My education was the liberty I had to read indiscriminately and all the time, with my eyes hanging out.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
In so many ways, segregation shaped me, and education liberated me.
We had many books and pictures... my parents' way of life doubtless left a lasting impression on me. They created an atmosphere in which a certain kind of freedom could exist. This may well account for my seeking a related sense of liberty as I grew up.
Today I still feel like the most illiterate person ever to have roamed the campuses of Wellesley and Harvard, where I later transferred. I remain intimidated by all the books I haven't read, but over the years I've come to realize that being a student is a lifelong adventure.
For me, education was power.
So I grew up in a very book-friendly environment and my education as a writer was reading. I think that's the best education. Reading, and taking from the people I admired.
I have spent my entire adult life trying to make Liberty University the world-class Christian university that was envisioned at its founding.
Literature led me to freedom, not the other way round.
My father was a tyrant about reading, and that put me off books when I was little.
In my family, education was something you endured. My parents weren't educated past high school, and the only book in our house was a 'Reader's Digest' condensed book. Can you imagine?
My whole life was geared toward being a highly educated person.