5 Books That Changed My Perspective on Life

As a lover of literature, I’ve never really had a favorite genre, but if “books that make you feel different after you finish them" is a genre, that would be my favorite. From my relationships with others, myself, nature, and strangers, all of these books have made a major impact on my life.

1. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

A Fine Balance is a philosophical book told through the stories of four fictional people in India and their experiences with the caste system. The book gives a glimpse of Indian culture while simultaneously showing how difficult life can be for people who come from different socio-economic backgrounds and how they navigate these difficulties while fostering a found family with each other. This is my favorite book, and one of the main reasons I love it so much is that it offered me a new perspective on life after reading it.“If there was an abundance of misery in the world, there was also sufficient joy, yes - as long as one knew where to look for it.” This quote, and the book as a whole was something that came to me at a time I was struggling mentally. It allowed me to realize that through any hardship there will always be good moments, and you shouldn’t shy away from those moments or belittle them just because they are small. Every good moment is worth more than the little time you have with them.

2. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

The well-known book –originally thought to be a personal journal– by Marcus Aurelius in which we get a deep dive into his thoughts on life. The book goes through topics such as death, change, opinion, fame, interacting with others, living according to nature, and the shortness of life. It is one of the most important works of stoic philosophy, which both the philosophy and the book preach the importance of enduring hardship without complaint. Many of the quotes from his book have stayed with me because of how I resonated with them. Although other parts of the book seem repetitive or may have something disagreeable, I believe it is an important book for everyone to try to read because there is something in it for everyone. One such quote that I think of daily is this “Take full account of what excellencies you possess, and in gratitude remember how you would hanker after them, if you had them not.” This reminds me that no matter how envious I feel of others, there are so many things in myself to admire and it helps if I think of the qualities I have as separate from myself. To be good at cooking, to love reading, to have compassion. These are all good qualities, but when they become commonplace in ourselves we forget how great they are to embody.

3. The Glass Castle Jeannette Walls

Jeannette Walls, a writer from New York, wrote this book on her early life with her eccentric parents who lived lives similar to that of a vagabond. She shares the perspective she had during her time as a child and how she feels now that she has become an adult. In the book, she says “You can't always choose the path you walk in life, but you can always choose the manner in which you walk it.” which serves as a reminder that it’s best not to dwell on what is outside of your control because the only thing you can change is how you react to what has happened or is happening. It can be somewhat relatable to anyone who has had a different or tough childhood and offered me a way to rethink the experiences of my own childhood and the feelings I have about them today.

4. The Little Prince (Le petit prince) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

A Children’s book that adults can greatly appreciate, it gives a perspective on both adults as well as human nature as a whole. The little prince wanders from planet to planet, with each planet bringing a lesson that we the reader, and the prince learn together. It deals with themes of love, loss, loneliness, and friendship. The prince makes observations of the lives and responsibilities of adults that don’t seem to make sense to him which allows the reader to think about their own lives. One major part of the story is how adults lose the creativity they once had as a child. A quote that showcases this narrative is this “Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.” Adults often don’t understand things that children express, and forget the way they felt when they were a child. Things that seem simple or unimportant are merely because of a change in perspective that comes with growing up.

5. Omoiyari: The Japanese Art of Compassion by Erin Niimi Longhurst

As defined in the book, “Omoiyari is a form of selfless compassion – putting yourself in the shoes of others, and from their perspective anticipating their needs, acting in a way that might make them at ease, happy or comfortable.”It teaches you activities and practices in Japanese culture that can aid in bringing joy to you and all around you through things such as finding the beauty in the mundane, organization and reducing waste. There are various tips and lessons on how to incorporate new healthy habits in your life to create a more enjoyable life. One practice taught in the book is Kintsugi, which is the art of repairing broken ceramics using gold or silver-colored lacquer. Instead of hiding the flaws of the broken object, it highlights them and brings new life and beauty.