How Books Transform Lives

by Rochelle Melander

When I was a kid, my reading habit got me into trouble—a lot. My teachers yelled at me for reading under the desk. (Okay, not the smartest move). They warned me of the dangers of reading books that were too old for me. (There’s stuff in there you shouldn’t know about!) My parents encouraged me to go out and play and cautioned me against too much reading (You’re going to ruin your eyesight if you keep reading so much!)

If only they knew then what we know now. Recent studies have discovered that reading teaches empathy, reduces stress, and prevents Alzheimer’s disease.

Lately, I’ve noticed that characters in some of my favorite books attesting to the power of reading. While this may seem like a vast conspiracy—the writers of books want you to read books so their characters defend books!—it’s one I’m happy to join with. And why not? I’m happy to have one more reason to keep reading.

Here’s what popular books say about how reading transforms us:

1. Books Define

“Everybody comes to the library naked. That’s why they come here—to dress themselves in books.”

(The Rabbit Back Literature Society by Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen)

2. Books Inform

“In the end, I go where I always go when I need information on something baffling, poisonous, or terrifying: the library. The answer will be here, surely—among the twenty thousand books, calm and waiting, on the shelves.”

(How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran)

3. Books Inspire

“Looking at our faces you might have said we were all feverish and half mad, and perhaps you would have been right, but Helen’s book made us feel we could rip the stars from the sky and write the world anew. For the first time I saw how I might write a book about the Kiona. I even made a small outline of how it might be shaped. And just these few words in my notebook made many things feel possible.”

(Euphoria by Lily King)

4. Books Save

“I no longer believe I can save people. I’ve tried, and I’ve failed, and while I’m sure there are people out in the world with that particular gift, I’m not one of them. I make too much of a mess of things. But books, on the other hand, I do still believe that books can save you.”

(The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai)

5. Books Ignite

“The Queen said: ‘Yes,. That is exactly what it is. A book is a device to ignite the imagination.’”

(The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett)

6. Books Connect

“The books are a weapon against loneliness. Putting them in the right hands lets people see one another. It makes us … better to one another. I think that’s a worthy thing to do.”

(Brigands and Breadknives by Travis Baldree)

7. Books Change Us

“I don’t think it really matters whether you know a lot about books or not. That said, I don’t know that much myself. But I think what matters far more with a book is how it affects you.”

(Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, Translated by Eric Ozawa)

8. Books Comfort

“I stretched out my hand towards the little bookshelf where I kept cookery and devotional books, the most comfortable bedside reading.”

(Excellent Women by Barbara Pym)

9. Books Give Joy

“Those books which lie closest to our hearts are precisely the books we should give away, so that they may bring others happiness.”

(The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn)

10. Books Benefit Everyone

“I think it’s important that libraries be a place where you can find all kinds of books. Good ones, bad ones, funny ones, serious ones. Every person should be free to read whatever they want, whenever they want, and not have to explain to anyone else why we like it, or why we think it’s valuable. I hope you all get a chance to read my books someday.”

(Ban this Book by Alan Gratz)

How have books helped you? Leave your favorite quotes in the comments below.