Tuesday, March 27, 2012

The Book that Changed My Life

What is the book that changed your life? You know...that one book you read that made you think

Books this fabulous actually exist?

Maybe it inspired you to write

Maybe it made you run to the library and look for other books by that author

Maybe it made you hug it and put it in a special place on your bookshelf

For me, that book was The Witch of Blackbird Pond


I think I was around 12 when I read it and

I adored it.

It took me away to another place and time.

It made me look at the world just a little bit differently.

Tell me: what was that book for you?

15 comments:

Jaye Robin Brown said...

For me it was Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. I was far too young to read it (maybe 13?)and stuck in the infirmary at summer camp. It was scintillating and naughty and I remember thinking, wow - people are cool out there! They're not all like my uptight family - there are artists in the world who say bizarre things and do bizarre things and believe in freedom. It's still one of my favorites.

Janice said...

Little Woman. I read the unabridged version when I was 11 in Costa Rica.

Tess said...

Jaye: love this story -- I remember "The Cat ate my Jumpsuit" and "Are You There God.." for the same reasons.

Janice: I'm a Little Women fan, too....I remember reading it in Jr. High and feeling so literary as I carried it around. Not sure how much I really understood - but it made me want to understand, you know? Unabridged at age 11 - wow, that's impressive.

Anonymous said...

The Soul Brothers and Sister Lou.

I was in 7th grade, 12-years-old, a straight-A student, and had never read a book without pictures.

While all my friends read the Little House on the Prairie series, I stood back and watched--terribly afraid to read a book with only words and no pics.

Picked up The Soul Brothers and Sister Lou one day during library time, and I haven't stopped reading since. :)

TerryLynnJohnson said...

I think for me it was Clan of the Cave Bear. The main character was so tough and tenacious. I felt strong just reading it.

Tess said...

Linda: this is the second time someone has recommended that book -- I just went on Amazon and ordered it!

Terry: that sounds like a Terry book - tough, tenacious, rugged and tied up in the earth. love it.

Corey Schwartz said...

I would have to say The Secret Garden. I was seven.

Mary Aalgaard said...

Oh, I also read and loved that book. I think I checked it out several times. As an adult, the book that really gave me pause was "The Color Purple."

Robyn Campbell said...

Tess, it had to be Black Beauty for me. She thought she was writing a book to help horse owners and vets. Little did she know what she had created. A dadgum marvel!

How are you, pal? I have a short story that has been accepted for publication. Something special for my query. :-) I never did query. *chickened out* Now I am ready though. (((Hugs)))

Martin Willoughby said...

Things Fall Apart by chinua achebe. I read it at school as part of my English course and the story has stayed with me till this day.

Tess said...

corey: ah, such a beautiful one

Mary: The Color Purple is so powerful, isn't it?

Robyn: why am I not surprised at that one :) and eciting on the acceptance of your short story..that's exciting!

Martin: a new one for me...must check it out...

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

I secretly read Mommie Dearest when I was in Junior High. It made a huge difference in my life.

Susan Fields said...

Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great by Judy Blume and The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder come to mind. I read everything I could find by both those authors after that.

A.L. Sonnichsen said...

I know I couldn't stop reading Anne of Green Gables. Pictures exist from that summer to prove it. In every one I'm sitting there with my dorky perm and too-short jeans, reading that series. I still remember the smell of those pages....

Tess said...

Sharon: oh, that book was a game changer for certain.

Susan: such bold and courageous mc's in those... I remember Sheila the Great, too.

Amy: that image made me smile- and so beautifully put.