My Most Influential Books

With the beginning of another year, I'm thinking about people and things that have influenced me throughout my life. I thought it would be interesting to think about the books that I have read and reflect on which ones have made the greatest impact on me. Before starting the list, I must say that I have not included the Bible as a possibility because it has been a important book in my life since childhood and I strive daily to allow its principles to shape my morality and life choices. Having said that, here are the top five books that influenced me (in no particular order)...

1. No Wonder They Call Him the Savior by Max Lucado. I first encountered this volume as a high school senior when my Bible teacher, Mr. Harold Redd, gave it as a gift. As I began reading the book, I found myself entranced and falling in love with Christ all over again. Truthfully, I think this book is primarily responsible for my continuing faith journey as an adult.
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This is my favorite novel of all time! I read the book over the summer before beginning my freshman year at Pepperdine University. The book was a required reading assignment for all students in preparation for an orientation session on ethics. This was my first experience of reading a book outside of a classroom setting that spoke so clearly to the world that I knew and challenged me to think about my own views of race relations and prejudice.
3. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. While at Pepperdine, I majored in English as well as music. (One of those majors was much more successful than the other, by the way!) During my junior year, I was enrolled in Survey of American Literature, the Early American novel, and Southern Literature. All three classes included Twain's masterpiece on the reading list. When I first noticed this, I was thrilled to have one reading assignment for all three classes. What I came to discover was that this would become an intense study of this magnificent novel. The more I thought about Huck's adventures, the more I learned. This novel stands as one of my greatest learning experiences in all of my educational pursuits.
4. Read for Your Life by Pat Williams. Who knew that a book by a basketball coach would have such a huge impact on me? Williams lays out a clear explanation of the importance of reading in maintaining intellectual health as we age. It was in this book that I was first presented with the challenge to strive to read a book a week. I've not achieved that level of reading activity, but I'm still pursuing it....and my reading life became much richer as a result of my time spent with this book.
5. Oh the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss. While on a family vacation before beginning my college career, I overheard a family member predict that I would completely fail out of school because I was trying to live "the big life" in California. I was crushed by the destructive comment. Shortly after coming home, I was given a copy of Dr. Seuss' book. Oh the Places You'll Go became my personal reminder that my success (or failure) was not dependent on anyone other than me. So I continued to shoot for the stars....and I'm much richer because of it.