I grew up im house full of books. My parents had the habit of reading stories to us at bedtime, and this certainly had a fundamental role in the fascinationa I've always had for books.
When I started school I learned to read in record time. I got my library card at the City Library. At that (in the 60's) the libraries in Finland were already very good, with a great variety of books. I went to the children's sector, of course, borrowed 5 books, which I read in two days, and went back for more. I must have been about 10 or 11 when there were no options there for me anymore, so I started to ask for books in the adult sector.
When I came to Brazil I already spoke a reasonable English (my native language is Swedish), but I didn't speak any Portuguese at all. A neighbor of ours, who was a teacher, used to lend books to me, and that helped me a lot to learn the language. In a matter of less than two years I was practically fluent and was studying without difficulties in regular school.
Reading provides the opportunity to learn from the experience of others, and gives us a variety of concepts to compare and decide for ourselves what seems valid. That's why it's important to read a little of everything, including opinions we don't agree with.
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