Life-Changing Reads

Books have the power to change lives. It is amazing the difference that one book can make in an individual's life. Books convey powerful messages and send us on a path to self-discovery. Is there such a book or maybe several that have influenced your life and made a life-changing impact? If you'd like to share your testimonials, please post to the Readers Services blog.

If you'd like to read about books that have changed the lives of others, consider the following excellent resources:


The Book That Changed My Life: 71 Remarkable Writers Celebrate the Books that Matter Most to Them by Roxanne Coady and Joy Johannessen, eds. This is a collection of personal recollections of famous people in various walks of life about the books that changed their life. Their favorites may encourage a quick perusal or generate a must-read list. Some of the pivotal titles are the Bible (Senator Joe Lieberman), To Kill a Mockingbird (author Wally Lamb), Atlas Shrugged (Nelson DeMille), and Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee (Sebastian Junger). Most moving are the remembrances of books that "saved" someone or made him or her feel less isolated or unusual (e.g., book critic Maureen Corrigan on David Copperfield).


The Book That Changed My Life: Interviews With National Book Award Winners and Finalists by Diane Osen, ed. Osen compiles 15 interviews with National Book Award winners and finalists exploring how their reading has helped shape their lives and their art. A primary bibliography and list of works influencing the author follow each interview. There are expected sources on several writers' lists as well as less obvious influences.


Remarkable Reads: 34 Writers and Their Adventures in Reading by J. Peder Zane, ed.
Authors fill in the blank: "the most ___________ book I ever read" with superlatives like most memorable, enchanting, dangerous, daunting, exotic, devastating, classiest, wisest, disappointing, etc. This exciting little volume contains surprising selections and diverse sensibilities and will delight anyone who has ever loved a book.