The Most Important Books in My Life

Recently I was asked to come up with the 5 most important books I’ve ever read.  For someone who enjoys reading as much as I do, this proved to be a challenging task.   Books have always intrigued me and opened my mind and imagination to new worlds and important thoughts.  It would be easy for me to say that the most important book I’ve ever read is the one that I just finished.  Many would expect me to say the Bible, but I have eliminated that as an option since it is so much more than just a text to me.

So, now that I have stalled as long as I can, here are the 5 most important books I have read….or at least this is the list today!

1.     Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White.  What child has not enjoyed this classic tale of Wilbur, Charlotte, Templeton, and the other barnyard animals?  I think this work is so special to me because it was the first book I truly remember reading independently.  Additionally, it introduced me to the idea of sacrifice for the sake of a friend.  Just thinking about the story and the beauty expressed in the closing scene gives me a lump in my throat even now!

2.     Oh the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss.  I was introduced to this text as a high school senior at a going away party.  I had been accepted to Pepperdine University – an outstanding school to say the least – but I had my share of doubts about how successful I would be there.  After all, I was just a kid from Arkansas who had not accomplished very much outside of my small community.  A loving friend sat me down and read the book to me, assuring me that I would experience success as long as I applied myself, despite the negative comments that surrounded me at the time.

3.     No Wonder They Call Him the Savior by Max Lucado.  Mr. Harold Redd, my high school Bible teacher at West Memphis Christian School, gave each graduating senior a copy of this wonderful book.  It was the first book I really read that explored concepts of faith and salvation that wasn’t required reading for a course at school or the church.  As I read, I realized that my faith could become my own and that I could freely question all that I believed in order to find answers to all of my questions.  I understood that it was okay to question matters of faith because God was not afraid of our questions.  No Wonder They Call Him the Savior was the first of many Lucado texts I would read over the years.  Max Lucado’s writing has quite possibly had a greater impact upon my personal spiritual walk than any other modern writer.

4.     To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  As I prepared to leave home for the first time and attend Pepperdine, all new students received a letter stating that this novel was required reading for the summer.  I wasn’t certain if it would be a course requirement or would simply be used in orientation, but I took the assignment very seriously.  As I read this classic novel, I quickly identified with Scout and Jem’s southern experience.  Few works have spoken more eloquently about the injustice of prejudice and the reality that prejudice comes in many forms – not just racism.  This book holds the highest place on my list of favorites!  I have returned to this story many times since that first reading in 1990; each time I discover something new from Atticus and the children.

5.     The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.  I don’t know that I can fully explain the impact this novel has had on my life.  It is so much more than a story of a boy and a slave escaping the persecution of the South.  It is a story about the search for self-identity and significance.  Many times in my life, I have felt as though I was Huck Finn, fighting against suppositions made because of my family, church, and societal background.  As I matured, I knew that I was so much more than just the sum of these aspects that I could not alter; I was coming to terms with the fact that I am a talented, intelligent, loyal and devoted man who strives to show justice to all people in all situations.  Huck Finn convinced me that it was possible to make a difference in spite of society’s assumptions about my limited abilities.  I will forever be thankful for the lessons learned aboard the raft floating down the Mississippi with Huck and Tom.

There you have it…my list of the most important books I’ve read.  The exciting thing for me is that the list constantly changes as I encounter new books.  Reading is a personal adventure to me that I never want to bring to an end.  I think it’s time for me to find a cozy chair now and curl up with another good book.