5 books that changed who I am
Ally has tagged me in a meme. To play along, I need to share five books that changed who I am.
The book Arch Image from TOBEDOIT via sparrows and arrows, via Ally.
I found this hard. I've read quite a few books and have certainly been changed and shaped by many of them, but which ones in particular? In the end I decided not to deliberate on this too long, and just name a few that spring to mind.
The Bible - that has to be first. This is the book that explains life the universe and everything, diagnoses humankinds true condition and provides the wonderful solution in the death and resurrection of Christ.
Finding God by Larry Crabb. It's been a while since I've read this now, but I have read it many times in the past. It has a tag line along the lines of moving through your problems to finding God, but it's not just for those with "problems". It taught me to understand what was really going on underneath all the ways I relate to other people and process what happens to and around me. And there was a time when I read other books by Larry Crabb called Understanding People, Men and Women, Encouragement ... which I think are the first books that opened up psychological insights for me.
I'll call this the Elisabeth Elliot conglomeration. As a teenager I started in on Passion and Purity, Let Me Be a Woman ... The Path of Loneliness is one I find particularly valuable. Elisabeth Elliot has a unique, anecdotal style of writing, that's very easy to read. Essentially she encouraged me trust God to give us and be for us what we need in all that comes along. I think I can credit Elisabeth Elliot for giving me an understanding, early on as a teenager, of what it means to be a woman, and why there's no need to push against that.
Stepping Heavenward by Elisabeth Prentiss (even though I wouldn't sign off on all the theological ideas that come through in this one). It's curious, because I am someone who is quite happy to start and finish non-fiction books, on theology, psychology, whatever topic, but I've realised that I actually really do learn things through the telling of stories. Perhaps we all do in ways we don't even begin to realise. So, it seems odd to mention fiction as something that changed me, but I think much of the fiction I have read really has. This book is the story of one girl's growth in maturity and godliness, from the woman who wrote the hymn More Love to Thee, and it's truly inspirational, as well as just beautiful. It's not autobiographical (as sometimes thought) but if you read the Elizabeth Prentiss's story, you will realise that it's close! (Her biography by Sharon James is worth a read.)
The Albatross Book of Verse, edited by Louis Untermeyer. My Mum had this book, and it is here I discovered a love for classic poetry.
Rules are:
• Tag between 3 and 5 people
• link back to this post.
• call the post '5 books that changed who I am'
• enjoy.
So, I am going to tag Sophie, Simon, Ben and Rebecca. (I realise some people don't do memes, but I can't remember who, so, if it's you, sorry. And if anyone else wants to have a go, I'd like to read about your "changing" books.)