Question One: On Books & Reading
Other than the Sacred Text of your religion, what is one book you believe everyone should read, and why?
Rachel’s Response from 2023
Less than a year ago, I was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer called “Essential Thrombocythemia”. I was 25 when I got the diagnosis, and I felt alone and isolated even though neither was true! I have a great community, as you will discover in reading this book, and I was showered in love and support. Yet, the feelings of loneliness and isolation persisted.
About a month later, I watched the Oscar winning short film, “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse” and it was a breath of fresh air. The messages in the story contained truths everyone needs to hear. My dad gifted me the book for my birthday, and it was absolutely lovely. If I ever get the chance to meet the author, Charlie Mackesy, I hope to give him a big hug and tell him how his book shined a light during a dark time. I still go to this book when anxiety attacks, or I become overwhelmed, overstimulated, or stressed. It helps.
I think everyone should read this book. Young or old can appreciate the life giving, hope filled messages along with the tranquil artwork. Whether you feel on top of the world or down in the dumps, there is something in this book for everyone. Truth be told, it does not matter what season or phase of life we are in, we all need encouraging words spoken into our lives and into our hearts. Read it (after you finish this book of course). I know you will love it just as much as I do.
Community Responses
“The Diary of a Young Girl. One of the most influential books ever published, it tells Anne Frank’s story of the raw account of her life as she hides from the Nazi soldiers. Despite the circumstances she was facing, she still believes that naturally, people have a good heart and the world is still full of beauty.”~ Female, 63.
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians — it was a foundational part of my childhood that taught me a lot about myself. The whole series is good, but the first book really sets the foundation.” ~ Genderfluid, 18.
“Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens” ~ Anonymous
“Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven (U S. Navy Retired). Admiral McRaven believes if you want to change the world, you should start off your day by making your bed. This first accomplished task of the day will give you a small sense of pride, and will encourage you to do another task (and another and another). Making your bed every morning reinforces the fact that little things in life matters. When I came across this book (about five years ago), it confirmed my retired Navy father's beliefs and practices. In our childhood, my sister and I endured weekly inspections of our bedrooms. Our beds had to be made properly, hospital corners and all. At the time it was an inconvenience to us but now see the wisdom in this principle.” ~ Female, 78.
“One book that I believe everyone should read is called The Power by Rhonda Byrne. This book talks about how powerful your thoughts are. Whether they are positive or negative thoughts they still impact your life significantly. For example, some ways that people manage to be depressed or stressed out is by over-thinking. Just having the thought about something coming out wrong or thinking about something that went wrong in the past will have your head in the wrong place. Depression is like an on and off switch depending on what your thoughts are. People can go from extremely sad to happy in seconds just using the power of thinking positive. The book gets into the law of attraction which informs the reader about how the universe and the mind are connected. The more positive thoughts and actions you give out, the more positivity life will bring you. Same as the negatives. The more bad things you do and negative thoughts you let out the universe will surround you around negativity. The Power of the mind is definitely something people underestimate. Common sense ain't so common 😆.” ~ Male, 27.
“I believe everyone should read They Both Die at the End. It tackles the reality of how short and fleeting life is. The book shows different perspectives of people and different lifestyles and beliefs. It is beautifully tragic and really leaves you thinking about life and what’s really important, love, friends, family, taking on opportunities, etc. Truly a wonderful book.” ~ Female, 19.
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. A timeless, likable story for all ages. I have grown up watching the 1971 film with Gene Wilder several times. Besides the whimsical nature of the story, it has important themes about parenting, entitlement and greed, socioeconomic status, and innovation.” ~ Female, 27.
“Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson.” ~ Male, 42.
“The Art of Racing in the Rain.. It’s a beautiful story of reincarnation. And my spiritual journey relates to this concept.” ~ Female, 64.
“WILD. It is a story of resilience. Of grief . Of overcoming the things you thought impossible.”~ Female, 45.
“I believe a book everyone should read is The Invention of Hugo Cabret written by Brian Selznick. It is an imaginative, heart-stirring story, filled with many pages of pictures, so after only a short time has passed you feel like you've accomplished something. It feels so good when you finish a book; if you're anything like me, you might just be inspired to read lots more books!” ~ Female, 24.
“Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly.” ~ Nonbinary, 20.
