The book that changed everything
“Half of this story is true and the other half might very well have happened.”
William Pène du Bois, The Twenty-One Balloons
I love to read and have been surrounded by books for as long as I can remember. Reading and being read to was a huge part of my childhood. Both of my parents were avid readers, and in addition to reading for fun throughout the day, every single night before bed my parents would let me and my siblings choose a story to listen to as we fell asleep. We could choose anything, from classics like “Goldilocks and Three Bears,” or “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” to stories from my mom’s childhood like tell us about the time “Grandpa Got Bit by a Bear on the Ankle,” or about “The Skunk in the Sugar Barrel.” Then, we would listen to my dad read from books he read when he was young, always asking for one more chapter.
I don’t think there has been any one book that has completely changed everything for me as a reader, but there have been several books and experiences that influenced me more than others. Some that were either transitional or were just the right book at the right time and have stayed with me and stand out to me now as the book. Among these is “Junie B. Jones,” “The Hunger Games,” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
Books.
A few weeks into the fourth grade, I moved from a small town with a small school to a slightly bigger town with a slightly bigger school and this school had it’s own library. The teacher walked me down to the library alone to choose a book for silent reading since I hadn’t been there for previous library blocks. I was anxious and didn’t want to take forever so I chose a random book off of the shelf: “Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus.” I read it really quickly and I think I liked it because it was funny and easy for me to read but it still talked about some deeper feelings. The next couple of library days we had, I stayed in my comfort zone and chose a new Junie B Jones book to check out for silent reading.
I remember loving these books because they were quick and fun to read. I think they have stayed with me because of what was going on in my life at the time and because they were just funny books. They are not stories I think about often or that I have even read again since elementary school, so I would be curious to pick one up and see how much I remember and if it is something I would recommend or if it is purely nostalgic.
The Hunger Games
Sometime in the seventh grade my older brother came home from school and told me about the new book he was reading called “The Hunger Games.” What I remember most about reading these books, was rereading them over and over again throughout middle school and having to wait what seemed like forever for the third book to come out. This was not the first series I read, or the first time I reread a book, or the first time I had to wait for a sequel but for some reason these books were such a big part of my young life. I think it was a mixture of really relatable and interesting characters in such crazy circumstances that made it stay with me for so long. And because it felt like each time I reread it there was something new I hadn’t noticed, and so many parallels being drawn between the books and real life that seemed so impossible. It was fascinating to hear comparisons between our government and media and the government in the books.
I still have these books, though I haven’t read them in many years. I think I would still enjoy reading them now, because I am so familiar with the story and because I loved them so much
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
After graduating from high school, I found this book in a used bookstore in Victoria BC and I was surprised at how easy it was to read. Surprised at how a book from the 1950’s didn’t feel at all like a book from the 1950’s. I had just moved away from home for the first time and I think this book was weirdly comforting. I think a lot of the themes really resonated with me and the person I wanted to become and how I saw the world. It was one of those books that makes you see how even though so many things change and the world might look completely different, people are still people and are always still grappling with very human things.
I still really love this book, keeping in mind that it was written several decades ago and includes some language and terms that are not acceptable by today’s standards, and possibly some that were questionable when it was originally published.
Words.
Junie B Jones
“My name is Junie B. Jones. The B stands for Beatrice. Except I don’t like Beatrice. I just like B and that’s all.”
“Being the new kid is the most hardest thing in the whole world.”
“That Grace did a mad face at me. Then she called me the name of beanie head. I patted her again. ‘You don’t take criticism that well, Grace,’ I said.”
Barbara Park
The Hunger Games
“May the odds be ever in your favour!”
“It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together, as it does to fall apart.”
“Stupid people are dangerous.”
“The problem is, I can’t tell what’s real anymore, and what’s made up.”
“There are much worse games to play.”
Suzanne Collins
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
“All I know is this: nobody’s very big in the first place, and it looks to me like everybody spends their whole life tearing everybody else down.”
“He knows that you have to laugh at the things that hurt you just to keep yourself in balance, just to keep the world from running you plumb crazy.”
“But it’s the truth even if it didn’t happen.”
Ken Kesey
