Kenneth Tamatcho '23 Recruiting Profile

It was about 7 pm on Tuesday, October 6, 2020, I had been home from school for about two hours and I was comfortable lodged on my bed with my phone in my hand and my computer on my lap. My anticipation and anxiety were rapidly rising at every tic of the clock. It was scheduled to be released the Tuesday before that one but for some reason the release had been pushed to today at 7 pm, so there I was desperately waiting for a notification from one of my pirated book download sites. When I finally saw the small pop up notification that read “The trials of Apollo Book Five: The Tower of Nero. Download now,” I almost fell of my bed.

I ended up finishing the book in about 3 days with how aggressively I was reading it and when I was done, it left me with mixed emotions but the one that dominated was frustration. I had grown up with Rick Riordan book series and I related to the main character of the series, Percy Jackson, more than I did to anyone else. The book series that had cultivated my love for reading and helped me cope with a lot of challenges I faced, whether at home or in school, was coming to an end.

That weekend I was extremely upset and I barely left my room. It wasn’t until Monday morning, on my way to school, that I realised all the different things I had gained from the book series. Knowing that a group of ADHD and Dyslexic kids who were just like me could save the world gave me self-confidence I otherwise would have never had. I built some of my strongest from friendships at that time and even up to date through mutual passion for Rick’s youth literature work. I even acclaim my proficiency in the English language, despite coming from a primarily French background and home, to Rick and his book series.

That year, which was my sophomore year, was the year when I really became a bookworm. Prior to that year, I was entirely devoted to the Percy Jackson series and that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing because it helped me develop loyalty and a sense of belonging but it meant I was only exposed to a single writing style and genre. That year I started reading books from a variety of authors and started getting interested in more genres of novels. This gave me a broader scope and a far greater appreciation and understanding for the literary art.

Fast forward to the present day and I still harbor the same passion for books and I that to Rick and his historical book franchise. I would advise any little kid to read the series because I am certain if I hadn’t come across Percy and his crazy adventures, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.