Blogger: Rachel Zurakowski
Location: Books & Such main office; Santa Rosa, Calif.
It’s fun to remember what made us who we are today. Well, the good things, at least. I’d rather forget the humiliating moments that probably affected me the most–like the time when I was ten and sneaked into a friend’s older sister’s room and read her diary. I have no idea why I wanted to read the diary, but getting caught, and then having to face her and apologize, was one of the most humbling experiences in my young life and I STILL feel bad about it. (This public confession was good for me!) 🙂
While such experiences certainly shaped my personality, many of the books I read have made me who I am today, and books I’m reading now continue to affect me.  Why? I think it’s because we learn through stories what we should and should not do in our own lives. It follows the tradition of storytelling: the community elders tell tales  not simply for enjoyment, but also to teach the community how to live.
I’m going to share with you some of the books that changed my life and taught me something about myself. Then I hope you’ll share  which ones made a difference to you.
Book #1: A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers. This story is about a young Christian slave girl in Rome during the time of the Christian persecution. Her faith journey, her humility, and her growth as a person were so inspiring that, when I read Hadassah’s story, I became her. (The Christy Miller series, by Robin Jones Gunn had a similar affect on my beliefs.)
Book #2: Shabanu by Suzanne Fisher Staples. This story is about a teen girl, Shabanu, who raises camels with her nomadic family in Pakistan. It’s a beautiful and touching book with a somewhat tragic ending. Shabanu’s story opened my eyes to the differences in cultures when her family arranged a marriage for the young teenager. It made me appreciate the choices I have over what I want to do with my life. I learned to dream big and go after my goals because I’ve been given the opportunity to do so. Shabanu tries to grab some control over her life in the sequel, Haveli. ( The Giver by Lois Lowry had a similar affect on me. I think just about everyone has read that one, so I won’t go into detail.)
Book #3: Little House in the Big Woods (and the other books in the series) by Laura Ingalls Wilder. These books started my interest in reading. My dad read these stories aloud to me when I was a little girl and I adored them. I’m sure the exclusive time with my dad also helped me to enjoy reading! My life and relationship with my dad now would be very different if he hadn’t taken the time to read to me.
Now it’s your turn. What books made a difference and helped shape who you are?
The first Christian fiction I ever read was the Danny Orlis series. I remember a day when I was about 12 years old and a temptation came my way, and I was strengthened to say “no” because I wanted to be like Danny Orlis. It’d probably be easy to look at those books today and think they were fluff, but they made the devil flee that day.
The faith of Corrie Ten Boom in The Hiding Place certainly had an impact in my life. Also, Through Gates of Splendor by Elizabeth Elliot.
But there’s tons of others since I’m a book-aholic. 🙂
The first book I remember impacting me deeply was The Diary of Anne Frank–probably I was about the age when I read it that she was when she wrote it. The difference between my comfortable freedom and her tragic experience was stark. It made me grateful, and also opened my eyes to the suffering of others.
Most recently, I have enjoyed the books of Francine Rivers and Bodie and Brock Thoene. I love the way these writers blend storytelling and spiritual substance. For me, this is literature at its best.
I was an early reader and a fast one, so when I was in about 3rd grade or so, during a visit to my grandmother’s house, my uncle handed me a book, and said, “I read this in college, so it should keep you busy for a while.”
It was The Hobbit. It was amazing. If I hadn’t already been a huge reader before, I certainly would have been after.
As an adult, I have been most moved by John Irving’s The Cider House Rules, and Hemingway’s short story The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber.
The Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn was monumental for me as well. More recently, I’d have to include Karen Kingsbury’s book Divine in the list. Even though it was a tough one to read, it served as the catalyst for me to pursue writing.
I’ll also give a shout out to Francine Rivers, particularly the Mark of the Lion series! 🙂 Another book that lingered long after I closed it was Telling Secrets, a memoir, by Frederick Buechner. Buechner’s crazy honest reverie about his secrets–including his childhood in Bermuda sans a father–nudged me to examine my own secrets and how they affected my viewpoint of God.
