Books that changed lives: Part 2

June 27, 3:34 PMBirmingham Books ExaminerElizabeth Woodworth

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Cover of Catch-22 published by Simon & Schuster.

On June 25, 2009, I wrote about six books that changed the lives of six friends and one book that changed my life. Those books were vital in helping us visualize the world differently, redefine ourselves, expand our thinking, reaffirm our choices, or redirect our energies. The first seven were:

1. Managing the Non-Profit Organization (1990) by Peter Drucker
2. The Greek Way (1930) by Edith Hamilton
3. As I Lay Dying (1930) by William Faulkner
4. The Lord of the Rings (two vols. In 1954, one vol. in 1955) by J.R.R. Tolkien
5. Shogun: A Novel of Japan (1975) by James Clavell
6. Scared Hoops: Spiritual Lessons by a Hardwood Warrior (1996) by Phil Jackson
7. Great Expectations (serial in All the Year Round, 1860-61) by Charles Dickens

As more friends weighed in, after I had gotten started writing the previous review, I thought an additional article was worth sharing.

Book Eight: It’s no surprise that Charles Dickens made it onto the list again. At least it’s no surprise to me. Friend Eight writes of A Tale of Two Cities (1859), claimed to be among the top ten most printed books in history: “I read it for History, not English class, in 9th grade. It was such a fun way of learning about the French Revolution. I realized then that fiction can not only be a great tool to learn about history, it can shape your vision of it. Since then, although I do read fantasy, I LOVE novels based on historical characters and real-life events. I remember more about the French Revolution from Dickens's novel than from the textbooks we used for class.

It also made me think that good writers don't necessarily need to have a good imagination; they can also be good observers who recognize the value of a good story when they see one.”

I don’t know if this is my favorite Dickens book now, but it’s in the top three. As many times as I’ve read it, I still feel that familiar catch in my throat over Sydney Carton’s sacrifice. He may be one of the best characters of all time.

Book Nine: Tell me you were hot and bothered that no one had mentioned Jane Austen up until now. Well, stress no more. Friend Nine (you rock) comes through for all the Austenites out there, and for me (I have both Jane Austen and Charles Dickens action figures hanging on the wall in my office). "For me, it was Northanger Abbey" writes Friend Nine, "by none other than Jane Austen. I was a late comer to Austen, and in my British Lit II survey at AUM with Dr. Mary Jane Curry, I was assigned NA. I was not yet an English major—I started at AUM as a Marine Environmental Science major. I had always loved literature, though, and this was the novel that turned me onto Austen and British lit in general. I was immediately enamored with Austen's quick wit and the sharp satire of the gothic in NA. Dr. Curry became my mentor, and Austen became my passion. I changed my major to English, finished both BA and MLA in English, wrote my thesis on Austen, and have since had her signature tattooed on my wrist. I'd say NA changed my life!" That's commitment. I'm impressed.

Published posthumously (December 1817, but dated 1818), Northanger Abbey is my least favorite of Austen’s books, but perhaps I should read it again. The recent Masterpiece Theater version was great. Okay, it’s on my summer list now.

Book Ten: This book has had such an impact on popular culture, its title became a familiar phrase used to explain a no-win situation (rife with bureaucratic brouhaha). Friend Ten writes: “Catch-22 (1961), which taught me that laughing was, really, the only way to get through the ridiculousness of life and maneuver around the not-perfect people that I would encounter.” Has anyone ever taught English? Are there catch-22s inherent in that job? Who would know better than Heller to comment (see below for what he was doing in the early to mid-fifties)? Just pulling the obvious threads here to see what might unravel or ravel.

Catch-22 was published in 1961—a year of many exciting happenings: JFK became president, the Beatles performed for the first time, Judy Garlands staged a comeback at Carnegie Hall, Princess Diana was born, Roger Maris hit 61 home runs, the film version of West Side Story was released, the Vietnam war began. I remember reading Catch-22 in the 1970s and thinking, “I like this Joseph Heller; I wonder what else he’s written.” I went on something like a Heller bender trying to find our more about him and his works. If you want to read another book by Heller, try God Knows (1984). It’s quite amusing. (By the way, he had an MA in English from Columbia University in 1949 and later taught composition for two years at Penn State University. How do you like him now?)

