Senior Alex Caldwell says he finds serenity in the imaginative world of books. Their lessons have taught him maturity and have given him the opportunity to reconnect with his family after
a rebellious childhood.

-Rachel Barber

“Usually in the past I’ve been really socially inadequate and annoying, when I got to high school I changed my attitude and was able to learn a lot more than I could’ve in middle school. I’ve said some really inappropriate and uncalled for things and I was literally a step [away] from being expelled. After I got in trouble, I read a lot. I’ve read at least one hundred twenty books in the past four years… easily.

One thing about books is that I can get lost in them, utterly, fully immersed and I forget time itself and just read it. The problem with that is I’ve gotten in trouble with [teachers] saying ‘Alex, put your book away’ in all my classes. I think that books that are educational and have meaning are much more beneficial and have helped me cope more than reading meaningless books. It’s helped me think and the books split off into many different directions. It’s helped me get through quite a few tough situations.

There are hidden meanings in books which I found comforting. I used to hate my parents, as awful as that sounds. Of course I love them with all my heart, but I hated them when I was in middle school. Books helped me realize that they’re not always going to be there for me, but they’re always going to have my back in certain situations. So I – from the books – helped heal my family, helped heal my problem with me and my mother. Because we both love books, we used to compare books, and that was probably the one way that helped me and my family connect again.”