Rats! I just gave away my copy of Shabanu, and now after seeing it’s one of your favorites, I want to read it again. Guess that means another book sale. Etta
Thank you all for sharing! Samantha, I’ve never heard of Telling Secrets, but it sounds fascinating!
Hey, great topic. To be honest, I didn’t read much as a kid (I know, strange for a writer, huh…LOL).
Movies more impacted me while growing up and then, when I went to college and grad school…all that academic reading-well, that shaped me, if you can believe it.
Yep, I had to push through all the reading, write about it, then apply it in clincial settings. It really showed me what it meant to be determined. And, well, all of it was Psychology-based too, so I learned a lot about myself.
Nowadays, John B Olson, Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, Charlaine Harris, PC Cast, Stephanie Meyer. . . all those supernatural writers are on my reading list.
Mysteries. I read every mystery in my local library as a kid. The Hardy Boys. Jupiter Jones… oh.. Christian-ish books? Hobbit & Lord of the Rings. I believed them. Then Sci-Fi… Isaac Asimov… I LOVED reading, and my mom always pushed me to play outside!
The single most life-changing book for me was The Guilt Trip by Hal Lindsey… which itself was an excerpt from his Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth. The first clear understanding of Christ’s work on the Cross that ever hit me, as a teenager in my junior year.
I have the whole set of Little House on the Prairie series. Laura Ingalls Wilder affected how I view Christmas when Christmas became a little dry on funds. Also, Nancy Drew (the older ones, not the new ones) also affected me. I always wanted to be like her growing up. lol. The new ones were okay, but lacked something. I guess a person doesn’t notice what those stories lack until they read the originals. lol.
Without a doubt, Jonathan Livingston Seagull is the first book that comes to mind when I think about books that changed me.
Also, Dr. Seuss’s Oh, The Places You’ll Go. It’s my go-to graduation gift.
So many books–
Little House books remain at the top of my list. 🙂 I have the whole set–tattered and worn.
Lord of the Rings
Nancy Drew/Trixie Belden mysteries
I loved biographies growing up and read as many as I could get my hands on. 🙂
In junior high, I’ve got a hold of Agatha Christie books translated in Korean. The small town I lived in didn’t have a public library, and I don’t remember how these books came available to me. I have not been much of a reader until then but her mystery books hooked me. From then on, I became a reader.
Several years later when I came to America, it was a joy to re-read her books again, but this time in her own language as it was written.
Francine Rivers became my hero after I read Redeeming Love…such a beautiful, poignant story of authentic, genuine love. Still makes my heart ache when I think about it.
I am also a big fan of John Eldredge, specifically The Sacred Romance. Who doesn’t want to think about how much the God of this universe loves us, woos and desires a relationship with us? I do, all the time.
I agree, the books we read do become a part of us and one of my favorite things is passing them on to someone else in the hopes that they too might find a hidden treasure buried within the pages.
Good heavens! Where does one begin? From Granny’s Cinderella, teacher reading out David Copperfield, then growing up with DH Lawrence, Agatha Christie Jane Austin and ending up at university with all those 20th Century authors who gave birth to the “Stream of Consciousness” process? And should we forget EM Forster, or “The Thorn Birds”, Pirandello, Chekhov, and Tennessee Williams? What about William Shakespeare, where are we going to fit him in and the rest of the classics… Then there’s the poets…
I do remember one book though that has plagued me all my life… Kathryne Hume- “The Nun’s Story”.
Sorry, that should read “Jane AUSTEN”
Definitely ‘Where the Wild Things Are’! I must have read/listened to that book a hundred times growing up (and well into my teen years). I can’t even explain how elated I am to see it on the big screen in October! 🙂 Maurice Sendak’s story is escapist paradise. It always reminds me that never losing the kid inside is the best way to grow up.
I absolutely loved A Voice In the Wind and felt like her too! Because I was afraid a lot of expressing my opinions, etc.
I also loved Anne of Green Gables and Jo from Little Women. I loved them not because I felt like them, but because I wanted to be them. LOL Bold and ALIVE!
Great post.
Although I grew up attending church and Sunday School and had been confirmed I really became a Christian as a result of reading The Robe by Lloyd Douglas when I was 14.