First up, speaking of changing lives, there is still time to leave a comment for a great cause! Check out Monday’s post, where every comment means $1.00 for Heifer International. There are many other great blogs participating, and please consider making your own pledge! Whatever amount you decide.
Meanwhile, one of the things I love about the holidays is that they seem like a time of possibility. Maybe it’s the crisp air, the lights, the tradition, or the spreading of goodwill, but it is definitely a time where life feels a little more magical.
And to that end, I thought I’d bring this around to magical books: which one most changed your life?
I would personally have to go with Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I just never knew books could be that funny, and reading it in high school literally opened up a whole new universe.
What about you?
Tim Riley says
Without a doubt, To Kill a Mockingbird. Years later, when the doctor told my wife and I we were going to have a girl, I knew immediately her name would be Scout.
Ali Katz says
At risk of aging myself, I'm going to admit to Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse. It's message helped open my mind to the world around me.
gideon 86 says
My book actually started by my discovering the movie first. I was enchanted by Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I viewed this film at a very sad time in my life.
Discovering the world JK Rowling created brought me back to reading and eventually writing. Not only children were influenced by this amazing woman.
Happy Holidays, Nathan.
Michael
dan radke says
At 13, I read The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King. It made me realize that books rock. After that I started putting down my playstation controller every once in a while.
And Nathan, I have a possible beef with your 'literally' usage. The way you put it, wouldn't it mean that an actual universe up there in the cosmos was opened up because you read hitchhiker's guide? Or is it okay to say because the word 'universe' has multiple meanings? Honestly curious because I've got a big 'literally' pet peeve, and to see you use it, possibly incorrectly, well it hurts, Nate. Hurts, Nate-Dogg.
Nathan Bransford says
dan-
Yeah, not literally. Metaphorically or figuratively.
chelsea says
The Hobbit. My first grade teacher read it to our class. Sometimes, I think Bilbo's adventures are actually my own childhood memories. After that, I became a voracious reader, and now I write.
Anonymous says
Frog and Toad. Definitely.
CageFightingBlogger says
American Psycho. It taught me that we're all a bit crazy, and we can't be nice to everone all the time. I loved that it dared to make us recognise ourselves in such an evil character, anddared us to laugh at things that we're equally disgusted by.
Judith Mercado says
It's hard for me to believe it now, but when I was in high school it was Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I believe I ultimately pursued an MBA and a business career because of her strong female protagonists. Much later, it was Robert Caro's biographies of both Lyndon Johnson and Robert Moses. Hmm. There is a pattern of strong characters there.
Colleen says
Where the Red Fern grows, by Nathan Rawls. I used to keep it in the crease of my math textbook in 4th grade, and got caught when I started bawling during a math lesson. It solidified my love of escaping into new worlds. I was brought up with a love for reading in general, but that's the touchstone.
Lucinda says
A small paperback book, "It's Like This Cat" about a boy and his boy living in New York City. I remember he loved spaghetti sandwiches.
Remembering that book helped me realize the writing style I loved best….
Lucinda says
er…that was a boy and his cat…
scott neumyer says
It wasn't an entire book, but a short story. John Updike's "A&P" was the story that made me want to be a writer.
Glory Lennon says
You'll laugh, but the Harry Potter books and I'll tell you why. I laughed and laughed and laughed reading, re-reading and re-re-reading them. Then I said to myself, "I want to make people laugh like that. I want to be a JK Rowling." and That is when I started writing. Haven't stopped yet and don't plan to until my laptop is forced out of my cold dead hands and every pen and sheet of paper is gone from earth!
Chassily Wakefield says
The Nancy Drew series saved my soul when I moved to a new town at the beginning of 4th grade, where I did *not* fit in. It wasn't cool to read or to be seen as a smart kid, so I had no friends. It was the loneliest year of my life. My grandmother enrolled me in the Nancy Drew book club, which sent 6 or 8 books a month until the whole series was delivered. I'd read them all in under a week, then have to wait for another three weeks for the next installment while rereading the ones I already had. I'd always enjoyed reading, but escaping with Nancy, Ned and the rest took my love of books to a new level.