“Faraway Dream. I read this historical chapter novel for children when I was a girl. I reread it as an adult when I purchased it for my granddaughter, and realized that it had a huge impact on my worldview. I was taught that one can face and overcome social, financial and gender inequality with quiet grace and dignity. I also learned that there are many different kinds of people in the world. There are greedy, cruel, self-important people to watch out for, but there is also an abundance of those who are kind, compassionate and caring.” ~ Female, 60.
“The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. I believe that everyone should read this book, since it touches on many different categories that everyone can relate to. This book is a great one for understanding your significant others and those close to us. A beautifully educational book.” ~ Female, 21.
“Any book from a culture you are unfamiliar with. Maybe a translated novel from a different language. I think it’s interesting to see different perspectives and cultures represented in books. There’s so much to learn about our world and reading a book from an author from a different culture/nation can broaden your perspective of things.” ~ Female, 24.
“Wild at Heart by John Eldridge. As a man, this is a book that spoke to the longings of my heart and put words to how I felt and knew I should be. It gave validity to a way of being that is discouraged by the current and recent past culture as well as by church culture. It taught me about wounds and how Christ is the one who heals them. It taught me about fatherhood and encouraged me to be adventurous, bold, and wild just as God designed me. It was a great book for men to understand themselves and for women to understand men.” ~ Male, 28.
“Everyone should read The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida. This book is a first hand perspective of a young boy from Japan growing up with Autism. He provides a first hand account of what it is like to have Autism and how others can better understand people with Autism. It helps people broaden their perspective of how different people think and process the world.” ~ Female, 26.
“This was a hard question for me to answer, because I believe there is not one specific book that everyone should read. Every individual has different likes, preferences, desires, and needs from books that change throughout our lives. People get different things out of different books for different reasons. Picking a book to recommend is never a one-size-fits-all kind of situation to me. So instead of picking a specific book, I believe everyone should read a book that brings them joy. It doesn't matter what book it is or the format it is in as long as it brings joy to the reader.” ~ Female, 25.
“Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl.” ~ Male, 23.
“I believe there is no single book, including religious or sacred texts that can ask and answer (or seek to answer) the range of questions that arise for each reader over the course of a lifetime. There is no book that can provide meaning to the extent of being a necessity to everyone globally and across time. What may be considered of greatest meaning and value to a given cultural group within its respective time, may not do so universally and across human experience and history. If I were to identify any of the many books I have read across many genres and from many time periods and historical contexts, I would name several series that helped me with the fundamental question of death, loyalty, ethics and morality, trust, love - and conversely, the corresponding "opposites''. These series would include C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia; Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea Trilogy and Left Hand of Darkness; Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, and Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch series. Books that reach our hearts and minds and open them to new ways of understanding and perceiving the world and ourselves should be read because we need to individually, societally, and as a species connect, empathize, and - simplistic as it sounds - make the world better for all living beings. We must give individuals the means beyond a tight-knit, closed circle of figures of authority, to work through the fundamental questions of what living, being human, and humane means.” ~ Female, 55
“The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes. This book is a beautiful insight into humanity. It shows us a glimpse of what makes us unique and individual, how we can have common threads woven with the most unlikely of people, and how we each find healing in our own way. It teaches us there is no 'right way’ to grieve, and how eccentricity & quirkiness can be mistaken as odd or weird.” ~ Female, 52.
The Alchemist ~ Female, 42.
“Emotional Intelligence. I believe the brain is one of the biggest wonders God created, and it’s wired so intricately with our body, but also with our emotions and feelings, yet we don’t understand them. EQ is crucial to understanding ourselves and others.” ~ Female, 40.
When I read this question, I asked myself what books do I keep rereading every year and "Life Together" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer immediately came to mind. Every time I read it, I am reminded how bad the church is with the community yet encouraged that there is hope in cultivating communities where each person is authentically loved. ~Male, 26
“That’s a hard one cause I feel like stuff resonates with everyone differently. Aside from the Bible I think anything that helps you better understand God more, and anything that helps you heal to be able to be used by God is beneficial. But use discernment always.” ~ Female, 30.
List of Everyone’s Books:
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman.
Faraway Dream by Jane Flory.
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson.
Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin.
Life Together" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl.
The Power by Rhonda Byrne.
The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida.
Self Compassion by Dr. Kristin Neff.
The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan.
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed.
Wild at Heart by John Eldridge.
Series Recommendations:
Discworld by Terry Pratchett.
Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula K. LeGuin.
Imperial Radch by Ann Leckie.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis