My Favorite Things

Books that may just change you:
1.) The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
2.) The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
3.) Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
4.) Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji
5.) Bitchfest by various authors
6.) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Books that will probably not change you but will most likely leave you breathless.
1.) Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
2.) White Oleander by Janet Finch
3.) Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
4.) Freaky Green Eyes by Joyce Carol Oates

So I would guess that these two lists require a bit of explanation. For starters, what differentiates the two? Why do some books change you, and why do some books not? And why did I consider it necessary to include the books that have less of a lasting impact on one's life? Well the second list is included because although they may not be life-changing to others, they do symbolize the beginning of my addiction to literature. When I was younger I was inseparable from my Harry Potter collection. My parents estimate that I've read each Harry Potter book about 5 times. The sad thing is this more likely to be an understatement than an exaggeration. Eventually, I was reluctantly pushed away from Harry Potter into more mysteries, such as "Freaky Green Eyes", "White Oleander" and "Special Topics in Calamity Physics". "Freaky Green Eyes" and "White Oleander" were also reread multiple times because I was attracted to the eloquence and phrasing of the words, as well as the story line. "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" was not. It was so mentally draining that I could only stand to read a few pages at a time. I listed it because it is a really good book and the most difficult piece of literature I had read at the time. It's huge as well. It's a brick of a book. Only start it when you're sure you have a few days to spare on reading.

The way I define a book that changes you, is it also has to challenge you. I don't mean in terms of difficult words or length (God knows "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" had all of that) but rather in terms of new concepts and the development of a greater worldview. You'll notice that many of the books in list one are set in foreign places or different time periods. Many Americans don't have much of an understanding of what it is like to live in another country, or experience another's position. By reading books such as "The Poisonwood Bible," set in Africa, or "The Kite Runner," set in Afghanistan, we are forced to empathize with those whom we would not ordinarily empathize with. These types of books change you by broadening one's perspective of other cultures, people and places in the modern world.

There are also books that challenge history. We often forget that history is a story told from a particular perspective, usually that of the conquerors.  This can clearly be seen in "The Book Thief", where the author directs you to empathize with a German family during World War II. He challenges the belief that all Germans during this time were evil by providing an example to the contrary. "The Red Tent" takes the ideal of challenging history a step further by analyzing the women's role in biblical times and subtly arguing that women have effectively been cut out of many religious texts. I was amazed. "Bitchfest" also argued against the treatment of women by giving examples and data that related to this day and age. "Bitchfest" included a collection of non-fiction essays about the portrayal of women in the media, and the representation of women in business and politics.

You'll know when a book has changed you. The book does not have to present a huge revelation that calls into question everything you once held dear, but you will feel different. I find the feeling to be a mixture of awe and of terror. It's the feeling that the world has silently been shifted on it's axis, and you're the only one who has noticed. It also comes with the understanding that you'll be carrying this story, this life-changing story with you the rest of your life. In a way, the characters have become you. Whatever happened to the character has happened to you. It's the realization that your fate, although completely unique, is tied with everyone elses' through the human experience of living, dying and breathing. This experience is all brought on by truly empathizing with another person, even one that except in literature, never actually existed.

Great literature makes one think. It pushes one out of his or her comfort zone and coaxes one to accept new ideas and travel to new places. Great literature changes the world by changing its people. I would not say that I was inept and single-minded before I read literature that pushed me to think in larger ways, but I would say that it did help me grow as a person and as a scholar. Even if great literature does not change you, it can still act as a comfort and open up whole new worlds to you as the books in list two did. As a child, it did not matter that I was stuck in Holland, MI where the most exciting part of the year consisted of tourists gorging themselves on elephant ears and ogling high-school students dutch dance. In my mind, I was at Hogwarts learning spells and saving the world. I was also Nancy Drew, solving crimes and putting away dangerous criminals, all while "looking professional in a sunshine yellow twin-piece."Reading helped me grow as a person and try on different identities until I was ready to challenge my own identity and develop my own beliefs. First it was a hobby, then it grew to be a comfort, and now it is a mind-expanding experience. Everyday it taunts me, asking "What can I teach you that you don't already know?" So far, quite a lot.