Genevieve's Virtual Bookshelf

Five books that have shaped me as a person:

1. The Odd Thomas Series by Dean Koontz:

My mom suggested I read these books and I am so grateful that she did. The protagonist, Odd Thomas, illustrated the type of person that I aspire to be like. He is kind, compassionate, and always willing to do what is right even though it put himself in danger. He taught me a lot about what it means to be a good person and that personal connections is the most important thing in life. Odd Thomas is and most likely will always be my favorite protagonist, the adventures that I was able to go on with him have stayed with me long after I finished the series. 

"Life , Stormy says, is not about how fast you run or even with what degree of grace. It's about perseverance, about staying on your feet and slogging forward no matter what." 

2. One Door Away From Heaven by Dean Koontz:

This is another book that has helped shape me as a person by Dean Koontz, my favorite author. I read this book the summer before starting the fall semester here at UF. Once I picked it up I could not stop reading it and I finished it in a couple of days. This book highlighted having strength in adversity as the three protagonists have to overcome their own hardships in order to help each other. The idea that nothing in life is by accident or coincidence still lingers with me still after reading this particular novel. How each individual person is one piece in the mosaic that we call life, and I can always find comfort in that concept. I have always loved reading Dean Koontz because in every story that I have read by him, Good always triumphs evil. This is a reoccurring theme in most of his books and I always find a newfound sense of hope every time I read a book by him. 

"Even in the darkest moments, light exists if you have the faith to see it. Fear is a poison produced by the mind, and courage is the antidote stored always in the soul. In misfortune lies the seed of future triumph"

3. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy:

 I had to read this book for class my senior year of high school and it was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed and it gave me a different outlook on life. This book follows a family in living in India and the hardships they go through as their life is dictated by "love laws". This book taught me a lot about how small things can end up having a huge effect on your life later down the road and that everything I will do in life will have an effect on me one way or another. This book really opened my eyes to how lucky I am because I have the freedom to make my own decisions. There are other people in the world who do not have this freedom and everything from who they can love to other things such as what they can wear are dictated for them. A lot of what the characters went through in this novel paralleled with the Author's life. Often throughout the story she would insert her opinions on the ridiculousness of the way the Indian culture treated women and class separations. This contributes to the concept of why do authors write literature because this particular author chose to write to shed light on the conditions that people in this culture and lifestyle had to face. 

"Little events, ordinary things, smashed and reconstituted. Suddenly, they became the bleached bones of a story." 

4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte:

 This was another book that I had to read in high school that gave me a new outlook on myself. When reading the novel, at first I never understood why she left Mr. Rochester in the first place because I feel that I never would have. Now, though I understand her need for independence and to seek more for herself and not to just settle in life. She was treated unfairly her whole life, yet she still showed compassion to the people who did her wrong and that is something I hope to be able to do. It's hard to forgive people sometimes, but it is always better to forgive then to hold on to the past because it is an added weight on your shoulders. I respected Jane's character and her independence and she taught me what it means to be true to yourself and to find the courage to do things to better yourself.

"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will"

5. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

 This novel is unlike anything I have read before. I thought that writing it as a comic book was such an interesting and unique way to convey Satrapi's autobiography. Through the illustrations the reader is able to gain a different understanding of the storyline which I thought was really cool. This novel has given my a new perspective on the hardships some cultures face. Marjane goes through so much in her life from bomb threats to living away from her family at 14. This novel has also taught me how important it is to stay true to yourself and to your values. And even if you stray away from your values or do not act like you usually do, you can always find a way back to your true self.  Marjane's independence inspired me because I feel that I would not have been able to handle leaving my family at such a young age. She always stood up for herself and her culture even though she did not necessarily agree with every aspect of her culture. The author wrote this novel to tell her life story and how everything she went through made her into the person that she is today. 

"I finally understood what my grandmother meant. If I wasn't comfortable with myself, I would never be comfortable." 

