WHEN THE READING LIGHT WENT ON

Deborah Sanchez is Los Angeles deputy city attorney and editor of an upcoming book of poems about experiences in the criminal justice system.

My mom was a high school dropout, but she always had a billion books around her. She was reading all the time. She would say that was how she escaped. I didn’t understand why she loved books and reading so much. I had always looked at books as a tool.

When I was 13, my mom decided to continue her education. She eventually majored in English at Cal State Long Beach, where she also received her master’s degree in English.

She would bring home her college work. Poems and short stories. She would say, “What do you think about these? What do you think it means?” Whenever she read to me, I really had to listen and look for the deeper meaning.

But the real love of reading for me came after I was a lawyer. I was commuting to Los Angeles by bus and train from Long Beach. I started reading books. I found out that I was totally in love with reading. I realized for the first time why my mom loved reading.

The first book I read on the commute was “Prince of Tides” by Pat Conroy. I loved the way I felt transported. I loved the characters. I wrote a poem about that book, about tragedy and survival. I started reading books about criminal defense lawyers and prosecutors. I read mysteries. I read books by Amy Tan, Barbara Kingsolver and Robert Ludlum. My range got broader.

I’m in a book club now. It has improved my writing. I think I am better now because I have read other people.

When I was young, my mom would say, “You can go places by reading books.” I didn’t understand. Now I finally understand about the joy of it.