Lisa Bu: The Magic of Books

Lisa Bu begins the TED talk explaining how, as a child, her parents made her think that she had to become an engineer in order to become a successful, happy adult. Lisa had been trained in gymnastics for two years, and the government offered to send her to a school for athletes on a scholarship, but her parents insisted she stay on the track to a well-paid job. She also explains how, after the gymnastics phase, she desperately wanted to become a Chinese opera singer. She went to great lengths to try to make this happen, even writing a letter to the principal of a Chinese opera school, but nobody seemed to take her seriously. At 15 years old, it became clear that any opportunities of turning her Chinese opera singer dream into a reality had passed, because one had to begin training Chinese opera from a young age for the necessary experience.

Lisa then explains how she turned to books for "parental advice". She certainly did not want to follow in her parent's footsteps in becoming an engineer, but she did not know what else she could become. However, Lisa found inspirations in the books she read. For example, she claims she found a role model in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, because Jane was an independent woman.

One of my favorite parts of the TED talk was when Lisa excitedly says books "have given her a magic portal to connect with people of the past and present", and that with books she "knows she will never feel lonely or powerless again". Finally, Lisa says that "coming true is not the only purpose of a dream; it's most important purpose is getting in touch with where dreams come from, where passion comes from, where happiness comes from". With those last lines, Lisa's point really hit home with me. Without books, I don't think I would be the person I am today. I am inspired by everything I read, and I take away meaningful insight from every author (and character). Books allow me to dream and set goals for myself, which is exactly what Lisa Bu learned from them, too.