So You're an English Major...

     I'm back to Mississippi College for academic year two of three. Freshmen fill the halls of the beautiful brick buildings I fell in love with long ago, and new classes bond us together.

     And then I meet an English major, and my face lights up. There's an automatic understanding that we love the written word and want to use rhetoric to change the world.

     "What's your favorite book?" one English writing major asks. Her friends hold their breath, waiting to see what I say.

     "The Book Thief," I say, a moment before her friends go wild.

     "That's her favorite too!" they exclaim.

     Once again, Markus Zusak, that phenomenal writer, has united word-lovers with his story of a girl in World War II Germany. The character arcs, beautiful descriptions, and climactic ending have charged my soul three times already, and I look forward to reading it for a fourth time very soon.

     Some books are like old friends. Visiting them is comfortable and familiar. Readers who have the same favorite books know that they have the same safe space, the same pages to retreat to when they need to be alone.

     I've felt this connection with English majors a few years ahead of me, and now I get to establish similar friendships and mentorships with those coming behind me.

     I see her face lighting up, and I know it's going to be a good semester.

~Madeline