I grew up in a time and a household where reading fiction was analagous to wasting your time.

HayakawaР”Р„ book that РІР‚Сљprovides a whole rationale for reading fiction that I have never forgotten. This was no fiction yet it read stranger than anything else up till then.РІР‚Сњ Reading it felt like being caged with a wild animal, a quick fear followed repeatedly by the mindРІР‚в„ўs pangs of pride to subdue the brute. No aliens here among far away stars but a world almost ordinary and within reach, tangible and so totally frightening. Having read all the classic science fiction on the shelves, CapoteРІР‚в„ўs matter of fact prose was as disturbing to me as it was new. It was the first РІР‚Сљadult book that I read upon graduating to the adult section of the Municipal Library in Krakow. РІР‚СљQuite simply it has enabled me to get more out of the books that IРІР‚в„ўve read.РІР‚Сњ - Greg Culled from interviews with survivors of the atomic bomb attack, this narrative was originally published as an entire issue of The New Yorker magazine. РІР‚СљHersey retells what happens when an atomic bomb falls on your city. He gently shows the recipe for self-recovery, and reveals that the survivor is, in fact, the greatest hero for us all.РІР‚Сњ - Megan РІР‚СљA stellar book released last year that I believe will quietly grow to classic status on par with Victor Frankl and Elie WieselРІР‚В¦ MollicaРІР‚в„ўs thesis, radical for a professor of medicine, is that humans have the tools to heal themselves from even the worst imaginable traumas. Healing Invisible Wounds: Paths to Hope and Recovery in a Violent World РІР‚вЂњ Richard F. I saw values in Pip that I wanted to emulate in my own life - a dedication to pursuing my dreams, overcoming my weaknesses, and treating others respectfully regardless of what frustrations I may have in my own lifeРІР‚В¦РІР‚Сњ - Jamie I triumphed with successes, felt the blow of failure in his defeats, and felt sorrow when he broke his own principles. РІР‚СљI think it was the first time I had felt such a bond with a character. ItРІР‚в„ўs just this one has been at the forefront of my mind ever since I read it a couple of months ago.РІР‚Сњ - Amanda And I can think of hundreds of other books that have changed me just as much. I love the emotional complexity thatРІР‚в„ўs replicated in the grandmotherРІР‚в„ўs and grandfatherРІР‚в„ўs manuscript and letters, how they show how memory is fragmented, overwhelming, and sometimes incomprehensible. РІР‚СљРІР‚В¦ItРІР‚в„ўs as though that book has taken so much life from the past and made it all tangible to us here in the present. IРІР‚в„ўve loaned it out several times and re-bought it at least three times.РІР‚Сњ - EmmettР”В®xtremely Loud and Incredibly Close РІР‚вЂњ Jonathan Safran Foer It impacted me because it illustrated the concept of learning throughout life and how people can live with dignity. РІР‚СљI read it as a junior in high school, picked up on the bargain pile at a B. ThatРІР‚в„ўs just some of the stuff that is shaping the way I think right now.РІР‚Сњ - Luella

Not just to get rid of pop-prejudice and hatred, but to get rid of labels entirely, to `fightРІР‚в„ў war and injustice with peace and understanding instead of angerРІР‚В¦. Suzuki had a humble vision that in order to change this world, we need to change the way people think and live, not just to change the symptoms of what is wrong. РІР‚СљAlthough I am not practicing Zen (yet), this book is like my Bible in that I plan to always read over it and reflect upon the messages therein. Great book!РІР‚Сњ - SpamboyР”В¬rooked Cucumber РІР‚вЂњ The Life and Zen Teaching of Shunryu Suzuki The whimsy of its narrative, which ended with the utter destruction of our world thanks to mankind, was stark, shocking, yet refreshing when it seemed every other book I read was just an exercise towards getting to a happy ending. РІР‚СљThis book reignited the pilot light of my imagination like no other book had done in quite awhile. РІР‚СљAfter reading through these suggestions, I realized thereРІР‚в„ўs a big hole: Poetry! So much poetry has affected my life: Sylvia PlathРІР‚в„ўs _Ariel_ Campbell McGrathРІР‚в„ўs _Road Atlas_ James WrightРІР‚в„ўs _Above the River_ Brenda HillmanРІР‚в„ўs _Cascadia_РІР‚В¦Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Robert BlyРІР‚В¦ Poetry may not be the РІР‚Сљwinning pickРІР‚Сњ here, but it definitely should be celebrated! And not just in April.РІР‚Сњ - Amanda Reading this book has impacted the way I look at everything from bacteria to asteroids.РІР‚Сњ - Alex At close to 500 pages Bryson covers everything from the moment the universe expanded from the intensely dense matter that was (aka the big bang) to manРІР‚в„ўs origin.

It completely blew my mind at the time (I was 16) and it opened my eyes to the power of ideas and to the joy of reading a good book.РІР‚Сњ - TimР”Р„ Short History of Nearly Everything РІР‚вЂњ Bill Bryson The list below tells you what books shaped their lives and why.Р”РЋ984 РІР‚Сљwas the first book I actually enjoyed reading.

We asked our readers what books made the biggest difference in their lives, and hereРІР‚в„ўs what they had to say. Image by George Redgrave, via Flickr Commons

Story of your life novel