After that, the Louisa May Alcott books, the Trixie Belden series, then some romance classics like Kathleen E. Woodiwiss's Shanna and A Rose In Winter, Sidney Sheldon, Stephen King, Dean R. Koontz, Patricia Cornwell and others – they all had an impact on my life, my reading habits and my own writing.
But… if ever a book (or a series) truly changed my life, it would have to be Harry Potter. I read Sorcerer's Stone prior to giving it to my eldest daughter for Christmas in 2000 to make sure it was okay for her to read. I'd heard some (completely ridiculous) rumors about the books, so wanted to check them out. I was hooked, from the very first sentence.
After that, we quickly went through the next two, and it was at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban that I realized these were not simply entrancing YA novels. They were something much more, and I had to go back and reread them from the beginning (several times) while waiting for Goblet of Fire. I became a member of The Leaky Cauldron.org, and that's when the life-changing nature of the books came to a peak. Suddenly, I was immersed in a community of people who loves Harry and everything Harry stands for as much as I do. I've made some of my very best friends through Harry, aged 12 to 85, and my own family has bonded closer than ever through sharing the books, the movies, midnight releases, charity events, the HP Alliance, wizard wrock and fan conferences. Next summer we'll be in Orlando, FL for the biggest HP convention ever, in conjunction with the final film and the theme park, and we'll finally get to meet some of the friends we've only known online. I can't wait! I owe a huge debt of gratitude to JK Rowling. She truly did change my life with the creation of her world.
Watcher55 says
Another HITCHHIKER'S fan – cool. Great stuff. My barracks roommate had some of the radio shows on tape and the bound version of the scripts.
I gotta say though, OF MICE AND MEN was the most important novel for me. It changed how I thought about everything.
Chassily Wakefield says
The Nancy Drew series saved my soul when I moved to a new town at the beginning of 4th grade, where I did *not* fit in. My grandmother enrolled me in the Nancy Drew book club, which sent 6 or 8 books a month until the whole series was delivered. I'd always enjoyed reading, but escaping with Nancy, Ned and the rest took my love of books to a new level.
Many other authors have had an impact on me, but… if ever a book (or a series) truly changed my life, it has to be Harry Potter. I read Sorcerer's Stone prior to giving it to my eldest daughter for Christmas in 2000. I'd heard some (completely ridiculous) rumors about the books, so wanted to check them out. I was hooked, from the very first sentence.
After that, we quickly went through the next two, and it was at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban that I realized these were not simply entrancing YA novels. They were something much more, and I had to go back and reread them from the beginning (several times) while waiting for Goblet of Fire.
I became a member of The Leaky Cauldron.org, and that's when the life-changing nature of the books came to a peak. I immersed myself in a community of people who loves Harry and everything Harry stands for as much as I do. I've made some of my best friends through Harry, aged 12 to 85, and my own family has bonded closer than ever through sharing the books, movies, midnight releases, charity events, the HP Alliance, wizard wrock and fan conferences. Next summer we'll be in Orlando for the biggest HP convention ever, in conjunction with the final film and the theme park, and we'll finally get to meet some of the friends we've only known online. I can't wait!
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to JK Rowling. She truly did change my life with the creation of her world.
ElizaJane says
Just this year I read a life-changing book, Christa Wolf's *Patterns of Childhood.* Masterpiece. Cannot stop thinking about it; it made me look differently at selfhood, history, humanity.
In my childhood, The Book was definitely Antonia Forest, *End of Term.* Really affected the way I understood people, values, and language.
Anonymous says
Oh, Nathan. You just misused the word "literally." I'm so disappointed in you. Maybe it was a typo for "literarily?"
