Can books and words change lives?

[CLARE]

I have had a question I would like to ask you all. I have read a lot of things and most of them changed something important in my life and I was just wondering if anything you've read has changed your life in a big way. Please share the book's title and how it changed your life. If no book has changed your life and you don't believe in books making any impact, share about that too.

[Paige]

The Hunger Games have most definitely changed my life, changing my perspective on death, love and a ton of other things I won't mention. Best book ever!!!

[ilaria]

the Bible has, every single word has shaped me

[[deleted user]]

I agree with Ilaria - everything the bible has said has changed everything I do and want to do in life. It's changed my perspective on everything.

[CLARE]

I think the bible has changed almost everyones life.

[CLARE]

Another book that sorta changed my life is called Someone Named Eva. Its a great book but its sorta depressing. It showed how me how World War II effected many peoples lives

[[deleted user]]

I've read lots of books that have changed my opinion on things - Jane Eyre, for instance, changed my opinion on age gaps in a romantic relationship. Pride and Prejudice made me rethink some of my views on some acquaintances. The bluebird and the sparrow made me rethink my relationship with my sister, lol... But I have a feeling my opinion would have changed sooner or later, regardless, the book just seemed to bring it out sooner.
The reason I listed the bible (and yes, I agree... it's changed most peoples lives) is because it's the only book that's changed me, what I do, what I'm going to do, my morals, etc... (ramble ramble). And comparatively speaking, other books haven't changed me that much. They haven't changed my.... actions... they've changed my views.

[Kate]

Tamora Pierce's books changed my life, so did Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe and Beautiful Joe by Marshall Saunders. Tamora Pierce's ones made me want to be her characters, Uncle Tom's Cabin made me understand WAY more about slavery, and Beautiful Joe, besides being about animal cruelty just moved me.

I would amend the statement about the bible changing most people's lives to that it's changed most Christians' lives.

[[deleted user]]

@Kate - thanks! Yes, I new that sentence wasn't correct, but I couldn't think of the right way to change it.

[CLARE]

Same

[Kate]

I guess it helps to not be Christian in this instance.

[CLARE]

Yeah it must.

[ilaria]

yeah thats very true

[CLARE]

so......

[Kate]

So what? (sorry...moment of Harry Potterness)

[Kate]

I forgot, those books changed my life too. I'm still waiting for my acceptance letter to Hogwarts. (I think the owl got lost three and a half years ago)

[CLARE]

Ok........

[Taylor]

Books that have changed my life... Hmmm...

Well, to begin with, The Book Thief. This book made me think about the other side to history. I want to study history as a career someday, and because the "winners" in history, those in power, are always the ones who write the books, it gave me a new way to think about... Well, everything. There are ALWAYS the "losers", the defeated, the powerless to consider, not just the ones who've written the history books.

Pride and Prejudice and The Count of Monte Cristo both gave me new perspectives of what I want in life. Pride and Prejudice... Well, I think a line from the 2005 movie adaptation sums it up best: "Only the deepest love will persuade me into matrimony, which is why I will end up an old maid." I want to find love, the truest and purest kind there is. And in CoMC, Dantes spends his live getting revenge on the people who ruined him until he finds love... And then he says to his young friends, "Only when one has wished for death can he truly appreciate life." We all have to have pain to appreciate what we still have.

[Tasha]

Taylor wrote: "And then he says to his young friends, "Only when one has wished for death can he truly appreciate life." We all have to have pain to appreciate what we still have."

I back you on that all the way.

A book that changed my life. I'm not sure anyone would know of it, but its Allison Wonderland by Diana Caporaso. It's a very inspirational book and it helps that I can relate to the characters in a lot of ways, though not directly. The way I took it, the main theme of it, is about wanting to be noticed and loved for who you are instead of having to hide or be someone else.

[Clementine]

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom and An Echo In The Darkness by Francine Rivers. These books enlightened me in some aspects of life and death that I do not really know and realize. I cried when I read these books, it's all written in a lovely way that made every word close to my heart. I keenly felt every leaf of these books.

[Taylor]

chandloski wrote: "The Harry Potter books definetly have changed my life. I was 5 when I first read Sorcerer's Stone and 6 when the first film came out. I literally cannot remember a time when Harry Potter wasn't a p..."

The comment you made about books being "a way out"? I totally get what you mean. That's me, too. Every time (even now) I have a bad day, I come home and spend some time in what I like to call Bookland. And oftentimes, that Bookland happens to be Hogwarts.

But in the respect of books being an escape, I don't think they've changed my life. I think they've saved it from insanity, and also shaped it to be what it is.

[Kate]

I think what you call shaping it, I call changing it. Without books, my life would be totally different, because they have shaped my life. But because they have shaped my life, they have changed it.

Also, I would say that books in general shape my life, while specific ones change it.

[CLARE]

Same if I never read books I would be a mean stuck up brat. Books showed me how I should be treated and how I should treat others. And how I'm blessed and so much more.

[Kate]

Plus, you wouldn't believe how much I've learned from books. (everyone at school thinks I'm a genius because I know random things, but I just read.)

[CLARE]

Same. I really like historical fiction and so I know all this stuff about history and everyone thinks I'm werid because I feel differently about history then they do.

[Mandie]

I think books like Harry Potter have influenced my beliefs and values. Also, this is not me personally but I have read on HP fansites people saying Harry Potter stopped them from committing suicide.

[Kate]

Really? Wow!

[Rebekah Faith]

That is pretty cool.

[Taliah]

Books have definatly changed me. I'm an only child and not really a talkative person so they're where I've learned a lot of my languege skills.

