The Book That Changed My Life: 71 Remarkable Writers Celebrate the Books That Matter Most to Them (Hardcover)

by Roxanne J. Coady (Author), Joy Johannessen (Author) "I remember first the power of the language: "Here is the house. . . . Dick and Jane . . . the fall of 1941..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, United States, The Catcher (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
As a teenager in a Parisian expatriate's bookstore, James Atlas found Gwendolyn Brooks's Selected Poems and realized that "poetry could emerge out of the geography of your own experience." Jacquelyn Mitchard named a baby after the struggling heroine of Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged "jarred" Nelson Demille into "thinking outside the box"; Michael Stern was transported to unknown worlds by the Sears catalogue; while Sen. Joe Lieberman, an observant Jew, was molded by the Bible. In this uneven collection of often predictable musings about their favorite books by a catchall of writers (including PW's editor, Sara Nelson), one of the few standouts is by Frank McCourt, who tastes a line from Shakespeare's Henry VIII when he's a 10-year-old typhoid patient and remembers "it's like having jewels in my mouth when I say the words." Unfortunately, by stuffing 71 writers into a slim volume, bookseller Coady and editor Johannessen all but ensure prosaic snippets of random thoughts rather than developed essays. The format also allows for repetition (J.D. Salinger; Harper Lee) and self-promotion (Carol Higgins Clark's inspiration was her famous mother; Anita Diamant showboats about her own novel The Red Tent in a piece about Virginia Woolf). (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
For-the-love-of-books anthologies work like catnip on ardent readers and those who advise them, and what fun it is to discover which books writers love. Connecticut bookseller Coady, who believes so deeply in the power of books that she established the nonprofit Read to Grow Foundation (which book proceeds will support) to promote literacy and "the joy of reading," takes a refreshingly populist approach in this collection of 71 lively favorite-book essays. Children's book creator Tomie dePaola reveals his passion for Kristin Lavransdatter. Literary scholar Harold Bloom confesses his delight in the fantasy novel Little, Big. Elizabeth Berg and Alice Hoffman describe revelations sparked by Catcher in the Rye. Crime writer Patricia Cornwell discloses her fascination with Uncle Tom's Cabin, and her familial connection to Harriet Beecher Stowe, while Carol Higgins Clark names an early book by her mother, Mary Higgins Clark. Here, too, are historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and David -Halberstam, all testifying to the transformative power of books and adding fresh titles to readers' to-read lists. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Gotham (October 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592402100
• ISBN-13: 978-1592402106
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #593,394 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!, October 25, 2006

By	Wantz Upon A Time Reviews "www.wantzuponatime... (Chicago) - See all my reviews

Writers from all walks of the publishing industry have come together to share their thoughts on the most influential books in their lives. Seventy-one authors, journalists, and other published professionals have written about how their lives were affected by everything from THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD, to THE CATCHER IN THE RYE, to THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO.

Some authors were motivated by plot and description, others by characterization, and still others by embedded messages. Just reading through these accounts of life-changing books, readers of this collection can't help but to be influenced by the sheer enthusiasm shared by some remarkable individuals.

In the highly commendable effort to raise funds for the Read to Grow Foundation, the editors have pledged to donate all their proceeds to promote literacy.

In truth, the readers are who will become richer for having read this volume. It is not a mere book, but an experience.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
10/25/2005

Postscript: I was so taken by what I read in this book that I literally forgot to write this review for nearly a week. It inspired me to get back to work on my own writing, and in the past week, when not reading, I've been writing. Such was the power between the covers of a deceptively diminutive volume.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warning! This Book Leads to Buying More Books!, January 10, 2007

By	Marion "[e-mail]" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

They should have a warning on the cover of this innocent-looking little tome that it leads to more book buying. After reading this book, you will most definitely run to your local bookstore (fortunately, I was sitting in Barnes & Noble as I read this book and ended up buying the two books that changed Anne Lamott's life along with this book).

Many of the authors' favorite books were predictable: "Catcher in the Rye", "The Lord of the Rings", and "Jane Eyre" to name a few. The most interesting part of these 71 little essays was discovering how the authors discovered these books and why they had such a profound effect on their lives.

If you love books about books, then this treasure is a must-own. It's on my "Do Not Ever Loan Out" list, it's that good!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Window Onto Other Lives, June 17, 2007

By	R. Schultz (Chicago) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In this book, 71 notable people, most of whom are themselves authors, write brief essays telling what books have had the biggest influence on them. Since each essay ends with a thumbnail biography of its writer, you get a double list of leads for further reading here. You get the 71+ books cited as being life-changing, and you get the works of the 71 people who did the citing.

Actually, you get even further lists of recommended reading from this book. That's because its editors post their own favorites lists on the last pages.

Quite a few of the essays here have a breezy, quickly-jotted quality, perhaps showing their origins as forms filled out in response to the editors' mailed requests to, "Tell us what book changed your life." However several of the essays, such as Da Cheng's recollection of "The Count of Monte Cristo" releasing him from his childhood oppressions in China - are perfect, polished little pieces in and of themselves.

The books that people said mattered to them cover a startling range, and are often unexpected choices. You will find everything from Frank McCourt's appreciation of the "jewels-in-your-mouth" words of Shakespeare's "Henry VIII," to Claire Cook's gratitude for the Nancy Drew Mysteries and Jeff Benedict's mention of "The Little Engine That Could."

There are a few striking qualities that these influential books hold in common though. I notice that almost none of them were required reading in school. Rather, these were books that their readers came upon privately, by almost magical serendipity, and often even in contexts that made them illicit pleasures.

Then too, almost all the books mentioned were fiction. No tracts of deeply political/economic philosophy turned up, of the kind that so many people in the past might have claimed decided their paths. There was no mention of Karl Marx or Adam Smith, or "The Federalist Papers." What people seemed to gravitate towards were other lives, lived in different, freer circumstances.

This book, with its short chapters, makes for easy bedside reading. In fact, you might want to make a point of taking this book in small doses. When I was a little girl, I remember reading one of Bennett Cerf's joke books. Occasionally, a little policeman would appear at the bottom of a page. My mother and I would laugh at this fierce little fellow, scowling and holding up his hand, warning us to "Stop!" He was telling us not to gobble too many jokes in one sitting, because they might become sating rather than side-splitting. It's possible that just such a little policeman should have appeared occasionally in this book in order to get you to pause to digest each contributor's recommendation and wisdom.