Kimberlee K.

On a recent episode of the Bad on Paper podcast, cohosts Becca and Olivia, as well as listeners, weighed in on books that “changed their life.”

If given this prompt ten years ago, I might not have had an answer. Not only because I was still not much of a reader, but because I didn’t have the hindsight and awareness of what a book can do.

But now, I realize there are definitely books that have changed my life, and today I’ve brought five. I don’t think the list ends here—both because there are likely some I’ve forgotten and because I like to think I have a lot of time left to discover more books—but I feel confident about what I have so far.

Here are five books that changed my life:

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1) The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan

This book would be phenomenal regardless of the circumstances of its release, but I can still remember reading the article about how the author, a 22-year-old woman set to start a job at the New Yorker, died in a car accident five days after her college graduation. I remember feeling such an intense responsibility to read her work. We were the same age, and I had just barely started to consider writing as a hobby. I was envious of the way her talent had pointed her in a direction early—a direction that she should have gotten the opportunity to follow—and I remember reading this collection of essays and short stories thinking, I want to write something like this. Or, quite simply, I want to write.

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2) Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

About thirty pages into this book—which I had borrowed from my sister—I knew I had to get my own copy so I could highlight, annotate, and underline it at will. It recounts author Mitch Albom’s experience with his college professor Morrie Schwartz, whom he begins visiting every Tuesday after learning of Morrie’s ALS diagnosis. It is full of valuable life lessons and just pure goodness. For me, it highlighted those once in a lifetime people, like Morrie, whose stories need to be told, and made me grateful for people like Mitch who take the time to write them.

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3) Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

I am seeing a pattern here, as most of these books (though not all!) have earned their spot on this list because of the way they’ve encouraged me to write. None more, perhaps, than Big Magic, whose battle cry to creative people made me feel like truly anything is possible. And not only that, but similar to The Opposite of Loneliness, it made me feel like I had to get my stories down, even if they never went anywhere further than that page, because I owe it to myself, and to the stories and ideas themselves who, as Gilbert likes to believe, choose you. I have often read and reread passages of this book, especially when I’m feeling down, or have gotten too caught up in the success (or lack thereof) aspect of writing. It helps me reconnect to why I write: because I love it, and reminds me to focus on that.

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4) Stiff by Mary Roach

Wildcard pick here, but alas we do remain on theme. This was easily one of strangest, craziest books I’ve ever read, but I was absolutely HOOKED. The full title is Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers and, as you might be able to guess, is a deep study of what happens to dead bodies. It was gross, honestly, but fascinating, and entirely new for me in terms of subject matter. Not only did it awaken a question I didn’t know I had (“What does happen to dead bodies?”) but it waved the checkered flag on writing for me, letting me know that you truly can write about anything. I have never ventured quite as far as corpses, but knowing the option is there reminds me that often the only limits being placed on my writing are by me.

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5) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This has to go on this list not only because it took the world by storm, but because it was the first book that made me openly weep while reading. There was a big chunk of time when I didn’t cry during movies, didn’t cry reading books, tried not to cry at all, ever. It was the heart-shaped pizzas of it all, and I didn’t want to look “weak.” But then this book entered my orbit and it was as if it cracked me open. As a result, I feel like I owe a lot to this book. And not to be too cheesy, but as a line in the book goes, pain demands to be felt, and this book let me know that the time for all those feelings was now.

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I’m going to keep thinking about books that changed my life, as I know there are more!

In the meantime, what are some books that have changed your life?