The Books That Mattered

During the Chautauqua Festival, I attended a lecture entitled 'The Books That Mattered'. The speaker was the the author of the book pictured above.  His lecture was interesting and celebrated books; the words, pages, illustrations, and covers that shape the years of a life-long reader. From the inspiration of Mr. Gaillard's lecture, the following are the books that matter in my life.

Childhood

Are You My Mother; the first book I learned to read. I remember looking at a page in this book and realizing the words were no longer mere letters; they spelled out sounds and stories, and I could understand them! Talk about excitement! I read this book over and over to Mom and Dad. From the humble beginnings of the story of a lost baby bird, my new-found ability to read quickly opened the doors to Treasure Island, The Swiss Family Robinson, Call of the Wild, The Little Princess, Robinson Crusoe, Ballet Shoes, Island of the Blue Dolphins, and countless others; my life-long love of reading was set in motion.

The story of Jack, the giant, and the beanstalk was an oft-requested favorite bedtime story to be read by Dad with different voices for all the characters.

Of all the books I read as a child, the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder stands out as the most influential. Shelby and I would curl up on either side of Mom as she read them aloud. We would beg, "Please, Mom! Read another chapter!" I read the series multiple times throughout my childhood and occasionally reread them as an adult. Shelby and I used the baby stroller as a covered wagon, eventually moving up in the world of wagons by draping a quilt around my bunk bed, storing supplies, and setting out on the trail in our imaginations. Sitting on the top bunk as the driver was the place to be. We faced many a raid, wolf pack, and blizzard in our wagon.

The stories of James Herriot were read aloud by Mom. As a kid who grew up with goats, cows, chickens, and a host of other animals, James Herriot's stories came alive. His books were well-loved in our house and his literary presence became a friend.

I found this book at the library when I was around eleven years old. It was the first book that made me cry---grab a handful of Kleenex, use an entire box of Puff's Plus with Lotion tissues-kind of tears. It is the story of a boy during the London Blitz. He is sent to the countryside to escape the bombings. He is taken into the home of an elderly man who treats him with kindness and respect. Come to find out, the boy had been physically abused and severely neglected at his home in London. The story shows his transformation from traumatized to hopeful and trusting. He returns to his home several months later. I don't want to give away the ending, but suffice it to say, someone dies. And I cried. Sobbed, really; completely sent over the edge in grief for a fictional character. It was then I realized, never underestimate the power of books. Emotional trauma can come from a 304-page paperback.

There is nothing I can say about this masterpiece that will do it justice. It is one of the few books I have found that truly captures the southern way of speaking; you read it, and it sounds southern. You feel the stifling humidity. You see the court room and feel the wooden bench beneath you. You hear the creak of the floor as the lawyers pace back and forth.

The riverbank and woodland adventures of Ratty, Mole, Toad, and Badger are as enchanting now as they were when I was a child. Kenneth Grahame's sentences in this book are art; they flow, glide, and slip along, much like the river dear old Ratty loves with such fervor. I enjoy reading this book aloud just to be able to hear the finely crafted phrases and paragraphs. 

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy--four sisters whose literary presence has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. It is the story of a family, specifically the sisters, growing up in Massachusetts during the Civil War and following years. I have lost count of the times I have read this book. My sister and many of our friends love it, too. Even friends I met in college were discovered to have a mutual love for this book. We rejoiced with Jo when her story was published and shed tears when Beth died. Written in 1868, it is a timeless story of the special bond and love that exists between sisters.

Anne holds a special place in my heart much like the sisters in Little Women. The story of the spunky, outspoken red-head and her kindred spirit, Diana, followed me throughout my childhood. I was blessed to find my own kindred spirits along the way. “Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for the imagination then, would there?" I couldn't agree more, Anne! :)



Alyssa is a thirteen-year old who lives with her grandfather in Galveston. Her parents were killed in a hurricane and Alyssa has not spoken a word since. Her grandfather is seriously injured in another storm and Alyssa must find her voice to help him and finally face the fact that her parents are never going to return. This book does an excellent job of describing the frustration and misunderstandings that can result from a person's reaction to a traumatic event.



