There is no better celebration on Read a Book Day than getting lost in literature. Here are 7 classic books that change your life with well-worn tales.
They’re not just stories but alter your life!
While some are philosophical discourses or generic themes like life, love, or society, others broaden your horizon in ways that you would least expect.
So, without further ado let’s take a look at the 7 classic books that can alter one’s perception of self and universe.
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The 7 Classic Books That Change Your Life
1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is not only one of the best classic books everyone should read but also a social feature that highlights the latent biases of society.
The story is narrated by Scout Finch and involves legal matters including morality and justice and the factors responsible for growth such as the loss of childhood.
The trial of a Black man named Tom Robinson who suffers immense discrimination teaches us the value of empathy and doing the right thing when it is frowned upon. In this book, you learn the beauty of humanity and the very essence of fighting evil processes.
2. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (Underrated Classic)
If you haven’t already, this Read A Book Day, catch up with The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. This is one of the classic books that change your life and lead you into the questioning of one’s vanity and chasing pleasures devoid of morals.
Dorian Gray, a handsome young man sells his soul to the devil to keep to himself whilst his picture keeps blowing old with age, depicting all his wrongdoings.
This often ignored masterpiece of a book, touches on some painful aspects of how deep should one step in the pursuit of beauty and eternal youth and how far are the fates of accountability and glamour separated.
In the end, it is more of a warning about overindulging and how one ought to act morally even when all seems to favor the image rather than the reality.
3. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Upon the first reading, The Great Gatsby appears as a story filled with love and material indulgence set within the Jazz Age. However, it is a novel that probes, in quite a disturbing way, the concepts and values of the American Dream and the dreads of living in materialism.
This is one of the classic books to read as it explores Jay Gatsby’s yearning for Daisy Buchanan’s love and an ideal dream and explains that expectations for the desires of people very rarely touch upon the essence of those people.
4. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man should be included in the list of classic books everyone should read, as they strive to make sense of the intricacies of race, identity, and power in America.
The way the protagonist develops from a young man who had preconceptions to somebody who now feels like ‘an invisible man’ is quite moving. It engages on the issue of why minority groups tend to feel quiet and out of the picture which makes this a book that allows the reader to think about which side in social evils, he/she helps promote or eradicate.
5. ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Brontë
This is one of the classic books to read and Jane Eyre is popularly referred to as the pioneer of feminism. Orphaned Jane’s life offers themes about isolation, self-worth, and moral conviction. Within Jane exists a timeless role model that every woman will always look up to, she resembles an abused little girl who grows up to be a confident adult and decides whom to love and how.
This novel makes you think about what it is to be upright and how you can use your strengths even when everything seems against you.
6. ‘East of Eden’ by John Steinbeck (Underrated Classic)
John Steinbeck’s East of Eden is a sprawling tale of family relationships, the quest for identity, and dealing with good and evil in person and forces outside. Using the biblical account of Cain and Abel as a springboard, this novel goes further to the themes of choice, guilt, and redemption like no other.
Its transformative power stems from man’s nature and the moral paradoxes that East of Eden seeks to highlight. It is one of the underrated classic books that change your life and dares you to embrace some of your more powerful and dark elements while figuring out how you can transcend them.
7. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
The work of Zora Neale Hurston in Their Eyes Were Watching God, is an incredible narrative of a woman growing up self-centered and ashamed of herself.
As the title suggests, this novel is about a woman whose chronicles are lacking in the traditional sense and rich in the melodrama of self-empowerment. In other words, the reader of this book can take the idea of self-efficacy in social settings very seriously.
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Reading classic literature is a transformative experience. In these 7 books exist ideas that transcend time and space, and will change your attitude on many essential aspects of life – love, society, etc. So, this Read a Book Day, pick one amazing classic and see where it leads you.
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