7 Most Life-Changing Books That You Need to Read

Has anyone ever requested you to read books to change your life? I would go as far as to say reading is one of the synonyms of individual growth.

I started reading books, both fiction and non-fiction, sincerely only in the last five years. But during this time, I read some books that shifted the course of my life. They exposed me to unbelievable facts. They laid open the science I didn’t know exist. They told me stories I could never imagine. They made me cry like I hadn’t before. They made me laugh as if I had nothing to worry about. They accompanied me when I was lonely. They told me life can be lived in many ways. They reassured me it was okay to be who I was. But that I could learn, too.

As I grew older, I found my people, gained self-confidence, and didn't need that literary solace as much anymore. But they never lost their magic. I'm still a firm believer in the power of the page. These wonderful life-changing books will make you one too.

1. Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl

“We who lived in attention camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s way.”

When I picked up Man’s Search for Meaning — a remarkable journey of an Auschwitz concentration camp survivor — the author Victor himself, life took another sense.

I had been asking some hard and in-depth questions about life. Why are we here, what is space, why do we live on, why do we do the same things every day?

When I read this book I was confirmed humans don’t have a grand reason to live or go on despite their grief. The author was a bit too familiar with suffering; he had been in the Auschwitz concentration camp for many years. His wife died in the women’s camp. Victor’s father, mother, and brother were also captured and killed. He lost everything. But he didn’t lose hope.

2. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

[On every list of best books to read in life.]

“We all live intending to be happy; our lives are all different and yet the same.”

“In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.”

“Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but character and goodness. People are just people, and all people have faults and shortcomings, but all of us are born with basic goodness.”

“Those who have courage and faith shall never perish in misery.”

Perhaps I shouldn’t include another book on the holocaust. But the diary of Anne Frank, a 13-year-old girl who was in hiding in German-occupied Amsterdam and was later sent to the Auschwitz death camp where she died, is a book of hope, and one of the best books for life.

When I stayed in Amsterdam in July 2015, I went to see Anne Frank’s museum. It was the building where she had written her diary while hiding. But by the time I arrived, the gallery was closed. I stared at the building from the road, thought about Anne, and went onto one of the busiest streets to eat the famous Dutch potato wedges. But as years have passed, I have started to appreciate young Anne Frank’s words more and more.

This heartbreaking diary of a young girl who seems too mature for her age is served with the positive ideas of love, freedom of opinion, and goodness. Even if we can’t go out or meet our friends or live in plunging conditions not knowing when death might strike at our door, we can still be present, enjoy the beauty around us at this point, and live on.

“As long as this exists, this sunshine and this bright sky, and as long as I can enjoy it, how can I be sad?”

“There’s only one rule you must remember: laugh at everything and forget everybody else! It states egotistical, but it’s the only cure for those mourning from self-pity.”

Embrace your true self.

3. MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN, by Ransom Riggs

One of our favorite things about YA is the message that this masterpiece sends home—embrace what makes you peculiar. Told through the fantastical lens of children with superpowers, the book is completely dropped in Ransom’s ability to make us feel a little more pleased with who we are, quirks and all. Never apologize for the things that make you different. Someday they may just help you save the world. A creepy island. A deserted orphanage. A strange collection of curious shots. A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob trolls its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been scary. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

Never give up, never keep quiet.

4. THE HATE U GIVE, by Angie Thomas

It’s safe to say that this book surprised our world. It has been one of the most powerful forces of good in the upside-down year of 2017, and we’ve reread it more than a couple of times. Starr reminds us just how important it is to use our voice and speak up against mistreatment. She reminds us that things are difficult, but fighting for the best is never a lost cause. And thanks to Angie Thomas, we have this incredible book to keep coming back to. Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter shifts between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr notices the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a criminal, maybe even a drug agent and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her society. It could also threaten her life.

Having hope can be the strongest thing of all.

5. THE HUNGER GAMES, by Suzanne Collins

For a whole generation of readers, this was the book that got them into YA. The survival-turned-revolution story motivated a genre revival, a new wave of devotion and motivation, and, above all, hope. It’s a villain’s strategy at first, flashing a bit of hope to rule with, but it’s that very hope that wins out over brutality in the end. Hope for a better life, hope for a better future, and hope for a better world. We know that we can all use some more hope now and then, and this book reminds us just how important that perspective is.

The nation of Panem, formed from a post-apocalyptic North America, is a country that consists of a rich Capitol region surrounded by 12 poorer districts. Early in its history, a revolution resulted in its destruction and the creation of an annual televised event known as the Hunger Games. In punishment, and as a reminder of the power and grace of the Capitol, each district must yield one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 through a lottery system to participate in the games. The ‘tributes’ are chosen during the annual Reaping and are forced to fight to the death, leaving only one survivor to claim victory.

When 16-year-old Katniss’s young sister, Prim, is selected as District 12’s female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male partner Peeta, are pitted against bigger, stronger representatives, some of whom have trained for this their whole lives. , she sees it as the death penalty. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature.

6. 1984 by George Orwell

The fact that George Orwell chose to write 1984 in 1949 when English literature was confined to honoring the nostalgia of a glorious past or present-day challenges shows his vision and conviction. The book was a path-breaking achievement in the dystopian genre as we know it today. Written in the aftermath of the Second World War and the Holocaust, it incorporates all the strands to create a ethical fabric of society’s democratic principles. Orwell’s depiction introduced a very significant lesson – totalitarian and/or authoritarian regimes, once established in a place, never vanish in practicality. The protagonists Winston and Julia remind the readers how the absence of democracy can break our love and humanity into fragments. It also sheds light on the fact that circumstances shape societies and their individuals while urging us to not accept beliefs and dogmas unquestioningly.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

This parable about following your dreams no matter what obstacles get in your way will get your brain churning. Buy a copy so you can reread it whenever you need its message the most. The Alchemist is a fantastic book and the storytelling is beautiful. The choice of words is impeccable, full of wisdom and philosophy. I totally loved it. The story is very enchanting and bursts with optimism which I think is very important in our lives.

“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.”Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“If someone isn’t what others want them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.”Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“Love is not to be found in someone else but in ourselves; we simply awaken it. But in order to do that, we need the other person.”Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

“One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.” Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist