemanja remembers nearly word for word from his childhood is the books by Marc Brown.

鈥淚 could tell you the plot line to dozens of those books! Remember when Arthur met the president, or Francine stopped feeling shame towards her dad (the garbage man)? Those books hit on so many topics and taught me so many valuable life lessons. I clearly have a passion for books where the main character wears circle-frame glasses!鈥� he says.

Nowadays, Nemanja continues to love young adult fiction. He recognizes and appreciates that the YA and children鈥檚 book genres have a much more diverse cast of characters than they did a couple of decades ago. He often reflects on the Arthur series he loved so much as a kid, and how the main character didn鈥檛 necessarily need to be an animal; Arthur could have been another kid that young readers could relate to in some way.聽

鈥淩epresentation in children’s literature has come a long way, and I love to engage with that because it nurtures my inner child who needed that representation at a pivotal time in life.鈥� Nemanja says. 鈥淭hat’s why I always say that if you’re going to buy a child a book, or donate books to a children’s library, don’t buy books where talking animals are the primary characters – go for something a little more representative!鈥澛�

One aspect of kid lit that Nemanja really appreciates is the somewhat recent proliferation of books celebrating LGBTQ+ stories.聽

鈥淎s someone who identifies with the queer community, I love seeing books that place LGBTQ+ characters or themes at the forefront and desperately wish they had been available when I was a child. Books like by Jessica Walton and Dougal MacPherson or by Robb Pearlman validate the feelings and experiences children have, and reinforce that their identities are valid and seen.鈥�

Nemanja explains that kids may not always get that validation and reinforcement at home or in school, so it鈥檚 important for them to at least get it in the stories they read. 鈥淏ooks have the power to take us into worlds unlike we’ve ever known, and then we’re likely to try and make that world into our reality. Let’s make our reality one that is accepting, affirming, and loving!鈥�

Books have the power to unlock unlimited potential in young readers. 鈥淏ooks are validation,鈥� as Nemanja says. 鈥淭hey are windows into the realities of others, and they allow us to feel seen and to see others. Young people have every right to be seen, and they should be taught to see, and respect, others for who they are.鈥