Reading can greatly alter our life's path. There are endless studies correlating illiteracy with crime and poverty. According to the introduction of The Book That Changed My Life, Roxanne Coady gives the staggering statistic that "eleven states in the U.S. predict their future need for prison cells based on the reading levels of their fourth graders" (xvi). By simply providing a child with a book they are inspired by, their future potential is increased dramatically.
Books Have the Power to Change Lives
Reading is one of the strongest catalysts for change, as author Billy Collins noted, "no book leaves us unchanged, for better or worse" (pg. 51). In The Book That Changed My Life, 71 well-respected and best-selling authors share, in essay form, the book that served as their own life's catalyst. The books vary greatly from the ones that are expected like The Bible and The Catcher in the Rye to ones that are less obvious and obscure, including the Sears Catalogue. They range from novels to biographies and poetry.
Authors Included and Their Book Selections
Dorothy Allison, author of Bastard Out of Carolina, chose Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye as her life-changing book because it "made it plain [that] the world could be different if truth was told in such gorgeous and stark ways" (pg. 3).
Nelson DeMille, best selling author of novels such as The General's Daughter and Plum Island, chose Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand as his pick because "it upset [his] well-ordered...world" (pg. 63) just like any good book should strive to do.
Wally Lamb, author of noted Oprah's Book Club Selection titles, She's Come Undone and I know This Much is True, selected Harper Lee's famous book, To Kill A Mockingbird. Why? Because "the reader gets all this good stuff, plus Lee's sensual and evocative language" in one novel (pg. 97).
Anne Lamott, author of such works as Bird by Bird and Thoughts on Faith, called The Only Dance There Is by Ram Dass her most life changing book. She said that "finding that book taught [her] a lesson about how truth comes to us in such quirky, unexpected packages" and that the book validated her need to seek out her spirituality because "it freed [her] from [her] fear of being seen as a seeker...and the belief that religious and spiritual people were dull and preachy" (pgs. 100-1).
U.S. Senator John McCain, 2008's Republican Presidential candidate, selected For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway as the book that "seized [his] attention" by "offering a stark and gripping portrait of inhumanity" (pg. 109).
Frank McCourt, author of such works as Angela's Ashes and 'Tis, choose William Shakespeare's Henry VIII as his book of choice simply because "it's Shakespeare and it's like having jewels in [his] mouth when [he recited] the words" (pg. 116).
Other writer's who contributed to this collection include Elizabeth Berg, Patricia Cornwell, Sebastian Junger, U.S. Senator Joe Liberman and SARK. There is also a full reading list provided in the appendix that includes all of the books referenced in the essays, which is a great place for readers to refer to when looking for their next good book.
The concept that books have the power to change lives is prevalent throughout this collection, simply by reading these 71 essays and seeing how far books have taken their respective authors. By constantly reading, one will eventually find their life changing book, simply by chance and often by the mere luck of turning the pages of the right book at the right time.
Lisa Rufle - If I had to describe myself in one word, it would easily be: curious. So as a natural extension of my curiosity, reading is my life's ...
