Submitted by: Nick Stephenson
Generally, what inspires you to read?
I like the solitude you experience when you read, I find the times that I read to be incredibly relaxing. I also like that when I read I feel like an active participant in the experience; I get to contribute to the look and feel of the people and places.
When did you first read Harrison Bergeron?
11th grade (1994)
How did you come to read this book?
Assigned reading in a high school satire class
Why has this book inspired you the most?
Probably because at the time I first read the story I found the writing style of this book to be so different than everything I had read prior to it. This story opened up a whole new genre of literature and a style of writing that for the first time in my life really spoke to me. This story made me want to read more and eventually began the path to me becoming an English major in college.
In reading this book, how has your life been influenced or changed?
On top of what is written above, Vonnegut's satirical look at a future in which "everybody was finally equal" encourages us to always question why and to never handicap potential. This book is a warning that if you take the easy path rather than the right path you can doom yourself and the future.