The studies in human nature in this book are well done; Mary's selfishness, Colin's loneliness, Peter's gentleness, and Mr. Craven's refusal to deal with grief and face reality all combine to create a dark, yet ultimately redemptive story.

This book recounts the true story of Livia, a Jewish girl in World War II. Livia's memories of the cattle cars, shootings, humiliation, gas chambers, and concentration camps are shocking, yet offer glimpses of the hope and will to survive that could be found in the camps. As a thirteen-year old when I read this book, her story was unsettling because she and I were the same age. She was taken from her father and brother, but managed to remain with her mother. They helped each other survive. I have not read the book in many years, but I recall one part when she was asked by a civilian, during liberation, how a woman of her old age could have survived. She replied that she was fourteen years old. The woman who had asked her age screamed in horror when she realized the emaciated person before her was only a child. Her father died in the Holocaust. Livia, her mother, and brother survived and were reunited after the war. The memory of the pain her family suffered when they were separated stayed with me long after I read the last page. The anguish of separation is a common theme in all of the Holocaust stories I have read throughout the years. Starvation, torture, cold, thirst, exhaustion, unsanitary living conditions--they are horrors of mind-boggling proportions. Yet all of the survivors' stories I have ever read state that being taken from their families was and remains a pain beyond description; seventy years later, weeping is still heard.

Adulthood

I read this book in one sitting; I could not put it down. I was two years away from becoming a social worker when I read Ashley's story of a childhood made chaotic by a dysfunctional family and the too-often dysfunctional, disorganized foster care system. This is a powerful memoir, and a book I recommend to every adult, especially adults who are raising or working with children.

This is a compilation of stories of survival and rescue during the Holocaust. Be inspired by the the overcomers, the loyal, the quick-thinkers, the generous, or as Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority) calls them, the Righteous; the minority who refused to go along with what would later be known as the Holocaust.

This is the true story of a Polish zookeeper and his wife during World War II. They fought to protect their Jewish friends, hiding them in their home and at some points during the war, in animal enclosures at the zoo. It is a fascinating story about an inspiring and courageous couple.

I'm a World War II buff, and this is the most well-written book about the contributions women made on the frontlines and in field hospitals I have ever read. The nurses were tough, smart, and courageous. They brought peace to the dying and gentle spirits to otherwise brutal places. Some were killed in action during bombing raids and the shelling on the beaches of Anzio. These women saved countless lives.

The final three books are children's literature I have read as an adult.

This is the story of ten-year old Comfort Snowberger. She lives in a family that runs a funeral parlor out of their home in Mississippi. The book examines friendship and loss through the eyes of a ten-year old. The story is humorous and sad, occasionally at the same time. Grief and coping from a kid's perspective---a good refresher for adults who have forgotten what it was like to be a child facing loss.




The story of a summer spent on an island off the coast of Maine as told by the middle of three sisters. Allegra is sandwiched between older sister, Alice, and the youngest, Edith. Allegra is the level-headed one and must maintain some semblance of order when they are unknowingly left alone at their summer cottage while their parents make an unexpected trip to the mainland.
This is a delightful story of sisterhood, sunburns, and seashells.



I stumbled across Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters at a Scholastic Book Fair years ago in college. I fell in love with the story and have read it approximately four times since. It is the story of eleven-year old Cornelia, the daughter of two world-famous concert pianists. Cornelia is lonely and finds solace in books and dictionaries until she meets Virginia Somerset, an elderly woman who moves in next door, bringing along Patel from India and a French Bulldog. Ms. Somerset delights Cornelia with stories of her life spent traveling the world with her three sisters. It is a story of friendship that transcends age differences and cultures. The sisters' antics around the globe are laugh out loud funny and their relationship reminds me of my sister and other kindred sister spirits.
Cornelia learns from Ms. Somerset the joy of living.

To the readers of this blog, what books matter in your lives? Please feel free to post them in the comments section.