ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Lisa Bu - Passionate reader
Lisa Bu has built a career helping people find great stories to listen to. Now she tells her own story.

Why you should listen

At TED's annual staff retreat, everyone has to get up and talk about something -- either about work, or about something interesting from their own lives. In fall 2012, our own Lisa Bu prepared a talk about her love of reading. And our quiet, funny and efficient Content Distribution Manager simply brought down the house, with a story that's too good not to share. We are thrilled and proud that Lisa is the first TED staffer ever to be invited to speak on the mainstage at the TED Conference.

Born and raised in Hunan, China, Lisa Bu has been with TED since 2011. Before that, she spent seven years as a talk show producer and a digital media content director at Wisconsin Public Radio. She's also a computer programmer, with a PhD in journalism and an MBA in information systems from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as a BA in Chinese from Nanjing University in China.

More profile about the speaker
Lisa Bu | Speaker | TED.com
TED2013

Lisa Bu: How books can open your mind

Lisa Bu: Si librat ta hapin mendjen.

Filmed:
4,963,279 views

Cfare ndodh kur nje enderr qe ke patur qe femije... nuk behet realitet. Ndersa Lisa Bu adaptohet me jeten e re ne Sh.B.A., ajo i drejtohet librave per te zhvilluar mendjen e saj dhe te krijoje nje rruge te re per veten. Ne kete fjalim kaq te dashur dhe personal, ajo ndan kete qasje unike te saj me te lexuarit.
- Passionate reader
Lisa Bu has built a career helping people find great stories to listen to. Now she tells her own story. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
So I was trained to become a gymnast
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Unë jam trajnuar për tu bërë një gjimnaste
00:15
for two years in Hunan, China in the 1970s.
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për dy vjet ne Hunan, Kinë në 1970.
00:18
When I was in the first grade, the government
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Kur kam qënë ne klasë te parë, qeveria
00:21
wanted to transfer me to a school for athletes,
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donte të më transferonte në një shkollë për atletë,
00:24
all expenses paid.
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me të gjitha shpenzimet të paguara.
00:26
But my tiger mother said, "No."
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Por nëna ime tigër tha "Jo".
00:28
My parents wanted me to become
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Prindërit e mi donin që unë te bëhesha
00:30
an engineer like them.
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një inxhiniere si ata.
00:33
After surviving the Cultural Revolution,
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Pasi i mbijetuan Revolucionit Kulturor,
00:35
they firmly believed there's only one sure way to happiness:
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ata vendosmërisht besonin që ka vetëm një rrugë te sigurtë për lumturinë:
00:38
a safe and well-paid job.
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një punë e sigurtë dhe e mirë-paguar.
00:41
It is not important if I like the job or not.
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Nuk është e rëndësishme nëse më pëlqen puna apo jo.
00:44
But my dream was to become a Chinese opera singer.
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Por ëndrra ime ishte te bëhesha nje këngëtare lirike Kineze.
00:49
That is me playing my imaginary piano.
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Ketu jam unë duke i rënë pianos time imagjinare.
00:53
An opera singer must start training young
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Një këngëtare lirike duhet të nis trajnimin në vegjëli
00:55
to learn acrobatics,
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të mësoj akrobaci,
00:57
so I tried everything I could to go to opera school.
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pra fillova të bëja gjithcka për të vajtur ne një shkollë lirike.
01:00
I even wrote to the school principal
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I shkruajta dhe drejtorit te shkollës
01:02
and the host of a radio show.
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dhe një prezantuesi të një emisioni në radio.
01:05
But no adults liked the idea.
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Por asnjë të rrituri nuk i pëlqeu ideja.
01:09
No adults believed I was serious.
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Asnjë i rritur nuk besoi se unë e kisha seriozisht.
01:11
Only my friends supported me, but they were kids,
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Vetëm shokët e mi më mbështetën, por ata ishin vec fëmijë,
01:15
just as powerless as I was.
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aq te pafuqishëm sa unë.
01:17
So at age 15, I knew I was too old to be trained.
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Pra në moshën 15vjec, e dija që ishte shumë vonë për tu trajnuar.
01:23
My dream would never come true.
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Endrra ime nuk do realizohej kurrë.
01:26
I was afraid that for the rest of my life
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Kisha frikë se për vazhdimin e jetës time
01:29
some second-class happiness
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disa lumturi të kategorisë së dytë
01:31
would be the best I could hope for.
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do ishin ato cfare unë mund të shpresoja.
01:34
But that's so unfair.
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Por kjo nuk ishte e drejtë.
01:36
So I was determined to find another calling.
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Kështu që isha e vendosur te zbuloja një tjetër qëllim.
01:40
Nobody around to teach me? Fine.
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Asnjë rreth meje për të më mesuar? Në rregull.
01:43
I turned to books.
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U ktheva tek librat.
01:45
I satisfied my hunger for parental advice
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I jepja kënaqësi urisë time per këshilla prindërore
01:49
from this book by a family of writers and musicians.["Correspondence in the Family of Fou Lei"]
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me këtë libër nga një familje shkrimëtarësh dhe muzikantësh ("Korrespondeca ne familjen e Fou Lei")
