"I Never Enjoyed Reading Until I Finally Picked Up This Book:" People Are Sharing The Books That Had The Biggest Impact On Them As Children And Young Adults
"It was required reading for a class, so I didn't really expect much from it, but I was completely caught off guard.
You've probably read a whole bunch of books at different stages of your life, and chances are some have left a more lasting impression than others.
So Redditor u/hyperbolictaco asked, "What’s a book you read as a kid/adolescent that still sticks with you to this day?" Here's how people responded.
1."The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I never enjoyed reading until I picked up this book during my senior year of high school. It's one of the only books I've ever loved. No book has ever made me sob that hard. It's so beautifully written. If anyone ever asks for a book recommendation from me, I will always say The Book Thief."
2."Matilda by Roald Dahl. While reading this, I finally found someone who I could aspire to be as a little girl. I realized I wanted to be someone who read many, many books."
3."Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. I loved this book so much. I was so glad we had to read it in school so I had an excuse to read it again. It jumpstarted my interest in WWII literature and convinced me to read other amazing Holocaust literature like Milkweed and Night."
4."I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. No other book has made me cry like that. It made me feel understood and empowered."
5."Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. It broke my heart. I re-read it recently as an adult, and the story still holds up. It's still engaging and very emotional."
6."I totally fell in love with The Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce. I have re-read all the books a handful of times, and I still love them to this day. I've still never found another book quite like these."
7."The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. I never understood the love people had for this book until I read it, and it became my favorite book. The most charming point about this book would have to be how simple it is. It’s a children's book, and it's supposed to be simple and easy. Yet the characters and lessons in the story are things I think many people have yet to discover both about themselves and the world around them. This book really made me realize that thinking like a child in a grown-up world is essential."
8."To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It is hands down one of the best written, most poignant, and, IMO, important novels ever written."
9."I'll never forget when I first read Beloved by Toni Morrison in a high school English class. It was this book that made me fall in love with both reading and writing. I fell in love with the way Morrison could turn everyday observances into profound and beautiful descriptions. To this day, I can still pinpoint it as one of the most impactful books I've ever read."
10."For me, it would be Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. I was 10 years old or so when I first read it, and I just fell in love with the book. I still find it to be a really well-paced and engaging story. This was probably the first book that made me feel like I was doing more than just reading words. I was totally immersed in the story and world that came through the pages."
11."Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. I still own my old, tear-stained copy from growing up."
12."Tuesdays with Morrie. It was required reading for a class, so I didn't really expect much from it, but I was completely caught off guard. I read the entire book in one sitting and bawled for most of it. It completely changed the way I saw the process of death and living with terminal illness. I read it when I was 19 and trying to make sense of things when my parents were both dealing with significant health issues. There are a couple books I've read that will always stay with me, but nothing that shifted my worldview the way this did."
13."Holes by Louis Sachar. I recently read it again and was completely blown away by how sophisticated it is. And it's one of the rare occurrences where the film adaptation actually lives up to the book."
14."Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. It's one of the first books I read as a kid that really dealt with some darker themes, and it totally captivated me."
15."Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. I remember reading the entire first book during the span of a single car ride when I was 11 years old. That was my first introduction to classic English literature, and I've never turned back."
16."The Chronicles of Prydainby Lloyd Alexander. This was my favorite book series when I was a kid. I’m happy to report I re-read it aloud to my own kids last year, and they all loved it as much as I did."
17."Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. I was a freshman in high school when I first read it. I picked up a tattered copy on one of those spinning racks in my English classroom. I'd always been a reader, and I still am today, but this was the first time a book gave me that punched-in-the-gut feeling."
18."Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. This got me good as an 11-year-old, and it still makes me feel those same emotions today."
19."The Giver by Lois Lowry. I discovered the rest of the series as an adult and re-read The Giver, and it was still just as poignant as when I read it as a child."
20."Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. I read it when I was 11 before the movie came out. It got me totally hooked. It was the gateway that got my nerdy younger self into science fiction."
21."Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. It was the first time a book ever made me cry. It was also the first time I ever really cared about a book I was required to read for school."
22."The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. I loved this book as a kid, forgot about it as a young adult, and recently picked it up at 27. I enjoyed it so much and appreciated the humor even more than I did as a kid. I even had tears in my eyes at the ending. It's still so good."
23."A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I still read it every few years for the past 30 years, and it still holds up every single time. This novel is absolutely glorious."
24."The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne. Those books completely kickstarted my love for reading."
25."Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. It always held a special place in my heart because it was the first really long book I read. I was nine or 10 and I finished it in just two days. I was so proud of myself."
26."Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. I've read it numerous times, including recently as an adult. I sat there as a grown man and cried like a baby at a fictional character's death. I don't think I've ever read another book that consistently hits me so hard."
27."A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. This book introduced me to a lot of really amazing scientific ideas that altered my way of thinking about the world and the universe. It also helped me think about the ways we’re all connected."
28."The Chronicles of Narniaby C. S. Lewis. My aunt bought me a box set of the books when I was 7 years old, and I still have it. It's one of my most prized possessions: It's moved with me to four different homes, and I still read them every few years."
29."The Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I read every single one of them. When I was growing up, I was allowed to take two books out of the school library per week. Every week for two whole years, I would take out a Little House book and one other book."
30."The Redwall series of books by Brian Jacques. These books fostered my love of reading. The stories, the epic action-based plots, the little details, and the wonderful use of humor was entrancing. I still have all of them on my shelves."
31."Brave New Worldby Aldous Huxley. It may have been a forced read in high school, but it changed my perspective on what I'm meant to do during my time on this earth. It helped me see that life isn't all about personal pleasures."
32."Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. It gave me a passion for reading and fed my love for the nonsensical and weird. Plus, I was a bit of a loner growing up, and getting lost in this book helped."
What's a book you read during childhood or adolescence that has impacted your life or stuck with you into adulthood? Tell us in the comments below!
