Reading “The Lord of the Rings” changed my life for the better and shaped me into who I am today. In today’s world of social media debates, seemingly endless national conflicts and government shutdowns, a look into Tolkien’s masterpiece can remind society that good does exist in the world.

Even as I’ve grown further from the target reader’s age and my peers have picked up books that aren’t written in Comic Sans, I have stuck around. The elementary school days waiting in the library for the newest title are gone, but the books still come to me through Amazon orders and half-serious birthday gifts.

The association of reading and school work killed many of our desires to get lost in a good piece of literature. That association only grew stronger as we entered college, with numerous pages of reading assigned each night. Not only did we lack any desire, but now we had no time in which we could.