01:54
I found my role model of an independent woman
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aty gjeta ikonen model të një gruaje te pavarur
01:57
when Confucian tradition requires obedience.["Jane Eyre"]
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kur tradita Confuciane kërkon bindje ("Jane Eyre")
02:01
And I learned to be efficient from this book.["Cheaper by the Dozen"]
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Dhe mesova te jem efikase nga ky libër. ( "I lire me Duzine")
02:04
And I was inspired to study abroad after reading these.
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Dhe isha i frymezuar te studioja jashte vendit pasi lexova keto.
02:08
["Complete Works of Sanmao" (aka Echo Chan)] ["Lessons From History" by Nan Huaijin]
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[" Veprat e plota te Sanmao" (aka Echo Chan)] ["Mesime prej Historise" nga Nan Huaijin]
02:10
I came to the U.S. in 1995,
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Erdha ne Sh.B.A. ne 1995,
02:14
so which books did I read here first?
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pra, cilat libra lexova te paret kur arrita ketu?
02:16
Books banned in China, of course.
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Libra te cilet ishin te ndaluar ne Kine patjeter.
02:20
"The Good Earth" is about Chinese peasant life.
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"Toka e Mire" eshte rreth jetes fshatare ne Kine.
02:24
That's just not convenient for propaganda. Got it.
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Ai thjesht nuk eshte i dobishem per propaganden. E kuptuat.
02:28
The Bible is interesting, but strange.
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Bibla eshte interesante, por e cuditshme.
02:31
(Laughter)
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(Te qeshura)
02:34
That's a topic for a different day.
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Kjo eshte teme per nje dite tjeter.
02:37
But the fifth commandment gave me an epiphany:
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Por, komandimi i peste qe per mua nje hapje sysh:
02:41
"You shall honor your father and mother."
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"Duhet te nderosh nenen dhe babain tend."
02:44
"Honor," I said. "That's so different,
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"Te nderosh, " thashe. "Kjo qenka kaq ndryshe,
02:47
and better, than obey."
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dhe shume me mire se sa ti bindesh."
02:48
So it becomes my tool to climb out
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Kjo u kthye ne mjetin tim per tu larguar
02:51
of this Confucian guilt trap
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nga kurthi i Konfucianizmit
02:53
and to restart my relationship with my parents.
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dhe ta rinisja marredhenien time me prinderit.
02:57
Encountering a new culture also started my habit
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Takimi me nje kulture te re, gjithashtu nisi zakonin tim
03:00
of comparative reading.
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e te lexuarit krahesues.
03:02
It offers many insights.
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Ofron shume brendesi.
03:04
For example, I found this map out of place at first
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Pershembull, kjo harte si fillim mu duk pak jashte vendit
03:09
because this is what Chinese students grew up with.
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sepse me te rriteshin studentet Kineze.
03:14
It had never occurred to me,
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Nuk me kish vajtur kurre ne mendje,
03:15
China doesn't have to be at the center of the world.
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Kina nuk kish pse ish ne qender te botes.
03:18
A map actually carries somebody's view.
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Nje hart faktikisht mbart, kendveshtrimin e dikujt.
03:22
Comparative reading actually is nothing new.
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Leximi krahesimor ne te vertete nuk eshte gje e re.
03:25
It's a standard practice in the academic world.
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Kjo eshte nje praktike standarde ne boten akademike.
03:28
There are even research fields
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Ka edhe fusha hulumtimi,
03:30
such as comparative religion and comparative literature.
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si religjion dhe letersi krahesuese.
03:34
Compare and contrast gives scholars
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Te krahesuarit dhe kontrastet i japin akademikeve
03:36
a more complete understanding of a topic.
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nje te kuptuar me te mire te temes.
03:39
So I thought, well, if comparative reading
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Ndaj mendova, epo, nese te lexuarit krahesimor
03:41
works for research, why not do it in daily life too?
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funksionon per studiues, pse te mos e bejme dhe ne gjate jetes se perditshme?
03:44
So I started reading books in pairs.
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Si rrjedhoje, nisa te lexoj libra ne cifte.
03:48
So they can be about people --
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Libra rreth njerezve--
03:49
["Benjamin Franklin" by Walter Isaacson]["John Adams" by David McCullough] --
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["Benjamin Franklin" nga Walter Isaacson] ["John Adams" nga David McCullough] --
03:50
who are involved in the same event,
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te cilet jane te perfshire ne nje event,
03:52
or friends with shared experiences.
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ose miq me eksperienca te njejta.
03:55
["Personal History" by Katharine Graham]["The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life," by Alice Schroeder]
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[ "Histori Personale " nga Katharine Graham] ["Topi i Bores: Warren Buffett dhe Biznesi i jetes," nga Alice Schroeder]
03:56
I also compare the same stories in different genres -- (Laughter)
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Nje tjter gje qe une bej eshte te krahesoj te njejtat histori me zhanre te ndryshme. (Te qeshura)
