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Does anyone else have a book or books that have significantly helped them at some point in their lives? I know mine is (surprise, surprise) The Catcher in the Rye. Aside from studying it twice in high school, I remember reading this book several times from the ages of 13 (right about the time when I started in therapy) until now. It became almost like a checkpoint in my recovery, each time I read the book it was a reminder of how far I’d come since the last time I’d read it, and there was something about the way I will always be changing and growing as a person, yet Holden and the rest of the characters would always remain the same that was very comforting and reassuring to me.
I’d love to hear other peoples’ favorite books!
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Stopppp! Catcher in the Rye is one of my favorite books. It’s funny when we were reading it in high school everyone seemed to hate it but I was just like this kid totally gets it. It was such a cool feeling to have. My teacher actually bought me my own copy at the end of the year. Another book I know a few people and myself liked was It’s Kind of A Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. Great great book. Go check it out.
Catcher in the Rye is one of my favorite books too! I didn’t know anyone else who loved it nearly as much as I did…I am happy to know you both do too!
I loved It’s Kind of a Funny Story, but another book that hit me (specifically in High School) was Perks of Being a Wallflower. It was a very powerful book and I totally identified with the main character Charlie.
I will think more about this topic and get back to you on others I’ve found helpful for recovery.
Valerie, I also love both of those books! I saw the movies to both of them as well. In Perks of Being a Wallflower, I identified with Aunt Helen, even though it was only through the way Charlie described her.
And Sarah, I remember in high school most people hated the Catcher in the Rye as well, I was one of the very few who seemed to love it. I feel that’s how it is with most things that are truly great, be it novels, artwork, or otherwise, they tend to be controversial, frequently misunderstood, and either really hated or very loved with no in-between.
Another novel I read several times throughout my recovery is The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. It wasn’t really relatable to me or anything but it was a really good novel. I’d read it almost every time I was in the hospital, they always seemed to have a copy.
I def remember reading Catcher in the Rye in school and I really did not enjoy it. It wasn’t until I was able read it again on my own that I really got to understand it and appreciate it. It’s one of those books that really highlighted some feelings that I wasn’t comfortable with accepting and/or cared about speaking on because I was so caught up in everything else.
I really loved Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt and Of Mice & Men by John Steinbeck. I read both in school at two different points in my life. I always thought and dreamed about living forever until I read Tuck Everlasting. Once again, it put a lot of things into perspective and at that point I realized that there really are or can be, consequences that come with what seem like amazing opportunities. There’s always a result to our decisions and that book really opened my eyes to it. Of Mice & Men was one of my faves because it really helped me to become empathetic and understanding. At one point, I was extremely selfish in life and I honestly didn’t care for anyone or about anything. I know for sure I was spiraling but with the help of a bunch of diff ppl and giving diff things I try (like reading) I really got a grip of it all.
I’m currently reading the book Sharp by David Fitzpatrick. It’s a memoir about his life from childhood on past his college days experiencing depression and resulting into self-harm. He’s a local author from Guilford Connecticut and has appeared at many conferences in regards to mental illness.
I was at a training a couple of weeks back and I sat next to a woman who met the author and he signed her copy of the book. She decided to give me the book as a gift for the closing of our week long training. So I instantly started to read it and I hope to pass it along to others to read as well!
Have any of you read this memoir before? I am getting into it (I think I’m about 65-70 pages in) and at first I wasn’t too sure how I felt about the passages, but now I am getting more intrigued by the literature. It’s hard to critique memoirs in my opinion because it is someone’s life and real experiences.
Let me know what you think!
If you want to check out the book website click HERE
or here: http://www.davidfitzpatrickbooks.com/