My mother was a maidservant.Through her work, she observed that successful people spent a lot more time reading than they did watching televison. She ordered that my brother and I should only watch two or three pre-selected TV programs during the week . In our free time , we had to read two books each time from the Detroit Public Libraty and hand in written book reports to her . She would mrk them up with check marks and underline the important parts . Years later we realized her marks were a trick . My mother was lliterate . Although we had no money , between the covers of those books , I could go anywhere ,do anything and be nobody.

原文 lliterate 打错了，应该是 illiterate

意思是他妈使了一个小诡计，多年来假装在替他们改读书报告。其实他妈是个文盲。但经过多年的阅读，虽然他们贫穷，但他们很自信的敢去任何地方，敢做任何事情，

原文最后一句（nobody - 微不足道的小人物） 应该是漏了或打错.