04:01
[Holy Bible: King James Version]["Lamb" by Chrisopher Moore] --
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[Bible e shenjte: King James Version] ["Qengji"" nga Chrisopher Moore] --
04:03
or similar stories from different cultures,
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ose histori te ngjashme nga kultura te ndryshme,
04:06
as Joseph Campbell did in his wonderful book.["The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell]
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si, [ "Fuqia e Mitit' nga Josepsh Campbell]
04:09
For example, both the Christ and the Buddha
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Pershembull, te dy, Ktrishti dhe Buda
04:12
went through three temptations.
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kaluan tre tundime.
04:15
For the Christ, the temptations
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Per Krishtin, tundimi ishte
04:17
are economic, political and spiritual.
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ne aspektin ekonomik, politik dhe shpirteror.
04:21
For the Buddha, they are all psychological:
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Per Buden, ato kane te gjithe karakter psikologjik;
04:25
lust, fear and social duty -- interesting.
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shthurje, frike dhe detyrim qytetar--- interesante.
04:32
So if you know a foreign language, it's also fun
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Pra, nese do te dija nje gjuhe te huaj, do ishte qejf
04:35
to read your favorite books in two languages.
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te lexuarit e librave te preferuar ne dy gjuhe.
04:37
["The Way of Chuang Tzu" Thomas Merton]["Tao: The Watercourse Way" Alan Watts]
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["Rrugetimi i Chuang Tzu" Thomas Merton] ["Tao: Rruga e Watercourse" Alan Watts]
04:38
Instead of lost in translation, I found there is much to gain.
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Ne vend te te qenurit i humbur ne perkthim, zbulova qe aty ka shume mundesi per te perfituar.
04:42
For example, it's through translation that I realized
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Pershembull, eshte nepermjet perkthimit qe kuptova
04:46
"happiness" in Chinese literally means "fast joy." Huh!
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"lumturi" ne gjuhen Kineze, fjale per fjale, do te thote "gezim i pernjehershem". Eh!
04:52
"Bride" in Chinese literally means "new mother." Uh-oh.
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"Nuse" ne gjuhen Kineze do te thote "nene e re." Uh-o.
04:57
(Laughter)
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(Te qeshura)
05:01
Books have given me a magic portal to connect with people
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Librat me kane dhene nje dere magjike per tu lidhur me njerezit
05:06
of the past and the present.
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e se shkuares dhe se tashmes.
05:09
I know I shall never feel lonely or powerless again.
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E di qe nuk duhet te ndjehem kurre me vetem ose e pafuqishme.
05:13
Having a dream shattered really is nothing
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Te paturit nje enderr te shtypur nuk eshte asgje
05:16
compared to what many others have suffered.
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ne krahesim me ato qe kane vuajtur shume njerez.
05:19
I have come to believe that coming true
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Kam filluar te besoj se te realizuarit
05:21
is not the only purpose of a dream.
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nuk eshte qellimi i vetem i nje endrre.
05:25
Its most important purpose is to get us in touch
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Qellimi i tyre me i rendesishem eshte te na vendose ne ne lidhje
05:29
with where dreams come from,
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me vendin nga vine enderrat,
05:31
where passion comes from, where happiness comes from.
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nga ku vjen pasioni, nga ku vjen lumturia.
05:34
Even a shattered dream can do that for you.
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Edhe nje enderr e shtypur mund ta bej kete per ju.
05:38
So because of books, I'm here today,
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Pra, si rezultat i librave jam une sot ketu,
05:40
happy, living again with a purpose and a clarity,
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e lumtur, duke jetuar serish me nje qellim dhe qartesi,
05:44
most of the time.
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ne te shumten e kohes.
05:45
So may books be always with you.
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Pra, qofshn librat gjithnje me ju.
05:49
Thank you.
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Faleminderit.
05:50
(Applause)
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(Duartrokitje)
05:52
Thank you. (Applause)
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Faleminderit.
05:56
Thank you. (Applause)
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Falemunderit. (Duartrokitje
Translated by Alisa Xholi
Reviewed by Iris Xholi

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Lisa Bu - Passionate reader
Lisa Bu has built a career helping people find great stories to listen to. Now she tells her own story.

Why you should listen

At TED's annual staff retreat, everyone has to get up and talk about something -- either about work, or about something interesting from their own lives. In fall 2012, our own Lisa Bu prepared a talk about her love of reading. And our quiet, funny and efficient Content Distribution Manager simply brought down the house, with a story that's too good not to share. We are thrilled and proud that Lisa is the first TED staffer ever to be invited to speak on the mainstage at the TED Conference.

Born and raised in Hunan, China, Lisa Bu has been with TED since 2011. Before that, she spent seven years as a talk show producer and a digital media content director at Wisconsin Public Radio. She's also a computer programmer, with a PhD in journalism and an MBA in information systems from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as a BA in Chinese from Nanjing University in China.

More profile about the speaker
Lisa Bu | Speaker | TED.com