What Makes Them So Special?

Author: Purvi Reddy 10A
I will take the liberty of calling myself a budding writer, one who is still learning the ropes of this profession. This article, however, was comparatively easy to write because of how relatable it is to me. As a student, whose opinions are constantly created and shattered, books have a special place in my heart as a friend and a teacher.

The power of books is bewildering, is it not? Their strangely intimate voice rings in our head as our conscience and sensibility battle to comprehend the world unfolding before

us. Forcing a reader to make sense of it all, to try and wear the shoes of an alien character, to cope with their precarious plots and biased narrators. Though their most bewildering power is that they force the readers to make that journey, compel them to test the uncharted waters and lay trust in the characters they have just met. Some readers come out triumphant having reached conclusions that appeal to their conscience, while others are left furious at the author, or worse - unsatisfied.

Whatever be the case and however gentle a novel may be, it is inevitably a battle and no reader conquers it unscathed. For better or for worse, what we read shapes and moulds how we view the world around us, how we navigate it. The following is an account of such battles, fought by a range of readers over a host of books.
 
“The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart is an extraordinary book about a character called Mark who has cancer and hates it. Yet, it won't stop him from conquering the mountains. His life goal is climbing a mountain that is overrun with snow. But cancer patients can't do that, and Mark knows it. So his solution is to run away from home to die trying to reach his dreams, climbing the mountains.

This book has influenced my life a lot and left me with mixed emotions. It makes me feel lucky to be alive and to be free of sickness. It makes me feel sad that people have to live like this. Mark's problems were a lot worse than mine. I understood that worse things can happen, and not to complain about minute things like school or homework. When I read this story, I see how characters that experience death and pain only yearn for a normal life. The characters were so realistic, that I oftentimes lived their problems through the pages. This book helped me understand the problems and hardships people go through, to stop whining, and just move on.” -Spurthi Challa 8B

“I owe to books the feelings and thoughts I have today about my life and how to live it. Books like Numbers by Rachel Ward, and The Fault in our Stars by John Green left me in thought for hours, maybe even days. These books, in their own ways, teach readers about the true gift of life.
At some point in time, it is a human tendency to long to know what the future holds, for them as well as for others. Numbers taught me that however advantageous it may seem to be to know about the future, it causes unthinkable destruction along the way; that it is not the way nature intended things to be. The Fault in our Stars taught me to live each day as if it were the last; to love, live, and laugh for as long as you can.

These, and countless others, including, This is not your Story by Savi Sharma, left a permanent impression on my mind and heart, telling me that life, in the end, is worth it; but most of all, they helped contribute to my love for reading, strengthening my opinion that books are truly the best way of communicating those ideas that need to be shared, and that books are undoubtedly amazing.” - Aradhya Malladi 9A

“The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy is both brilliant and terrifying in equal measures. The genius of the author shines through her words as she breathes life into her characters and their universe. It is a novel that addresses love and all that it entails through a hauntingly raw story of a pair of peculiar twins in a very real and twisted world. It lays bare how our societies have, over time, laid laws on who to, how to, and how much to love – and it never fails to make me question exactly how restrained I am while I navigate my world and its impossible social norms. However unbiased one may consider themselves, everyone is imprinted by the social interaction they perceive growing up. So did I decide for myself how much I love? Why do I love some more than the others? And are those choices really mine?” – Purvi Reddy 10A

“All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is a groundbreakingly gorgeous book that I stumbled upon rather by accident. Set in the heart-breaking times of World War 2, it spans the lives of a blind girl called Marie-Laure and a boy called Werner, children who live on opposite sides of the war. When I finished the book, nearly on the verge of tears, the single biggest thought I was left with was to appreciate every moment that comes and goes, to realize that to be awake to these moments is to live your life the best you could. The book was staggering, cruelly beautiful, and the read of a lifetime, and I’d like to think that reading it has left me with a glorious amazement at the universe and all things between.” – Mahathi Katamuri 11A

Words are incredibly powerful, and books are just words bound by spines. Each one has a different lesson in store for us and most book-worms will tell you the most memorable part of any book is how deeply it made them feel. What made you the happiest? How much did you cry? How long did it take to get over it?  Well, we trust these accounts have persuaded you to dust the covers of old favourites or pick up one of the many books suggested here and bury your nose into their pages, delve into their plots and surrender to their power. Enjoy the ride!