Since it’s the season of giving thanks for what you have, I thought I would round up a few books that have meant something special to me. These are the books that I return to over and over because they either feed my soul or teach me something about the world – because what’s more chic than enriching yourself and your mind? I’m thankful for books, my ability to enjoy them, and the way they smell. Always the way they smell.
Credit: Harpers Collin Publisher, Background: Rue La La
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Betty Smith
This, my friends, is one of the few books I’ve read that has made me cry. Like, ugly cry. I’m usually able to separate reality from the imaginary world of a novel, but this one squeezes my heart like nothing else has. Francie Nolan’s adolescence as a child of poor immigrant parents is one that I never experienced, but Smith’s writing makes you feel so empathetic that it hurts. I return to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn time and time again because it runs the gamut of so many emotions and is a wonderful book to show you your own capacity to feel for someone else.
Credit: Amazon; Background: Rue La La
Silent Spring
Rachel Carson
The subject matter of Silent Spring is by no means cheerful, it actually leans toward terrifying, but it’s one of the most important books of the 20th century. Published in 1962 – Carson’s final work before dying of cancer – the book deals primarily with the use of pesticides and their devastating effects on both people and the environment. The publication of Silent Spring had a deep and lasting effect on the environmental movement, leading to the the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the ban of the pesticide DDT in the United States (not to mention bolstering the reputations of female scientists everywhere). Thanksgiving is a time of harvest and enjoying good food grown from the earth, so I always think of this book and its tremendous impact.
Credit: Amazon; Background: Rue La La
My Life in France: Julia Child
Alex Prud’Homme
I grew up watching The Food Network and experiencing the rise of superstar chefs like Emeril Lagasse and Ina Garten, but there was nothing in the world like watching Julia Child truss a chicken or set crepes suzettes on fire. Julia brought French cuisine to the masses during a time when it was considered frivolous and unattainable to the average American. Written by Alex Prud’Homme in collaboration with his great-aunt Julia, My Life in France is a delightful biography blended with a memoir that documents Julia’s discovery of French cooking in post-war France. If you’re a Francophile, a cooking enthusiast, or just enjoy a good story, My Life in France covers all the bases (and will probably make you think that you too can be the next Escoffier).
Written by Emma Livfergren, Staff Writer
