Book Love #BEDM

I am not a voracious reader, so when I read a book that deeply affects me, I usually remember it.  I think I'll just list the books that I remember having a profound affect on me.  It's been awhile since I've read a few of them, so the details might allude me.

Thinking back to my highschool years, I remember two books very distinctly.  Neither of them were books that I was required to read for school.  One was Sylvia Plath's first and only novel, The Bell Jar, and the other was 1984 by George Orwell.  I loved Sylvia's poetry and her tortured soul and that's why I read that one.  I'm not too sure what prompted me to read 1984 (most likely a friend insisted I read it) but an understanding of Big Brother is lacking unless you've read it.  Some things are just necessary to read to fully understand pervasive cultural references.

Two other books that profoundly affected me, I read a few years ago in a short-lived book club with a few other homeschooling moms.  We read a pretty wide range of books... fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, etc...  The two that still stick in my mind are The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd and Midwives by Chris Bohjalian.  The ending of Midwives greatly disturbed me.  Although I am a proponent of a woman's right to choose to have a baby in whatever environment she wishes, it did change my personal opinion of home births.

A recent biography/memoir I found to be truly inspiring is Acres of Diamonds by Russell Conwell.  I am not a religious person but this man's life, humility, grace, compassion, generosity, and humanity is one of the best I've ever had the pleasure to read of.  It's totally free on Amazon for the Kindle or Kindle app.  Part of it is a biography and part of it is a memoir.  All of it is wonderful.