Books To Change Your Perspective On Life

Books have been a great distraction from the chaos of 2020. Between online classes and binge-watching Netflix shows, we could all use a break from our screens. There have been many books that have come out that change perspectives on life and many of them aren't in the mainstream media. 

Here is the list of books that will change your perspective on life:

1. The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner tells the story of a wealthy young boy, Amir, and his father living in 1970’s Afghanistan. It follows the story of the father and son and their relationship with their servant and his son. When Russia moves in and war starts in Kabul, Amir and his father flee to the US and their lives change drastically.

It really shows a side of the Middle East that many Americans don't think about. We often see a war-torn Afghanistan, not the beautiful culture and old cities that also reside there. It’s a deep book about love and loss, in both family and lifestyle.

2. Turtles All the Way Down

Turtles All the Way Down explores relationships while handling mental health issues. Aza Holmes reunites with an old friend when his father goes missing and there’s prize money to find information that her best friend is interested in. Aza gets close to the wealthy Davis and has to handle her OCD while trying to get closer to him.

Author John Green does a fantastic job of exploring the mind of someone living with OCD, so much so that he never actually names her mental illness. You see the world through Aza’s eyes and really get a sense of her day-to-day struggles. 

3. The Help

Many probably remember the movie and its iconic cast but The Help is a fantastic book for so many reasons. It explores the lives of rich white women and black domestic housemaids. One of the white women returns from college feeling the desire to hear the lives of the maids.

It goes into detail about the mindset of the housemaids and the way the main character Skeeter has to interact differently with the maids and her white friends. It’s truly an eye-opening book about 1960’s segregation in the US.

4. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The brilliant prequel to The Hunger Games Trilogy, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes tells the story of President Snow as a teenager and his ascent to the president of Panem. It starts with the 10th Hunger Games, a battle to the death that just takes place in a sports arena; no special environments, little technology, few cameras, and only two microphones in the arena.

President Snow becomes more human- the side of a villain many novels and movies don't show you. You understand why he thinks the way he does, why he acts a certain way. It really expands The Hunger Games Trilogy in a completely new way. 

5. Fatal Throne

Everyone knows of Henry VIII and his wives, but not everyone gets to hear about what they went through. Fatal Throne gives you all seven stories, going back and forth between the point of view of his wives and his own thoughts on them.

It really makes you feel for these women and what they suffered through. They always say history is written by the winners and in many cases, it would seem to be the king, as we often study him more than his wives in school. This book lets you know all the women were in no way villains. 

6. The Great Gatsby

A novel often considered an American classic, The Great Gatsby sees the rich from the eyes of the poor. This book follows Nick Carraway as he lives next door to the rich and elusive Jay Gatsby.  This book broke the barrier of perfection many often assume comes with wealth.

Gatsby creates a fake name, a fake life, all to set him apart from his poor childhood. He can even get the woman he loves to be his. This book kills the idea of wealth and perfection, while also stomping out the idea of “the American Dream”. 

7. Dark Eden

Dark Eden, written by Chris Beckett, shows what happens to humans without humanity. On the planet of Eden, a village of humans live in constant darkness. Many years ago, a group of humans came from Earth and crash-landed on Eden. Two stayed behind while the others tried to return to earth for help. When they don’t return, they decide to have children.

Without the usual societies of earth, they have very little structure to life, often having children with whoever and praises the last two from Earth as their god. They believe one day they’ll be saved when the humans return to bring them back to Earth. This book captures just how powerful hope can be even when the world seems dark. 

8. The Last Lecture

Written by a college professor as he dies of cancer, The Last Lecture is in no way about cancer. Carnegie Mellon sciences professor Randy Pausch tells his life story in the most uplifting perspective he can. After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he decides to write his life story and put the last of his life force into saying just how great life can be.

He explains how he reached all his goals, he wanted to finish his bucket life, and how he wanted this book to be a gift to his children and wife. It’ll make you laugh and cry, but you’ll get to see how life can be lived to the fullest, even if there’s not a lot of time left. \9. Little Women

This isn’t the type of fast-paced, adventure novel, but Little Women is a story for the ages. Set in Civil War-era America, four young sisters battle hardships and love as they transition from girlhood into womanhood.

No matter what age or how many siblings you have, everyone can relate to something in this book. It tells about family, love, friendship, and loss. The relationship the sisters have is relatable to anyone with sister-siblings relationships never change. 

10. Night

The Night is a hard read but a very necessary one. Elie Wiesel was a child when he was taken by the Germans to the infamous Auschwitz. The book is a recollection of the horrors of the Holocaust and the hope of the Jewish people. Typically, World War II is seen from the eyes of the soldiers and the countries who fought, but this gives you an insider view of the horrors of genocide. 

There are a million and one amazing book out there. These books are well worth the read. If you've ever taken any English class ever, you've definitely had a teacher go way too in-depth about story analysis but maybe that was a good thing. Maybe that even changed your perspective.