Scar Tissue

As a child, I loathed reading because I was a very slow reader. I was constantly struggling and avoiding all my reading assignments. It was not until the seventh grade that I began to read regularly every night before bed. I enjoyed reading but it was not an activity I felt any passion for. Being a social person, it took me awhile to discover the joyful solitude I now find in reading. I believe the love I have found in books has been a developmental process that has occurred as I have grown older and come into my own. I have become very confident and comfortable with myself and I feel that reading is a pleasure that has ignited within me during my high school years.


The book, Scar Tissue, made me love to read in a way I had never imagined I would. I am an avid Red Hot Chili Peppers fan so I was immediately drawn to the book purely because it was written by the band’s lead singer, Anthony Kiedis. The fever in which he is living his life completely captivates me. Throughout my entire experience with the book, I was constantly excited turning every page. I had never declined other opportunities in order to read until I read Scar Tissue. Kiedis makes the reader a part of his life journey from the sad, heart-wrenching details of his drug addiction to his now positive, spiritual, and clean lifestyle. I respected him the entire time I was reading his story. Even though he made irresponsible decisions, he was able to change his life to represents a person that I think all people should strive to be; a person who has found his passion and worked at it. Kiedis is an individual who has become the best version of himself all while possessing so much love for everything and everyone in his life. I could not help but love his stories, philosophies, creativity, and writing.


After I read Scar Tissue, reading took on an entirely new meaning for me. It has become a chance to reflect on myself in perfect solitude. This solitude is unlike any other because although I am alone, I do not feel completely isolated as a result of the characters and ideas that flow from the literature. I believe that reading can help a person grow just as personal experiences can; both teach new ideas and show different opinions and beliefs. Scar Tissue had helped me grow not only through the message I took away from it but also because of the love of reading it sparked within me (435).