Ask Petal: What are the most life-changing books you’ve read?

 

Welcome to our gentle advice column. If you'd like to submit a question, please send us a message on Instagram and we'll be sure to keep your name anonymous. We're here for you!✨

Question: What are the most life-changing books you’ve read?

There’s no denying that books change the way we look at the world. And while we’d argue that every book we read changes our lives in one way or another, if we had to pick, there’s definitely one or two that stand out among the rest. From graphic memoirs to fiction, here’s a peek at the most life-changing and inspirational books our Page Petal team has read -- and re-read. 

Life-changing, inspiring books for your must-read list

Gloria, Founder: Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge

I read Captivating in my early teen years and was never the same. The message of Captivating is this: Your heart matters more than anything else in all creation. The desires you have to live a life of adventure, to be swept away in a romance, to be the heroine in your story, are all completely normal and acceptable desires. Have an open mind and give it a read! 

Buy the book: here. 

Courtney, Operations Manager: The Bible

The Bible is unlike any other book. It speaks truth through stories and provides meaning to life. Out of the 66 books in the Bible, my favorite is the story of Ruth. Give it a read!

Buy the book: here. 

Kendall, Page Petal Assistant: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

This novel by Anthony Doerr takes place during WWII and is an important reminder that each side has a story. Powerful perspectives come from the characters, including a Nazi boy and a blind French girl.

Buy the book: here. 

Marika, Blog Editor: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi 

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi impacted the way I look at the world before I even got to the first official page of the story. In the introduction, Satrapi writes, “I believe that an entire nation should not be judged by the wrongdoings of a few extremists.” Often I turn to those words as a reminder to “zoom in” and look at individuals as the unique humans they are, resisting the tendency to define someone by the group, workplace, or area they’re from. Plus, this graphic memoir made me love jean jackets and Kim Wilde even more than I already did :)

Buy the book: here. 

What’s the most life-changing book you’ve read? Let us know in the comments, so we can add them to our must-read books list!