Ever since I could remember, I have always desperately wanted to learn to read. As a small child I had made up my mind to get enough education to be able to read common books and newspapers.

As soon as we were settled in West Virginia, I induced my mother to get me a book. Somehow she was able to get me an old copy of Webster's "blue-back" spelling book. It contained the alphabet and some meaningless words like "ab," "ba," "ca," and "da."

I think this was the first book I ever held in my hands and I devoured it.

I had learned from somebody that the way to learn to read was to master the alphabet. I tried every way I could to accomplish this. And I did all of this without a teacher. Because there was no one of my race anywhere around us who could teach me and I was too timid to ask any white person.