Here at The Verge, we try to help our readers by offering news, reviews, and analyses about tech and its relationship to how we live. But one of the things that can most affect our lives is books. Whether they’re fiction or factual, whether they’re fun or philosophical, whether they offer a story or a recipe, books can impact us in a variety of different — and important — ways.
We asked the staff about a book they’d read that impacted their life or outlook in some significant way. Interestingly, several of the books were read when they were young, and two were cookbooks. What follows are the books that they chose, along with an explanation of what made it important.
(For each entry below, we offer links to where you can purchase a paperback, a hard cover, or an ebook version. However, if your book budget is limited, libraries are great places to go. There are also apps that let you check out ebooks remotely, such as Libby, and there is a Chrome extension called Library that will tell you if a book is available in your local library whenever you visit a bookseller website.) —Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor
As a young boy, I read this series of graphic novels and marveled at a core concept that defined the elven wolfriders’ way of life: many elves lived in “the now,” never worrying too much about the future, simply living in the moment, until or unless that entire way of life came under threat. I won’t say that I don’t worry — particularly as democracy faces potential collapse — but I learned early on not to fear the inevitability of death, or anything else truly out of my control, and to enjoy what’s right in front of me. It’s a way of thought that’s served me well for decades on end. —Sean Hollister, senior editor
I consider myself privileged to have grown up while Bill Watterson was making Calvin and Hobbes and have fond memories of digging through the newspaper every day to find his latest comic. It’s one of the rare things I’ve experienced in my life that I consider perfect from beginning to end, and while I can distinctly remember the feeling of devastation after reading what I later learned was the last Calvin and Hobbes comic on December 31st, 1995, reading The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book gave me some much-needed solace and more respect for Watterson and his dedication to his craft.
The book is like a highlight reel of the strip’s 10-year run but includes rare commentary from the reclusive artist and insights into his creative process. What stuck with me most are the stories about Watterson’s battle against licensing his characters and his unwavering devotion to maintaining the integrity of his work. As much as I loved Calvin and Hobbes as a kid, this book made me appreciate it even more as an adult, and to this day, it’s a wonderful reminder that it’s okay to create something just for the sake of creating something. You don’t need to immediately turn around and milk it for every penny it’s worth. —Andrew Liszewski, senior reporter
If I was going to make this blurb about me, then I’d say that A Tale for the Time Being had a profound impact on me. Ruth Ozeki weaves a devastating yet uplifting tale that stretches across seas and through time, illustrating how we’re all connected in unexpected ways. But I want to make this about our 16-month-old son. I’ve been nourished recently by watching him take to reading, and no other book holds his attention as well as Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Sure, he can’t read the words yet, but he can rotate it to be oriented correctly, touch the images, make noises of approval, and glance with intense concentration before turning each page. He’s got the act down.
He looks at me while I read as if I’m speaking from a holy text. He doesn’t know that “skit skat doodle doot, flip flop flee” aren’t words to live by — perhaps they are, actually. I love reading this book to him. It can lift him (and me) from a bad mood, and it can never be read too many times in one day. I think my memory will prioritize remembering the first book that he can read aloud, but I don’t want to forget the first book that changed his little life. —Cameron Faulkner, commerce editor
When I was about eight years old, I took Little Women out of the library. It was my entryway into a lifelong fandom of 19th-century literature and toward a resolution to become a writer just like Jo March. I also learned how to stand up for myself, not only by reading about Jo’s determination to be her own person, but because of what happened when I tried to buy my own copy through the Scholastic Books program in my school. The copy I got turned out to be an abridged version — and I was absolutely appalled. My mother suggested that I ask the teacher to return the book and include a letter telling the company why. I wrote a highly indignant screed (which unfortunately I have no copy of) about how evil it was to cut down such a wonderful novel and how insulting it was to assume a modern child couldn’t understand the original. It was my first (but not last) act of rebellion.
(Note: because the book is well out of copyright, there are loads of published versions available; I’d recommend looking for one that is illustrated.) —Barbara Krasnoff, reviews editor
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