World Book Day: Books that Changed Our Lives

 by Carol Webb

Thank you to the staff and Year 13 pupils who answered the question: Can you name a book that has had an impact on your life and tell us why? It makes for a fascinating display in the Main Library and the Memorial Library in celebration of World Book Day.  The explanations are intriguing readers and personally I have already read two of the books as a result, and a third is on my tbr list!

Ms Hart

 Silas Marner by George Eliot 

This is the book that made me decide to study English Literature at university. My teacher, Mr Pike, was so enthused when he taught this classic to my class, and his enthusiasm made me realise that a novel was more than a novel. They are social, historical, political, theological documents that can teach us more about the world than any other resource. Plus, it is a beautiful story about the power of community and childish wonder. Thank you to Mr Pike and George Eliot for changing the course of my life. 

 Mrs. Morgan

 How Not to Die by Dr Michael Greger

Completely transformed my understanding of nutrition and helped me to understand the incredible benefits of a plant-based diet. It’s a game changer!

Mr. MacFarlane

The Golden Ratio by Mario Livio 

I’m going to be proper nerdy on this one. I read The Golden Ratio by Mario Livio in my late teens and it was the first popular science book I had read. It had an impact because it unlocked the knowledge that maths isn’t just about numbers, but has mystery, creativity, and beauty. It even inspired me to have a tattoo of the symbol that represents it.

 Miss Burton

 A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement by David Attenborough

I’m currently reading David Attenborough’s “A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement” – it is truly the most nightmarish and terrifying book that I have ever read. It has really made me think about the destruction to the environment in a different way given that it has largely taken place within one lifetime. What is particularly effective is that the start of each chapter begins with average CO2 concentration, population size, and remaining wilderness. It’s almost like you’re reading it waiting for the sudden realisation and action for change which, as we know, has been slow and overdue.

 Mrs. Casillas-Cross:

 5 People you Meet in Heaven by Mitch Alborn

 This book allowed me to see how we affect each other and that even the smallest of interactions have an effect and therefore it matters how we communicate with others as kindness can come in many forms.

 Mr. Frampton

Fighting Proud: The Untold Story of the Gay Men Who Served in Two World Wars by Stephen Bourne

 The first explicitly ‘gay history’ book that I ever read and a window into a hidden past. It’s also serves as a timely reminder that whilst there have always been gay people in the military, it has only been legal since 2000.

 Mrs. Haslam

 Effi Briest by Theodore Fontane

My book is “Effi Briest” which I read at university.  It’s the only book I’ve ever read that has made me cry because of the huge impact one little mistake made on Effi’s whole life.  It had an impact on my life because it’s in German and it made such an emotional impact on me, that’s when I realised I was finally fluent! 😊

 Mrs. Gozalbez-Guerola

Talking Heads by Alan Bennett 

 Hilariously soul destroying 🤣🤣

 Dr Richmond

 Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

 When I was 8 years old I developed a really bad chest infection and was off school for 2 weeks.  I was really bored and had to stay in bed.  My Dad handed me a copy of ‘Great Expectations’ and I read it from cover to cover; the book transported into my imagination and I knew that I was going to love reading for the rest of my life.

 Mrs Sanders Watson

 A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

 I read it over 20 years ago and it has just stayed with me.  A story of love, searching, and family mixed up with a girl finding her own identity. I love reading books set in India especially those with a religious cultural theme.

 Mr Fairman

 Everything Belongs by Richard Bohr  and Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

 These two completely changed my spiritual life and my prism for viewing the world.

 Mrs. Wilson-Smith

 The Naked Years: a Young girl’s experience in Nazi Germany by Marianne MacKinnon.

 She came to my school in Edinburgh , I think I was about 13. I bought her book and she signed it for me. She looked like my granny and was so brave and clever – I could hardly believe what she had gone through and still be full of forgiveness and compassion with a huge zest for life. An excellent storyteller and believer in luck, she made us all laugh about quite dark experiences she had lived through. Her visit affected me and, I think, it was probably the first time I realised the importance of perspective.

 Ms Burns

 A Child's Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan

 It was the first book I read independently as a child which made me think about human nature and the nature of good and evil.

 

  Anjali Arackal (Year 12)

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

 An unlikely correspondence between two rival agents of a war through time grows from a taunt into something more.  I loved this book because of the incredible prose of the letters and the development of both characters.  The metaphors manage to be stunning without straying into long-winded rambling, and the plot twist was gorgeously done.  The open ending was bittersweet but hopeful and I could quote this novella endlessly; it's my absolute favourite literary work. Both protagonists use she/her pronouns. 

Harvey Hill (Year 13)

Territory of Light by Yuko Tsushima

This book made me realise that life might not always be brilliant and ideal, but that you've got to appreciate the little things in life. Little moments of joy are always there, you just have to shift your outlook on life to see them. 

Anonymous (Year 13)

 In Search of Memory by Eric Kandel

 This book shows me how a scientist works and how he is inspired by many things.  It also includes some neuroscience knowledge. Moreover, it teaches me how to do scientific research.  Very suitable for people who are curious about science and scientists.

 Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard Feynman

 This book shows me a very interesting and different way to appreciate the world and science, which is driven by curiosity.  Very suitable for scientists and people who are looking for inspirations.