Books that Shaped Me // Round Two

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Two Mondays ago I began my nostalgia tour by listing seven books that impacted my younger self and sharing my reading/rereading goals for the year. This week I want to list a few more books that helped shape me. 

THE HUNGER GAMES

THE HUNGER GAMES blew my little eleven-year-old mind (at least, I think I was eleven when I read it). It was cozy and scary, deep and thoughtful, fresh and interesting. When I finally got a copy of my own for Christmas, I’m fairly certain I spent the majority of the next several months reading it over and over again. The idea of children and teenagers being forced to fight to the death for entertainment was so bizarre to me. Yet at the same time, it felt like something that might actually happen—like we had the potential to bring our society to that place one day if we weren’t careful (after all, Rome had popularized gladiator games). Of course, it wasn’t my first taste of the dystopian genre, but it was definitely the one that got me hooked for life, and I will defend it to my dying breath. (You can find my review here.)

THE ROOK

THE ROOK is the second book in the Patrick Bowers Files, and I would not recommend giving this series to small children (unless those children answer to nicknames like Little Miss Morbid, in which case they’re probably fine). My sister got me a signed and personalized copy of THE ROOK when Steven James visited her university, and it’s one of the best Christmas presents I’ve ever received. The main detail that grabbed me was that the author allows his main character, Patrick Bowers, to struggle with belief in God and His goodness. In my previous experience with Christian novels, the subject of doubt/bitterness often gets treated like a taboo topic. Christian novelists seem willing to represent these sorts of negative views of God only if the character is made to see the error of his or her ways by the end of the story, even if that means a rather unbelievable change of heart in the climax. That line of thinking does not naturally lead to any sort of honest discussion, and it can make those with struggles feel shamed, marginalized, and misunderstood. That is why I so respect Steven James—instead of writing bad sermons, he writes honest novels. 

I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU

No matter how old I get, I will always be fond of this series. One of my best and oldest friends is not much of a reader, so when she bought a copy because the cover looked cool, and then fell in love with the story, I was excited to have something more to discuss with her. (I think I was thirteen at the time.) My sister and I really hit it off on this subject as well. To this day, we still throw random spy tests at each other, like, “Quick, how many grocery bags was that man back there carrying?” And the funny thing is that, at this point, we can usually answer the question correctly. 

THE TWO PRINCESSES OF BAMARRE

This was the first book I remember reading that had a truly bittersweet ending. Up until that point, I had been a little naive in believing that nothing huge can go wrong in stories and that conflict can happen but, in the end, everything has to go back to the way it was. (I know, I was adorable.) Fortunately, THE TWO PRINCESSES OF BAMARRE showed me the beauty and symmetry of a different sort of ending than what I was accustomed to, and I appreciated that. 

PRINCESS ACADEMY

Because I read this book (only once) a long while ago, I don’t remember much about the plot. All I know is that it made such an impression on me I tried to write stories set in stone quarries for at least a year afterwards. This one is very high on my reread list. 

THE HOUSE OF THE SCORPION

THE HOUSE OF THE SCORPION was one of the most disturbing books I read when I was a small thing. Not only did it cover human exploitation and other fun stuff, it also dealt with the moral issue of doing something really bad for really good reasons. Before then, I’m not sure how much I’d been introduced to the concept of moral ambiguity. (I've not read the sequel, THE LORD OF OPIUM, so I need to tackle that one as well.) 

THE SHADOW CHILDREN SERIES

This series was another big eye-opener for me. Even though THE HUNGER GAMES was the story that got me officially hooked on dystopian literature, The Shadow Children Series was what primed me for it. It introduced me to the idea that things could go really wrong—that the people in charge could make rules that were beyond cruel and unreasonable. It also introduced me to the idea of fighting back against injustice. 

A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS

I just spent five Mondays discussing this series, so hopefully I already got my point across (you can find the posts here, here, here, here, and here). Boiled down, I loved these books because they treated me like my thoughts and emotions and opinions mattered. For once I felt as though someone understood me. 

ENDER'S GAME

Every time I think of ENDER’S GAME, my mind starts to explode all over again. Unlike most of the other books listed in this series of posts, I read this novel when I was closer to seventeen (I think), so I was able to process it more the first time. It showed me how wise and capable children can be—that young people can be so much deeper and more complex than we often realize. It also highlighted how sometimes we do stuff that feels meaningless and unimportant without realizing that we’re changing our world in the process. 

FAHRENHEIT 451

Through the eyes of a society that burns books, I learned to love books with an even greater passion. I learned to value them for what they were—more than just mindless entertainment. Alongside Montag, I learned that stories are ideas, ideas are powerful, and any society that fears ideas is something to be resisted. 

TURNABOUT

While the concept of aging backwards may be scientifically impossible, I wasn't all that concerned with scientific realism when I first got my grubby paws on this gem. And I was already interested in science (in the abstract) and science fiction at the time, so TURNABOUT just clinched it for me. TURNABOUT also helped fuel my interest in keeping journals because, even though I wasn't growing younger and losing my memories slowly but surely, I figured it was still a good idea to document my existence. (I have such fond memories of this book, I almost freaked out a teeny tiny bit when I momentarily thought I hadn't brought my copy with me to Virginia.) Aside from Lemony Snicket, I don't think any sole author influenced my childhood quite as much as Margaret Peterson Haddix did. 

Well, that’s it for today, little coffee beans. What are some of the books that shaped you? What are some of your all-time favorites? Do you plan to reread anything this year?