“To be honest, I really don’t believe any book can change your life – only you can. Look, two people read the same book: One is inspired, while the other is bored. It’s the person – not the book – that creates the transformation. The power lies within each of us. That said, I do believe that an author’s insights, when combined with the reader’s inspiration and desire to change, can lead to a new life for the reader.”
The above quote belongs to Bernie Siegel, M.D., who contributes a chapter in “You’ve Got To Read This Book!” Each chapter is by a separate author, who shares a personal story about a book that changed their life.
As Siegel noted, the influence of books is a very subjective experience. For instance, “The Bible”, quite disappointingly, is the most read book in the entirety of the English world, but it hasn’t had the same impact for everyone, noticeably sceptics like myself. Amongst the life-changing books included are quaint and beautiful works of fiction, self-help books, to huge manuals.
Each story is unique as the writer outlines their discovery of the book, whether their mother would read it to them before bed, or it just called to them sitting on the shelf. They talk about how it changed or reaffirmed their life, or simply gave them new perspectives. There are common themes, like dealing with loss, death, injury or sickness, and simply just feeling lost.
It was fascinating to read these deeply personal and sometimes tragic stories, following along with them as them as they chose a book to cling to in times of trouble (or happiness). I enjoyed watching each writer handle their situation, and experience the lead-up into their love of their particular choice of work.
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