You Are What You Read
I have a sneaky habit to confess. Whenever I visit someone’s home, one of the first things I do is snoop around their bookshelves to see what they are reading. For better or worse, it’s like a mirror into their soul.
Oscar Wilde once said, “It is what you read when you don't have to that determines who you will be when you can't help it.” And while reading may not directly reflect who you are at the moment, it definitely influences who you are becoming. The idea that a book can change the trajectory of your life might sound hyperbolic, but it doesn’t make it any less true.
In celebration of National Book Lovers Day, here are eight books that continue to shape my becoming.
A Language Older Than Words by Derek Jensen:
“I had broken the most basic commandment of our culture: Thou shalt pretend there is nothing wrong,” warns Jensen. This book is not for the faint of heart. It is to this day the most disturbing book I’ve ever encountered. Jensen weaves his story of childhood abuse with the destruction of the environment in one of the most gut-wrenching, eye-opening works on the future of our island home.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee:
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” I read this classic in the tenth grade and my small, white, Southern world exploded with empathy, compassion, and inclusion.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy:
This classic by Thomas Hardy is the Victorian era’s version of the #MeToo movement. Discussing issues of consent, female sexuality, shame, and the double-standard between male and female sexuality, Hardy captured the delicacy and difficulty of being female in a world dominated by the male gaze.
Binding the Strong Man by Ched Myers:
This political exegesis of the Gospel of Mark is probably the sole reason why I am still a Christian today. Myers ability to intellectually and spiritually uncover the radical message and ministry of the historical Jesus is the most convincing apologetic for a life centered around the Christ of faith.
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway:
“I can't stand it to think my life is going so fast and I'm not really living it.” I came to Hemingway late in life, and his curt writing style takes some getting used to, but this his first and greatest novel is a captivating look into every lost generation of souls.
Ordinary Men by Christopher Browning:
“Evil that arises out of ordinary thinking and is committed by ordinary people is the norm, not the exception.” I read this in graduate school and I can still remember the ensuing nightmares and existential crisis associated with the reality that the Holocaust was perpetrated not by monsters, but by ordinary men and women just like me.
When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron:
“Be curious. Welcome groundlessness. Lighten up and relax. Offer chaos a cup of tea.” My spiritual director gave me this book during the darkest moments in my life. And in almost every way, it saved me.
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain:
“Your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.” Admittedly, this is an odd book to add to such an illustrious list, but come on, have you read it? It’s hilarious, poignant, honest, and human. Twenty-three years after its publication, and five years after his death, it feels just as urgent today as it did upon its release.
Books change you. Some of them are inspiring, others hurt, a few leave marks on your soul that will be there long after you die. What books are on your list? Let me know in the comments below, I’m always looking for my next favorite read!
Gary Alan
