Autobiographical reading experience

The first time I can honestly remember reading having an impact on me was not until second grade. To say that alone seems like it was too late for such an impact but I do believe it lead me in the direction I am now in with reading. It was actually due to a school program implemented in my elementary school on the Navy base. I thought it was only because of the lifestyle I was forced into that this reading torture was implemented on the students. This program was so time consuming and forced you to remember the little details of the reading to move up the reading ladder they had designed for us. You would have to read these little books and then after reading them you would have to take a ten to fifteen question quiz on what you read. Sometimes you couldn’t remember anything and had to keep reading it until you passed the test and then you could move on to the next level. There were 30 levels if I remember correctly and the relief I felt when reaching level 30 was unbelievable because I felt so accomplished and felt I was on top of the world. This program forced me to learn to retain the information I was reading and in the end it the transferred to all my school work and it felt great. My parents of course read to me at night and other times but I do not remember any book they read me having such an impact on me as those books in elementary school. I may hate reading now but I still took something from it that has helped me in more ways then I can count.