Imani Lawrence is a senior at the University at Albany, double-majoring in Psychology and Sociology. This summer she has been interning with Scholastic Education. Below are the books that have had the greatest impact on her life.
Take it away, Imani!
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander-This was probably the most life-changing book that I have ever read. The New Jim Crow opened my eyes to a new era of “color-blindness” in America. Since racial oppression is now such a sensitive topic to talk about in America, I feel that this type of book is especially needed. It really helps to open up a dialogue about the injustices against minorities, and The New Jim Crow does that in such a powerful way. This book will definitely leave you thinking about the country we live in, and does a great job comparing it to the Jim Crow era of the past.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold-This bestseller is a story told from the perspective of a fourteen-year old girl who was murdered in the 1960s. This book was intriguing to me because I am fascinated by old-time serial killers, and we usually only hear from the side of the murderer. This book gives you the perspective of the victim as well as the victim’s family. Also, crime in the 1960s was handled differently than it is today, and it really makes me appreciate the improvements that the justice system has made throughout the years.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier-This book is a classic. It tells the love story between a rich man named Maxim and a working woman whose name is never revealed. They decide to marry after only knowing each other for a small amount of time. I first read this book when I was in high school and it has never fully left my mind. All of the spins and turns that it took me on as a reader kept me interested until the very end. From this book I learned that there is always more to someone’s story than you think.
The Iliad by Homer- The Iliad is one of my favorite books. It is the story of Odysseus’ return to his homeland (Troy) after facing tremendous obstacles to get there. There are so many life lessons in The Iliad that I have applied to my own life. There was one part in the book when a character lost someone very close to him; another character told him that whatever he was going through, he had to eat and sleep. It may sound like a weird thing to say after suffering a great loss, but it is a key to survival I’ve lived by ever since I read it.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - This is the story of a young orphan girl named Liesel who was forced to move in with a family for safety during the Holocaust. I fell in love with this book mainly because the characters in the book have the most beautiful hearts during such and ugly time in history. This book showed that it’s possible to overcome even the worst situations.
