Once again, I’ve seen this week’s topic and decided I would break the rules. What can I say?  I’m a rebel at heart.  So this time, instead of discussing one book that changed my life, I’d like to introduce two.  As you will see, one of them was foundational and paved the way for the other one.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Journey to the Center of the Earth - Jules Verne

I came across this book when I was in 7th grade. Usually, this kind of Victorian scientasy novel wouldn’t have been my first choice, but it had been assigned by my literature teacher, so I had to read it.  If you haven’t read it, I would recommend it.  It’s a fun read with a plot accessible to children.  However, for me it wasn’t the story that got me; it was a single word associated with a minor character (the hero’s uncle): “polyglot.”  I had never come across this term before, but when I looked it up, an entire world opened up to me. As many of you may know already, I was raised in French-Canada, so I knew that some people spoke both French and English (my parents, for instance), but the idea that someone could be more than bilingual had never occurred to me.  I distinctly remember feeling a strong desire to become one of those people.  I even tried to borrow books in English at my local library.  A seed had been planted.

Neon Genesis Evangelion Volume 1 - Yoshiyuki Sadamoto

When I was in high school, the English version of Sailor Moon was popular on YTV, an English-Canadian channel available in Quebec, so, now that I understood English, I watched it whenever I could.  This led me to reading the manga, since they were available in French in local bookstores.  By the time I had moved on to CEGEP*, I had long read them all, but I liked the manga format, so when I came across Evangelion at my school bookstore, I bought the entire series in one go. Although I dabbled with this new (to me) format, I was no massive fan, and Japan was nowhere near my radar.

On one of the first few days of school, I went to my German class.  As I was early, I sat down in the front row (I am and will always be a nerd) and took out one of the mangas I had purchased.  Soon, other people began to trickle into the classroom, but even when someone sat next to me, I didn’t really pay attention.  However, they did.  They had barely settled down when I heard them say: “Hello!”  Now there is nothing I hate more than to be addressed by strangers in public, especially when I’m reading.  However, I’m also too polite for my own good, so I lifted my head and responded in kind, hoping I would be able to read a little more before class began.  However, my new neighbour, a round-faced young woman with a big smile, wasn’t done and immediately asked a follow-up question: “Do you like manga?”  As it would have been rude not to answer, I did, and setting my book down, I decided to engage with this friendly newcomer.  I didn't know it at the time, but this weird combo of German class and Japanese manga completely changed the direction of my life.

Michelle (my new friend) was a massive Japanese anime fan.  She introduced me to many more series and, via Rurouni Kenshin, to Japanese culture and history.  After a few months of hanging out with her and her group of friends, I had fallen in love with Japan and decided to change my university major from English literature to East Asian Studies and Anthropology.  From there, I went on to live in Japan for seven years and fulfill my dream of becoming a polyglot.  But it was only the beginning.

My sister had also followed me into the anime fandom and learned some Japanese, but, from our love of J-pop, she got to know K-pop and followed my footsteps in university, focusing on Korea rather than Japan.  She then lived in Seoul for 4 years.  Years later, during the pandemic, she finally got me into K-pop, leading me to add Korean to the languages I studied.  From Korean, I quickly added Mandarin to my repertoire.  And now, I can speak six languages (Spanish is the one I didn’t mention yet) to varying degrees of proficiency. 

When I look back, it’s crazy to think that these two books are responsible for changing my life this much. Next time you read in public, forgo the book cover; you never know which book might lead to an encounter that will change your life! 

*In Canada, each province has their own school system independent from the central government and from the others.  In Quebec, after 5 years of high school (there is no junior high school), we move on to CEGEP, which is a two-year pre-university prerequisite or a three-year technical programme.  After CEGEP, we go to university, where the bachelor’s degree is only three years long.