What book shaped your life?
What book had the greatest impact on you growing up?
- Terry Ambrose:
I was enthralled by science fiction in my teens, so Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 or The Martian Chronicles were books that influenced my interest in science and space travel.
- Nancy J. Cohen:
While Nancy Drew started my love of mysteries, Cherry Ames stories inspired me to become a nurse. I worked as an R.N. for ten years before retiring to raise our kids and write books.
- Debra H. Goldstein:
Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don’t by Marjorie K. Osterman influenced my writing because it was the first time I understood how characterization moved plot and conflict along.
- Cheryl Hollon:
That’s an easy one—Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. It was the very first book I actually owned, a gift from my Aunt Melda. I read that poor book so many times it literally fell apart! I think what stuck with me most was the feeling of pride and wonder that came from owning a book, not just borrowing one. It sparked a lifelong love of reading (and eventually writing), and now I do my best to pass that same joy along to the younger readers in my life. There’s just something magical about turning the pages of a book that’s yours.
- Diane A.S. Stuckart:
One book I reread many times as a preteen was Little Women. I enjoyed experiencing the dynamics of the four sisters and learning about the Civil War period. But unlike many readers my favorite character was Amy. She showed that you can have flaws but still be a good person who can grow and change.
- Maggie Toussaint:
Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time opened my eyes to realms of possibilities. A young girl goes through a wrinkle in time to seek her missing father and has wondrous encounters. This book was a coming-of-age story in that the main character was faced with choices she didn’t know how to deal with, and yet she figured stuff out on the fly. It also opened my eyes to a world beyond what I could see, taste, touch, and feel.
- Lois Winston:
I was in high school when I read On the Beach by Nevil Shute. Suddenly, all those monthly air raid drills made the Cold War far less abstract. At the same time, it made me realize that “duck and cover” was a huge joke and wouldn’t save us.
From science fiction classics to classic novels, we've revealed how books shaped our interests, career paths, and worldviews. How about you? Was there a particular book that had an impact on you? We'd love to hear, so leave you comment below.
No no book really ever impacted as much as the Bible
Amen to that, Crystal!
When I was seven or eight my dad bought (for my birthday) my first set of books (that did not have any pictures.) I was so excited to have a “grown up” set of books. The set included The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Tom Sawyer, Little Women and Black Beauty. This really started my love of reading. And I still have the original books today, sixty years later!
Can’t beat those classics!
Hard to pick just one book. Bury My heart at Wounded Knee still haunts me, but I’d have to pick Dear Theo, the compiled letters of Vincent Van Gogh to his brother, is the one that has shaped my life. Van Gogh’s struggle to perfect his artistic vision, despite bouts of mental illness, lack of appreciation for his paintings, and dire poverty are nothing short of inspiring to anyone trying to live a full and meaningful life.
Wow, Gay. That’s deep!
I’d have to say The Laura Ingall’s books. Little House on the Prairie
My girls read those books, Sherry. I was already deep into other stuff, but as a family we always enjoyed the TV serialization of those stories.
I’m a Nancy Drew fan! Began reading the series when I was 8. I wanted to be like Nancy. Have all the best clothes, drive a convertible and go dancing with Ned on Saturday nights!
Well, I do not know that any book shaped my life, but I began reading in 1st grade and won the book award of reading 202 books and they weren’t baby books. I started with mysteries: The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, Judy Bolton, the Hardy Boys, etc. Then I went on to Victoria Holt, Phillipa Gregory, Phyllis Whitney, etc. And then the whole world opened up. Several authors or part of my makeup. Robert B. Parker’s Spenser, Jesse Stone, and Sunny Randall along with Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, David Rosenfelt, Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone, Lillian Jackson Braun’s The Cat Who mysteries and so many more. I used to like Tolkien, Terry Brooks, Stephen King, Anne Rice, John Grisham, James Patterson, Nelson DeMille, Michael Connelly, etc. but have turned away from so many authors to just mainly read cozies. As I get older, I just want to be entertained and not shocked with gore and violence. I do not like most NY Times bestsellers like The Girl on the Train or Gone Girl, though I read them. I loved the 50 Shades, Hunger Games, The Girls with the Dragon Tattoo series, but then they all got too much for me. A very favorite of mine was A Tale of Two Cities along with Of Mice and Men of the classics. You all just keep on writing as I love your books.
Mad Spangler, I have had a very similar reading journey. Liked a bit of everything initially, now I look for strong characterization and a plot that goes somewhere.