Next up are three books I haven’t read, so I won’t comment upon these (not much), but I'll just share my friends’ comments, noting that there are thirteen books included in my two articles, and the final book here contains “thirteen” in the title: oooh aaah.

Book Eleven comes to you care of Friend Eleven who writes: “Mark Helprin's Winter's Tale (1983). I did my Master's thesis on it, but it grabbed hold of me ten years before that. I was sixteen and sucked in by the cover. My parents and I were visiting Princeton, which I had applied to, mostly dreaming. We were walking along a tree-lined street, and there was a used book store with a bin out front. Well, my dad's an English professor and my mom's a librarian, so we were contractually obliged to stop. The quote from the NY Times Book Review on the front cover said, ‘A great gift in an hour of great need.’ The epigraph at the beginning of the book said, ‘I have been to another world and come back. Listen to me.’ It was and I did.” Nicely put, Friend Eleven. Thank you.

Book Twelve was chosen by Friend Twelve; the lucky winner is: My Daddy was a Pistol and I'm a Son of a Gun (1988) by Lewis Grizzard. Friend Twelve writes that though this is a special book it was “not really life changing, but I lost my father when I was 13 and this book covers Lewis' accounts of his father. Really touching and, of course, hilarious. It IS Grizzard. Of his four or five books I've read, this is my favorite by far. I couldn't put it down.” I believe someone in my family owned Don’t Bend Over in the Garden, Granny, You Know Them Taters Got Eyes (1997). I may have browsed around in it—or my memory tells me this is so. At the very least, the image of Granny bending over in the garden is quite fresh.

Book Thirteen, courtesy of Friend Thirteen, is Th1rteen R3asons Why (2007) by Jay Asher. Friend Thirteen writers: “The storyline is touching, and the book is incredibly well-written. It's one of my favorites because it made me question the way that I treat others, and it helped me to be more compassionate and less judgmental.

From a writer's point of view, I greatly appreciate it because it helped me to develop my own 'style' of writing. I've always written non-fiction, so any time I tried to write fiction, it sounded rigid and overly structured. This book helped me to relax a little and just write what I thought sounded natural and believable. Overall, though, it's just an excellent read. It's one of those books that makes you smile because it's so horribly depressing. I LOVE that.” I would love it, too, if I could smile at horribly despressing events. I must pick this up and learn about how this can be accomplished. Thank you for this "life-changing book" recommendation, Friend Thirteen.

I offer a hearty and heartfelt “thank you” to all my friends who offered their insights on books that changed their lives, or moved them, or caused them to think or rethink or think twice. Here are all the books that changed our lives, Part 1 & Part 2 (in no special order):

1. Managing the Non-Profit Organization (1990) by Peter Drucker
2. The Greek Way (1930) by Edith Hamilton
3. As I Lay Dying (1930) by William Faulkner
4. The Lord of the Rings (two vols. In 1954, one vol. in 1955) by J.R.R. Tolkien
5. Shogun: A Novel of Japan (1975) by James Clavell
6. Scared Hoops: Spiritual Lessons by a Hardwood Warrior (1996) by Phil Jackson
7. Great Expectations (serial in All the Year Round, 1860-61) by Charles Dickens
8. A Tale of Two Cities (1859) by Charles Dickens
9. Northanger Abbey (1818) by Jane Austen
10. Catch-22 (1961) by Joseph Heller
11. Winter's Tale (1983) by Mark Helprin
12. My Daddy was a Pistol and I'm a Son of a Gun (1988) by Lewis Grizzard
13. Th1rteen R3asons Why (2007) by Jay Asher

Enjoy! Please send comments to edwoodworth@gmail.com. Thanks for reading.