I began reading “You’ve Got to Read This Book! 55 People Tell the Story of the Book That Changed Their Life” edited by Jack Canfield and Gay Hendricks, with both eagerness and a little anxiety. I was eager to see which books had inspired these authors, celebrities, activists, and motivators to change, but I was afraid that I’d become so enthused about 55 books that I’d break my book budget. I knew however, that I was reading the right book when the very first essay by renowned author, Jacquelyn Mitchard told how one of my very favorite books from when I was pre-teen had inspired her to press on and become the writer she is today.

I hesitate to reveal which books are recommended because my favorite part of “You’ve Got to Read This Book!” was discovering the unique gems, the nuggets of wisdom, and the kernels of truth awaiting me. The books being recommended are all listed in the back and I believe that the list should only be consulted after reading the stories. It was comforting to find that I had actually already read six of these life changers and have another seven on my bookshelf. The books themselves run the gamut from classic literature to religious texts to inspirational books (including a couple by the editors). Two books were recommended twice and the author of one of those books recommended the other. It was interesting to see a type of “Six Degrees of Separation” happening between books and authors. My most astonishing discovery was that two of the books were recommended because they galvanized the reader into taking a stand against the values being espoused, showing me that even negative books have the ability to inspire people to change and do good.

There were two common threads running through most of the essays: The first thread is that a book really can’t change a person’s life, but a person can change their life based on what they have learned by reading a book; and the second thread is that much like a teacher appearing when a student is ready, the right book almost literally fell into the essayists hands in their times of need and readiness. I wholeheartedly recommend “You’ve Got to Read This Book!” as a valuable resource in discovering and selecting books that can inspire people to change their lives.