The Soul-Wrenching Books We Keep on Loving

Think about the most recent book you read that impacted you, seriously impacted you. Did it bring you to tears or keep you up late at night thinking about the outcome of the final chapter? Were you in a state of limbo after finishing the last page, wondering what to do next? What happened to the protagonist? Where did your favorite characters end up? How will you EVER sleep again without knowing?!

Have you ever walked out of a movie theater, directly into the sunlight, only to have your eyes squint tightly and refuse to accept the brightness of the real world? That’s sort of what it feels like to try to gain your footing immediately after emerging from a book that moves you. I mean, what do you do after turning that last page, closing the book, and realizing the world is exactly as you left it before you started reading?

It’s not like you can simply put the book down, pull through the McDonald’s drive-thru, and order a McDouble. That seems pretty insignificant in comparison to the life-altering insights you’ve just gained. Plus, McDonald’s is messy, and who wants to drive around being all enlightened with a giant glob of ketchup on their shirt?

The Books That Change Us Change the World

It’s books like that — the ones that make us pause and think and feel — that change us. And in turn, we get to…