My answer would have to be Perelandra. C. S. Lewis turns my brain inside out.
CindyLou says
Louise Lawrence's Children of the Dust. I was about ten when I read it the first time and, with the exception of Grimm's Fairy Tales, was the darkest story I had ever read. Happily Ever After looked very different to me after reading that.
Nathan Bransford says
Oh – people still serious about the literally thing. I meant literally in the sense that it literally led to creating a new universe, i.e. Jacob Wonderbar. But then, I didn't literally create an entire universe. Gray area?
CindyLou says
Well, in that case, Nathan. I hate to admit it and I hope everyone keeps their tomatoes, but Twilight. And not so much the stories, but Meyer. If she can do it, so can I.
Sally Jo says
Aside from the Bible, I'd have to go with Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Rocked my world and I'll never be the same.
Jil says
The Princess and Curdie. Ever since reading that whenever I shake someone's hand I imagine I can tell the kind of animal they are inside.
Also "The Cuckoo Clock." Come visit me." says the cuckoo and when the child says she can't because she's much too big, the cuckoo replies, "Of course you can, it's just a matter of fancy."
That taught me to believe I can do whatever I want to.
Carson Lee says
"All The King's Men,"
by Robert Penn Warren.
Junior year, high school,
plus three times through, since.
Tambra says
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. I still love that book and read it every so often. That's probably where my love of fantasy began.
All of Beatrix Potter's books. I'm also a watercolorist and she's at the top of my list for artists.
There are many more books and series but the two I mentioned hold a special place in my heart.
Hugs,
Tambra Kendall
ed says
…hands down, MOBY DICK – Herman Melville…my family had the Modern Library Giant Edition with woodcuts by Rockwell Kent…it now resides in my personal library…
hannah says
I don't care if it's a cliche: The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Emily Ward says
Even though there are so many (and besides the Bible, because it's sort of "above" the others). . .I'm going to have to go with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – it was the first I read of the Harry Potter series, and it started a new part of my life. I spent my teenage years in love with Harry Potter. And I wouldn't be the writer I am today if not for fanfiction! Sad, but true. Thanks, JK Rowling!
Runners up:
The Chronicles of Narnia, which I read as a kid.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
J. T. Shea says
Careful, people! If Nathan ever really makes a mistake, the universe will literally vanish!
BTW, I'm happy to see Harry Potter and the books of Ayn Rand cited by so many.
karen wester newton says
The book that most changed my life is one I never read– or at least never finished. I was dating two guys casually, and at Christmas one of them gave me a stuffed animal (I was 26!) and the other gave me the collected works of Winston Churchill, because he knew I was interested in history. I never read more than half the first book in the series (Churchill loved to make speeches, even in print) but the fact that he THOUGHT I would read them won me over. We have been married for 30 years.
Deborah Serravalle says
Diana Gabaldon's, THE OUTLANDISH COMPANION. In it, she discusses how her characters take on a life of their own and once put into action, they write her stories. It was that statement,coupled with some other events in my life, that prompted me to start writing.
Micky says
A Little Princess, no question. It was the first book that I ever read that really interested me. it showed me how a book is so much more than just a story, it's a different world were everything and anything can happen.
Alyson says
The Harry Potter series and the Warriors series come neck in neck here. Harry Potter was spellbinding, of course. I was already a tremendous reader when I first picked it up, sometime in 3rd grade, but it gave me a sense of belonging no matter where I went; I had fictional friends scattered everywhere, it seemed, especially after one of the book releases. The Harry Potter community became one warm world I could escape into online, and, more recently, real life. The Warriors books, while not such a great example of literature, swept my middle school younger self into an electric online community of like minded young'ns, a place where for the first time I felt important, where I learned everything from web design to literary criticism to how to introduce oneself to strangers. I still have fantastic friends met and made over these books, and I'm sure without them I could have never overcome my social fears to have faith in kids my age once again.