Shannon's Virtual Bookshelf

BOOKS THAT SHAPED WHO I AM TODAY

1. 1984

I chose 1984 by George Orwell because it influenced the way that I view my past, present, and future. This text was published in 1949, and it was intended to foreshadow a possibility of what the future may hold for our country. Since we have long passed 1984, I realize that we are blessed as American citizens to live in a free country where we can enjoy the freedoms granted to us by the Constitution. Throughout my life, I have been reminded of the struggles that citizens of other nations have in order to be treated as equals and to be able to live a life where they are free from government constrictions.  Our current freedoms from government control allow us to live life as we please. We are able to choose our jobs, our spouses, whether or not we want to pursue education, and all other major life decisions. I have become more grateful and appreciative of the country that we live in as well as the life that we are able to choose to live. The theme of control presented in 1984 has a small representation to the oppression of slaves in Beloved. Their lives were controlled by their masters and they had no say in what they did.

2. A Farewell to Arms

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway impacted my life in the most positive way it could, although it is a tragic story of a soldier and his partner, Catherine. This past May, I lost my grandfather to cancer; he was the first close family member of mine to pass away. Our family knew that he had cancer, but he never told us that he only had a short time left. When he went into hospice care, we knew that he had little to no time, so we made the best of it. After he passed away, I knew our family gatherings would never be the same. After reading A Farewell to Arms, I realized that life is valuable, but also cyclical. We never truly know when any of our loved ones will pass away, but life continues regardless. Just as Frederic Henry lost Catherine and his still-born baby boy, we too can lose loved ones with no warning. I have learned to cherish the moments we have with the people we love while we can and to be able to accept such tragedies when they occur and grow from them. This story of acceptance relates to the theme found in The Moons of Jupiter when Janet has to learn to accept the ultimate fate of her father. She doesn't know whether her father will survive the surgery or not so she must prepare for the worst. She accepts the possible passing of her father in the surgery just as my family and I learned to accept the passing of my grandfather.

3. A Good Man is Hard to Find

This was probably my favorite class reading this year. I learned the most from this short story: that we must put our idea of what society believes we are aside and realize who we truly are. Even though I only recently read this, it has already began to impact how I develop myself as a person through college. As college students, we now live without the complete guidance of our parents and are able to grow as an individual. I am beginning to learn what I want to be in the future rather than what the most influential people in my life want me to be. In addition, I am becoming more involved in clubs and activities in college that I did not pursue in high school. I am learning to look into who I am as a person: who I identify as and what my interests are. I am no longer conforming to who people say I am and what people want me to be.

4. Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre taught me that, although I am a female, I am powerful enough to overcome gender stereotypes in society. In current society, women have become more equal to men however we still face daily inequalities, such as the right to choose our reproductive rights and our current salaries (compared to men's). Although men may be physically more powerful than women, women are just as intelligent and have the capability to hold the same job positions as men. In addition, it taught me that we have the ability to make the most of our lives. Jane Eyre was poor and therefore was not viewed as high in society. She dismissed this idea and pursued what made her happy. She remained honest with herself and her emotions, but did not allow them to negatively impact her life. Eyre communicated how she was feeling so that she did not miss out on something that could change her life for the better. She wisely states, "It is madness in all women to let a secret love kindle within them, which, if unreturned and unknown, must devour the life that feeds it". I have learned to always communicate what is bothering me in hopes that my life will be impacted positively. The power of the woman can also be seen in Persepolis. Marji, as a female in Iran, must break the stereotypes of the role of women in her society. She follows her own path and "wanted to be an educated, liberated woman. And if the pursuit of knowledge meant getting cancer, so be it". Marji, just like Jane, overcomes the stereotypes that are placed upon her in society and stays true to who she is.

5. The Old Man and the Sea

Even though life may give you challenges, perseverance and determination can help you overcome these challenges. I have been dancing since I was three-years old. When I started attending conventions, scholarships were handed out to a certain amount of dancers in a class of about two to three hundred. For the first four years of attending three conventions a year, I was never called back after the first round. I would always leave the convention in tears, thinking I was not a good enough dancer to be competing. Finally, in my fifth year of conventions, I was called back to the final rounds. My confidence was boosted and I was filled with happiness. Although I didn't win a scholarship that year, I knew that all the experience I had and all the hard work I put into the art that I love finally paid off. I persevered through multiple injuries and denial for many years, but it made me a stronger person and a better dancer. This can be paralleled to the theme discussed in Dickinson's Hope is the Thing with Feathers. We all go through hardships at some points in our lives, but hope and perseverance can help us to overcome these hardships.