Livre d'Or

I don't know if I am/was hyperlexic--I read early and well and fast, but my mom also read to me constantly from very young, so I wasn't exactly untaught, but I ran my preschool out of books and tested at a college reading level in third grade--but I definitely wouldn't trade it. The only thing I've ever really noted as a downside that's a side effect is related to my vocabulary--I have very little sense of what words other people don't know, even now, at nearly thirty. This is fine in conversation with anyone who doesn't mind asking me what I mean! But I actually started and then immediately abandoned a degree in technical writing because it very quickly became clear to me that I am not capable of writing clear and simple prose for a wide audience without a lot of blood sweat and tears. (And also feeling bad about myself for not being able to write accessibly--that's a negative side effect, I suppose, I see a lot of people talking about how long words and academic jargon are only ever used by people who want to feel superior and if you use them you're a snob and an asshole, which does not make me feel great when my word choice actually gets more obscure and arcane the more tired I am.)

I read faster than almost anyone I know--I think I've only ever met one person in meatspace that reads faster than I do. (And he leaves me in the dust.) But I enjoy that, because it lets me put words in my eyeballs as fast as possible!