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This is a bit of a slippery topic for me because of how my idea of an influential book has evolved over time.
A title that meant the world to me as a kid or a teenager may not have the same effect on me as an adult, for example. This doesn’t detract from how much I loved it at those life stages, but not everything is going to feel the same for a reader depending on when they pick it up and what circumstances they’re currently going through.
Change is a normal part of life, after all.
Here are some books that meant the world to me the first time I read them.
The Giver (The Giver, #1) by Lois Lowry
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Ishmael (Ishmael, #1) by Daniel Quinn
A People’s History of the United States: 1492 – Present by Howard Zinn
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou’s Autobiography, #1) by Maya Angelou
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan
Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #1) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Would I feel the same way about them today? It’s hard to tell, but maybe!
Great list, Lydia! I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is brilliant.
Thank you, George. Yes, such a good book.
I should have included Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors by Sagan….that was the book that pushed me towards more science-oriented thinking.
That’s cool, Stephen!
What an amazing list, Lydia. So many powerful, thought-provoking choices. Thanks for sharing and for visiting my blog.
You’re welcome. Thank you for your kind words.
Interesting list. Bell Jar, Thousand Splendid Suns, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, are the ones I know well–excellent books, but how would they influence a reader’s life?
They contained ideas that I’ve thought a lot about!
I don’t know why I have not read A People’s History of the United States: 1492 – Present. I’ve wanted to read it for years.
I think you’d really like it.
Every time I see someone list I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings listed, and in a good way, I just want to hug something, maybe even someone. 💚💚💚
I have not read The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, but it sounds interesting, possibly even one my beloved and I could listen to together.
Oh, that’s awesome.
You and your beloved should totally read The Demon-Haunted World.