It’s the gut-wrenching finale of A Monster Calls, the blood-soaked battles in the climax of The Return of the King, and the sentimental conclusion of the Harry Potter series. A well-written book has the power to resonate and impact readers for a lifetime. The sheer power of books to sway and alter a reader’s perspective on life and to install hopeful moral is indisputable. What book-worms do find conflict over, is what books fall in the category of soul-improving, and which ones are better left untouched. In this article, we explore the diverse selection of literature that has settled deep into the soul of it’s reader and found itself worth a reliable mention. 

Often times, books act as a teacher of morals and values, and give us motivation to confront the inner turmoil we all face. “A book that changed my life was Simon vs. the Homosapien Agenda,” Memorial sophomore Karalyn Brown said, “because as someone whose bi myself, you know, it just made have a better outlook to get comfortable with myself.”  Additionally, books open up doors to real-life diversities, connecting the differences of humanity one page at a time “A book that impacted my life would be the book Wonder, because I first read it in the fourth grade,” Taveion Lazan, a Memorial sophomore, said “and it impacted me because it taught me that people are different and that’s okay.”

Perhaps one (among many) of the great things about books is that they are boundless when it comes to whom may enjoy them, being found in the hands of the elderly to the youngest children just learning to read. “To Kill a Mockingbird is an amazing books,” 55-year-old Phillip Byrd explained, “A great coming of age story. I love the goodness and humble humanity of Atticus Finch. This book gives a great lesson in life about prejudice and judging others.” Furthermore, the effects of a splendid read can be felt years afterwards. “I would say Before I Fall had a lasting impact on me, to the point that I think about it almost a decade after I read it,” 25-year-old Taylor Byrd said “As a person who was bullied, it taught me other people’s cruelty does not define who you are or how much value you have. And as a person who is imperfect and hasn’t always succeeded in being the kindest and best person I can be, it taught me that every day is a new chance to try and redeem yourself and contribute something good to the world. I loved Before I Fall and will continue to carry with me the hope that it offered.”

Author William Styron, when discussing the significance of books in the human life, wrote that “A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.” This assertion is seemingly supported by the range of material from the aforementioned novels. What constitutes as a good book is subjective, and you’ll quickly find that what one likes varies from person to person. Regardless of a book’s plot, what matters is if a book can persuade one  to loosen their grip on a stressful reality and lose themselves in the pages of a fantasy. From fantasy to historical fiction, books are often catalyst of a journey of self-discovery, or a portal to a world where one’s problems are non-existent. 

In a society progressively becoming more technologically focused, books play an important part as a reminder to humanity that entertainment doesn’t have to come from a screen. Sometimes, all it takes is an engrossing few chapters of a fantastic book to achieve peace in a scarily chaotic world.