[[deleted user]]

I dont think any specific book changed my life but when i was growing up i didnt have the best home life, my parents fought alot(they were young), and reading was my escape. Open a book and theres a whole other world waiting to be explored. Reading kept me sane, with my books i wasnt alone and i think that may have influenced who i am, what i want to do with my life and the friends i made.

[Miss Amelia]

For me, there are a lot of books that changed the way I look at life or changed my perspective on life, like
This Present Darkness and The Screwtape Letters. In fact, This Present Darkness was the first book that ever truly scared the beezus out of me.

Books that had a major, maybe even life-changing impact:
The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again and Redwall were the first major "fantasy" books I read, and they are the reason for my obsession with fantasy, and also the first books that got me started writing (the first book I wrote - at 8 - was practically a copycat version of THE HOBBIT where Bilbo falls in love with an Elvish princess and rescues her from a crazy-freaky troll who wore an enchanted necklace...Hey, I was only 8)
Soo...those two changed the way I look at literature. And then last year, when I took this class on CS Lewis, we had to read like all his books and they ALL changed my life. Seriously. CS Lewis' "adult" books are totally life-changing.
;D

[Miss Amelia]

Not exactly the same thing. Changing the way you see things or view things doesn't necessarily mean it's going to alter the way you live your life. It's more like just being an eye-opener

[Rebekah Faith]

Yeah. For me, no ONE book changed my life, but books have helped shape who I am, I guess. I don't remember a time when I was deprived of books- they've always been around and that alone has shaped me.

[Kate]

Not to be rude, but I think that's SPAM.

[Taylor]

You guys are right, thank you! I deleted it.

[Kate]

That's a great quote, Carlyn. It's perfect.

[Miss Amelia]

Wow, that's pretty deep for Cassie Clare's books, lol. I like it!

I just finished two books recently that had a major impact on me. I don't know about "life changing," but they definitely made me think, in a way that lots of books don't:
The Knife of Never Letting Go and On the Jellicoe Road
Totally recommend both. And I know our mod Jess recommends the CHAOS WALKING series as well!

[★ Jess]

I cant believe I've missed this thread.
The book that had the most impact on my life is Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer prize winning novel: The Road
It deserves every recognition it gets. Its a dystopian story, but there are no epic battles, evil governments and fire bombs. It is simply a 200 page, brutal and harsh story about a father and son trying to stay alive.
That is all it it. A story of survival in a dead world. It is morbid, creepy and incredibly dark-but I highly recommend it. It makes you look at the world in a different way, and realize just how special and precious life is.

[Baxter]

I'm sure plenty of books have changed me in various ways, though I'm terrible at pin-pointing specific ones. Naked Lunch though has got to be one.

When I first read Naked Lunch, it came as something of a bombshell to me; a relentlessly dark, disturbing, violent, inappropriate novel with no discernible plot, written without any consideration for the reader. It was almost impossible to get into do to the detached, non-linear style, and extreme use of ellipses. Heck, I didn't start understanding what I was reading until about 120 pages in, and even then it required me to read things VERY carefully and VERY slowly. And what I was reading wasn't fun. It was (and still is) some of the most horrific things I've read in a book before, and I've had more than a few people condemn me for reading complete smut like it.
But underneath all that it has a massive heart. It is almost overflowing with humor, something that is easily lost on just a single reading, and subtly asks for understanding in people. In an age when people thought everything was great, it said "No, things aren't great. Things are terrible."
Plus it made me reconsider what was possible in a novel and how a story could be told and all that stuff.

Shorter version: NAKED LUNCH YEAH!

[★ Jess]

Ive had my eye on that book for a while now. Would you recommend it?

[Baxter]

★ Jessica ★ wrote: "Ive had my eye on that book for a while now. Would you recommend it?"

Oh yes. It is my favorite book of all time. But I'd go in very carefully, simply because it is so challenging and disturbing.

[Miss Amelia]

★ Jessica ★ wrote: "I cant believe I've missed this thread.
The book that had the most impact on my life is Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer prize winning novel: The Road
It deserves every recognition it gets...."

See, that's what dystopians SHOULD do. There should be some kind of connect between the fictional "will happen" world of dystopia and the reader's current life. Not just "gee, I'm glad we don't live in a society where kids kill each other on TV, LOL!" :P

[★ Jess]

Hahaha exactly! THG is dark, but nothing compared to The Road. I would give that book five stars, if it wasn't so depressing! It worked too well :P

[Miss Amelia]

Yessum.

And I've talked about this book in like every other thread, so I might as well mention it here. I don't know if it "changed my life," but Jellicoe Road is literally my favorite book in the whole world.
(non-series)

[★ Jess]

Okay, I really need to check that out ASAP! I'll let you know when I get onto it :)

[Taylor]

That one's coming up next for me, I've heard so many amazing things about it!

[Miss Amelia]

@ Taylor and Jessica: I will look forward to it! Then we can talk about all the characters! and especially dishy Jonah and Ben :D

I will say, though: I never really thought much about the name "Jonah" before I read this book, other than he was a stubborn dude who got swallowed up by a fish. But after that book, "Jonah" has seriously become my new favorite guy name. I would probably name my second child Jonah. First son will still be Percy :)

[★ Jess]

haha you should start a topic about it Amelia :)
I dont think I will ever like 'Jonah'. For me it'll always be the name of that hilarious thug on the TV show "Summer Heights High". I dont know if you ever saw it in America, but it was pretty big over here :)

[Jess]

I think books can definitely change lives. For me it was A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly. It's about follow your dreams, instead of doing what everybody expects of you, and I just find it really inspiring.

[★ Jess]

I got that for Christmas...need to read it soon.