As we grow up, the things around us grow with us. They help mold us into who we are today. No matter how negative or positive, each memory and experience plays an important role in forming who we are. Humans tend to gravitate towards things that reflect who we are. Things that inspire and interest us. When you are picking out a book in a store, what draws you to a specific title? What pulls you to a book out of many? In the younger stages of life, you read books that are related to your interests and emotions. Those interests and emotions change with every stage of your life and book you read.
Every book you have read reveals a piece of yourself and reflects who you are at the time it was read. Reflecting on books that you have read is a great example of how books portray who we are and how we got here. I have read many books in my 16 years of living, and each one of them reflects a part of me and reveals important parts of who I am today.
Malala Yousafzai was a young teenager in her home town when it was invaded by the Taliban. They removed many female rights. Instead of surrendering to their rule, Yousafzai gives us a detailed account of how she advocated for what she believed in and became an activist under extreme adversity. She speaks about how terrified she was for her life and the ones she loved. She describes the deafening silence of her once bustling hometown before it was brutally invaded. Throughout all the hardships, however, Malala stayed strong and stood up for what she believed in.
The autobiography I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai had a formative role in who I am today.
What really resonated with me when I read this book was how strong she was, even under Taliban rule and when she became a target of assassination. She maintained a fearless and confident attitude while she fought for women’s rights in Pakistan’s darkest times. She never wavered in her beliefs. Reading this book inspired me to not be afraid to speak out about things that matter to me, even when it’s scary. Since reading this book, I have learned to loudly advocate for topics I am passionate about. Malala inspired me to be brave and speak up for what I believe in. Reading this book left an impact on me and helped shape who I am today.
I struggle a lot with worrying about the future. It’s so hard to be present in a world focused on what comes next. We live in a society where predicting the future has become normal.
A book that helps me live more in the moment and shapes me into who I am today is The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.
The main character Hazel Grace Lancaster is diagnosed with cancer at the young age of 16. She learns throughout the book to make the most of the time she has left because everything comes to an end. She starts to truly live in the moment when she forms a relationship with a boy named Augustus Waters, another cancer patient. They meet in a support group, and her life is changed forever. At the end of the book, Augustus passes away due to his sickness.
This heart wrenching book taught me the importance of spending time and valuing the people we love. I thought about how we can only control so much. Therefore, making the most of the good things in life matters so much more. The saying “all good things must come to an end” really resonates with me. While all good things come to an end, so do all bad things.
Making the most of the good things in life is so important, and never taking any experience for granted. After reading this book, I especially value every moment. It played a formative role in my perspective of life and how I now look at situations.
A book about a criminal psychologist trying to figure out why a woman murdered her whole family with no clear reason . . . The catch is that the woman has only painted since the incident. She has spoken no words. Criminal psychologist Theo Faber is determined to figure out why and how she did it.
This is the fascinating plot of The Silent Patient written by Alex Michaelides.
This book resonates with me because I want to work in psychology, and this book is one of the first things that inspired my interest in the human brain. Understanding why is so important and fascinating to me. This book is so obscure and nothing like any book I have ever read before. It furthered my love for psychology and is one of the most captivating books I have ever experienced. Therefore The Silent Patient had a formative role in who I am today.
I struggled with confidence a lot when I was younger. It took me years to be proud of myself and not worry about what other people think. Comparing yourself to others is so easy, especially as a teenage girl, so this book represents the struggles that I along with many other people face.
Everybody and Her written by Judy Blume is a book that I created to portray these struggles.
This story tells the tale of a young girl who was bullied when she was younger and lost sight of who she was while she was trying to fit in with everyone else. As she gets older, she learns to be confident in herself. I made this my imaginary book because I would have benefited a lot from reading a book like this when I was younger.
From reflecting on the books I enjoy and why, I learned how closely my personality and beliefs are tied to the books I have read. This is important because it helped me understand why I am who I am. Personal reflection has taught me so much about myself, and I am interested to look back at what I am reading now and reflect. This has been such an interesting process, and I had so much fun reflecting on my personal growth through books.
