Life-Changing Books
Reading That Book Changed My Life!
If you are a reader, you have probably said these very words.
Which one was it for you?
War and Peace? The Diary of Anne Frank? The Color Purple? Purpose Driven Life?
Maybe it was something less weighty, but just as unforgettable like Nancy Drew or Huckleberry Finn.
Recently, I gave some thought to the idea of how books influence our lives. I began by reviewing discussions about which scholarly writings had most impacted society. What I quickly realized, of course, is how much written language has impacted us in ways that are far-reaching and immeasurable.
Further, I found I am not the only one who has considered this idea. In a thick volume called, The 100 Most Influential Books Ever Written - The History of Thought from Ancient Times to Today, Martin Seymour-Smith offers his list of works by innovative thinkers whose ideas remain important today. The Table of Contents is a testament to the power of new ideas and a reminder of the body of work that is the basis for our culture. Seymour-Smith’s extensive list includes ancient literature like The Aeneid by Virgil, political writings like Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and scientific works by Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein.
While I was humbled to see how few of his world-changing books I have read in their entirety, I was also struck by a related question: what books have inspired us as individuals?
I think, like me, most people can pinpoint specific books that forever changed their world view. I wanted to know which books people hold dear. Using sources as diverse as Internet blog surveys, literary commentary and personal interviews, I compiled a list of popular personal favorites. Here is a brief sampling from that process:
- Alice in Wonderland
- Animal Farm
- Brave New World
- Great Gatsby
- Moby Dick
- Raisin in the Sun
- The Wizard of Oz
- Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
These great books show us how other people live and think and grieve. In tellling their stories, the authors use imaginary characters to show us our real strengths and flaws. We are able to experience life through these works of literature.
When asked about their favorites, a few people fondly remembered children’s books like The Little Engine That Could, My Side of the Mountain and Anne of Green Gables, and some remembered the transformative poetry of Langston Hughes or Robert Frost. Others cited nonfiction classics like Lives of a Cell and Black Like Me. Still others named biographies of heroes like Abraham Lincoln and Helen Keller.
The best part of my survey was hearing not just favorite titles, but the inspiring stories of exactly how certain books impacted respondents. Sometimes they said a book paralleled their own life experience or gave them a totally new perspective or offered wisdom ”just when I needed it most.”
For me, one of those books was To Kill a Mockingbird!
Growing up in the South with a heart tuned to injustice and a father who was larger than life, I found profound kinship with Scout, the young protagonist. In fact, as the book’s last pages left me watching Scout fall asleep having shared with Atticus the discovery that most folks are “(nice) when you really see them,” I wanted nothing more than to be Scout. In fact, I actually decided at age twelve I would live out the sequel of Scout’s life as my own! Like Scout, I wanted to do the right thing, see the best in others and value the power of integrity and compassion.
What about you?
- What has your experience been with books?
- Have there been some that have been really important to you?
- How have you been changed by reading?
- What books do you recommend to young people?
- Which ones are still on your shelf waiting to be reread?
I encourage you to look into your past, to search your heart and consider how literature and even nonfiction books have impacted your life. The stories of those books, like all our stories, tell us a lot about who we are and how we got here! Best of all, books allow us to see the world through some one else’s eyes–the best training we can get for developing empathy and a heart for the Greater Good!
I also hope you will share your experiences of great books with others!
Like You, Books Can Be A Blessing!
Note: Many of these thoughts were part of a round table discussion I led recently at the Weekend at Langdon, an annual arts & writing conference sponsored by Tarleton State University.
Learn more about InSpiritry and Anne McCrady
Subscribe to InSpiritry Emails
Join the InSpiritry Conversation on the Greater Good–
Comment on Your Favorite Book!
Technorati Tags: To Kill A Mockingbird Books
Trackback Address for This Posting: http://www.inspiritry.com/wordpress/2007/09/17/life-changing-books/
