Books
To pick just three books that have greatly influenced me is a hard thing to do only because I have read many books that have made deep impressions on me. I did try my best to list the ones that have helped me grow and learn as a human being.
1. Belle Prater’s Boy
This book is all about layers. What you see on the outside isn’t always representative of what’s on the inside. Moreover, the layers in this book also allude to the complexity of humans - we cannot defined simply in black and white because sometimes our intentions aren’t as clear-cut as we or others would like it to be. Now I didn’t learn all this in the sixth grade when I first read this book, but that’s another reason for me to love it - when I went back and read it I could finally understand some things I couldn’t understand when I was younger.
2.The Alchemist
I loved this book in all its child-like simplicity and optimism. It reads like a fairytale and I guess that’s what drew me into it. It might seem cliche and obvious at times, but the wisdom and hope I’ve learned from this book will stay with me. I’m at a point in my life where I’m finally going for what I want and thinking back on this book helps me draws strength in myself.
3. Kafka on the Shore
This was complicated - it was easy and hard to read at the same time. There’s an element of the fantastical that is mixed in with an undeniable reality that made it hard for me to believe sometimes. It’s about a boy running from his destiny while looking for himself, and it’s about another boy who’s lost everything but keeps on living anyway. I can tell this is like the first book I listed - it has layers, tons of them. While I might not understand everything even though I’ve read it already, subsequent reading will help reveal what I missed the first time. I guess I listed this book because it represents myself; I might not truly understand my own self sometimes but that doesn’t mean I can just forget about it and live without meaning. I’d have to find myself, even if I had to peel off each layer one by one.