February Grace says
As much as I'd love to say Hitchhikers because it's probably been the most influential to me, I have to say that the book that changed my life was a Little Golden Book called Mickey Mouse's Picnic.
Why?
Because when I was two, my grandmother taught me to read using that book.
Thanks, Grandma. I miss you, and I still have the book.
~bru
abc says
Bridge to Terabithia was the first book I loved so much I had urge everyone else to read it. It was the first book that made me feel like books could do amazing things (like make you feel so good and so sad at the same time). And it probably put the idea in my head that writing for young people was something I'd like to do.
Madeleine says
There have been tons of books that have changed my life for the better – but it all comes down to NANCY DREW AND THE HIDDEN STAIRCASE. My mom brought it home from Borders eight years ago, I read it in two days, and, suddenly, I wanted to read more than anything else. Nancy Drew #2 got me rolling.
Kate says
It's not my favorite book. But John Knowles's A Separate Peace really did a number on me. I would do well to read that one again.
Anonymous says
Mine
You see, I was living this reasonably normal life till this bug caught me. Writing and publishing this book has given me such a heartburn.
So yes, my book most changed my life.
phew
Maureen says
I can't remember the exact title of the book that changed my life but I know it was an "I can read" chapter book about kangaroos that I read at 7 years old. When I finished this book, I was secure with the knowledge that I could read anything by myself. And from that point on, I have been a voracious reader. Books have marked every passage in my life.
Jess Haines says
THE LEGEND OF HUMA opened my eyes to the existence of a wider world of fantasy. That book was my segue into D&D, and my subsequent descent into geekdom.
<3,
-J
Sarra says
For me, it was definitely ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand. When I first read it, I had a very naive view of the world, but that book opened my eyes to the way things work. There were a lot of "aha!" moments for me in that book and I still think of it when people act a certain way. The book gave me a deeper understanding of why the world sometimes works the way it does. It truly changed my life and my view of the human situation.
Lauren says
Hmmmmm….today I'll go with the Phantom Tollbooth for saving me from the Doldrums on long summers when I had far too much time on my hands. Such a lovely and sensible book.
cherry says
Like so may of the others many books have changed me.
Yes the Bible was the biggest life changer. As a kid my older brither read The Hobbit to me, which remains a firm favourite.
What book convinced me to love reading and writing? The Oak King and the Ash Queen by Ann Phillips. I don't know why. I read it as a child and then hunted for a copy as an adult (it is out of print). Eventually a friend found a secondhand copy and bought it for me. The story stayed with me for years – I wanted to be able to create something that would stay with people like that.
Claude Nougat says
Sooooooooooo many books have meant sooooooooooo much for me! But the first one that changed my life (I read it when I was 12) was War and Peace (Tosltoy) and the next one (I was 13) was Candide (Voltaire) : two masterpieces that couldn't be more different!
Sheila Cull says
Me, Night by Elie Wiesel
And Nathan, a book about hitch hikers in a galaxy sounds too cool.
And a special thank you for keeping your blogs outstanding.
dcamardo says
THE BOOK OF THREE by Lloyd Alexander was the first book to ever capture me. I'd say that's probably where it all began for me and books. I cannot remember a novel that read (all the way through) before it.
An obscure book that inspired me to reach the stars with writing was a book called THE MAN IN THE CEILING by Jules Feiffer.
I've lost my beaten old paperback copy of THE BOOK OF THREE, but THE MAN IN THE CEILING remains my most prized book on my shelf
Anonymous says
My mother said little…Judy Blume said a lot…"Are you There God it's me Margaret" and every other Judy Blume book.
"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" touched my heart forever.
Anonymous says
The Bible of course has had a huge impact on my life and on society across the world.
If you are looking for a novel then I am going to go with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Anonymous says
Mister God, This Is Anna by Fynn was the most amazing book. It made me see the world in an entirely diffent way. You MUST read it.