Today, I thought I’d do a different sort of post: my top ten most influential books. This combines two of my favorite things: books and neat lists! With the exception of my top three, these are in no particular order. Let’s get started!
10. Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White: This was one of the first chapter books I remember reading by myself when I was younger, and it was one of the most humorous yet simultaneously heartbreaking books I have ever read. 
I think White dealt with the topic of death in a children’s book remarkably well, and the message is one that will stay with readers for the rest of their lives. I also really enjoyed The Trumpet of the Swan and Stuart Little by White, as well! He remains one of my favorite children’s authors.
“She was in a class by herself. It was not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.”
9. The Clique series by Lisi Harrison: This was one of the first series I remember being obsessed with when I was in middle school.
Looking back now, I realize that these books do tend to glamourize bullying and the “mean girl” trope seen so often in YA novels.
However, The Clique series was the first one that I eagerly anticipated the next installment, and I was mesmerized by this strange world where girls my age wore designer clothing and lived in huge mansions.
“Claire’s eyes widened when she saw the school she was expected to go to for the next ten months. The parking lot was filled with Mercedes, Jaguars, Lexus SUVs, BMW convertibles, and even a few limos.”
8. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: This one is a bit of a strange choice to put on this list, as it is simply a transcribed copy of Adichie’s speech of the same name. 
At only 48 pages, this book succinctly describes what feminism is for those who are still confused/angry at what the media tells you it is. Feminism does not mean “misandry” or anything of the sort; it is just the simple belief that a feminist is “a person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.” Adichie tackles why it’s called “feminism” and not “humanism”, why boys are praised for their sexual pursuits and women are shamed for them, among other issues. Obviously this book/speech doesn’t include every single issue that feminism deals with, but it is a good start if you’re unsure about feminism (or just want to read an amazing speech about it!)
“We teach girls shame. Close your legs. Cover yourself. We make them feel as though by being born female, they are already guilty of something. And so girls grow up to be women who cannot say they have desire. Who silence themselves. Who cannot say what they truly think. Who have turned pretense into an art form.”
7. We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver: This is one of the few books that I have ever read where, immediately after finishing it, I wanted to re-read it.
Eva is writing letters to her estranged husband, Franklin, about their son, Kevin. A few days before he turned sixteen, Kevin shot up his high school, killing seven of his classmates, a teacher, and a cafeteria worker. Obviously this book is dark and deals with a very disturbing issue, but it’s an issue that demands (and deserves) our attention. Shriver’s writing style is absolutely beautiful: in-depth descriptions mixed with crisp language. There are many, many reasons I could mention as to why this book is on my “most influential books” list, but the main one is that We Need to Talk about Kevin taught me that some books have horrendously awful characters that you can’t seem to bring yourself to like, but as long as the characters are believable, that’s completely fine. I ended up hating all of the people in this book, particularly Eva herself (if anything, you end up somewhat understanding Kevin’s mindset… not saying that you should agree with what he did, because it was atrocious, but you definitely get a firmer grasp as to what kind of environment he grew up in.) This is one of the most underrated books I have come across.
“Every time one of us raised the question of parenthood, I felt like a seven-year-old contemplating a Thumbellina that wets itself for Christmas.”
6. Carrie by Stephen King: A huge fan of Stephen King, this novel isn’t my favorite of his by a long shot. However, this is the first book I read by him,
and so it will forever be the most influential one because it jumpstarted my obsession of his work! This novel tells the tale of Carrie, a high school outsider, living with a religiously overbearing mother and telekinetic powers. This was probably the first true horror novel I had ever picked up, and I just loved being immersed in King’s unique writing style and messed-up plotlines.
“People don’t get better, they just get smarter. When you get smarter you don’t stop pulling the wings off flies, you just think of better reasons for doing it.”
5. Clay’s Quilt by Silas House: Set in the Appalachian-region of Kentucky (where I grew up!), Clay’s Quilt weaves the story of Clay 
Sizemore, who has been raised by his aunt Easter and uncle Paul after his mother is killed when he was four. I loved this book for so many reasons (the prose, the characters, the plot, the setting), but primarily because it was the first book I had read that was set in Kentucky, accurately showed both the good and bad aspects of living in a religious area, all without making fun of the region/religion or glamourizing it. House had a similar upbringing to mine, so I definitely saw similarities as I read the novel. House remains one of my favorite authors, and I look forward to whatever he publishes next!
“Clay never had felt really close to God inside the church, not the way he did when he could see the creek running over the rocks and the mist coming down off the mountain.”
4. From the Files of Madison Finn series by Laura Dower:
I originally read this series when I was in fifth grade, and it was the first one I remember reading that I was obsessed with. It just told the story of a seventh-grader named Madison who writes journal entries on her laptop (which I just thought was so mature at the time.) I don’t know what made me fall in love with these books, but I’m so glad I read them. A little embarrassing, but oh well!
“But now that they were both in seventh grade, something had changed. Hart had changed. This year, he was totally crushable.” [Sigh… gotta love middle-school angst.]
3. Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff:
I also read this when I was in fifth grade, and I truly believe that this was the book that started by literal obsession with books. I was transfixed by this story of an orphaned twelve-year-old girl, detailing her experiences in the foster care system. It was surprisingly heartbreaking and profound, considering this is a middle-grade novel.
“Anyway, the picture I was trying for was Steven playing checkers with me that first day. That was the picture I could never get perfect… Maybe it was because for the first time I really saw what it might be like to have a brother.”
2. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling:
This is an obvious one; I feel like everyone and their mother is obsessed with this series, so I’ll try to keep this one somewhat brief. I just loved how Rowling beautifully told the story of an orphaned wizard going on magical adventures with his friends, attending a school of magic (which I was insanely jealous of), and fighting the bad guys. At the same time, this series is so much more than a simple adventure saga; it deals with pretty heavy topics, as well. Harry goes through extensive development throughout the series, which is rarely seen in YA. I love how you can read this for the first time when you’re twelve and love the action while simultaneously learning important lessons in friendship and courage and the coexistence of good and evil, then read it again when you’re in your twenties and be able to see parallels between what goes on in Harry’s world and in our society. It’s my favorite series of all time.
“It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow up to be.”
1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee:
If you know me at all or have read any of my previous posts, you know that I am obsessed with this novel. It’s a haunting story of good and evil, racism, real courage, loss of innocence, and childhood, all wrapped up into a mere three hundred pages or so. This remains my favorite book of all time, and I don’t believe that will ever change.
“Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and it made me sad.”
We are finally at the end of this incredibly long post! I hope you all enjoyed my ramblings about some of my most influential books!
Until next time,
Bridgit♥
outofthebooks89 