Now in paperback, a delightful collection of essays on the transformative power of reading In The Book That Changed My Life, our most admired writers, doctors, professors, religious leaders, politicians, chefs, and CEO s share the books that mean the most to them. For Doris Kearns Goodwin it was Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August, which inspired her to enter a field, history writing, traditionally reserved for men. For Jacques Pépin it was The Myth of Sisyphus, which taught him the importance of personal responsibility, dignity, and goodness in the midst of existentialist France. A testament to the life-altering importance of literature, this book inspires us to return to old favorites and seek out new treasures. All proceeds go to The Read to Grow Foundation, which partners with urban hospitals to provide books and literacy information to newborns and their families.

“The 71 authors offer…happy hoorays and heartfelt blessings…”
—Boston Globe

”The Book That Changed My Life takes a refreshingly populist approach in this collection of 71 lively favorite-book essays... A welcoming and inspiring book about books that will engage teens curious about books and writers, or in need of an unthreatening invitation to experience the pleasures of books."
—Booklist

"What I love about Coady's The Book that Changed My Life is the way it captures a passion that has been muted by earthly concerns about money and competition and sell-through; like a lot of us, these authors clearly love books and its biz."
—Sara Nelson, Publishers Weekly

“[Coady and Johannassen] have compiled a wonderful cross section of contributors and a wildly diverse group of books. From the Bible (Sen. Joseph Lieberman) to To Kill a Mockingbird (author Wally Lamb), the contents of this book will encourage quick perusal, a checking of titles, or the generation of a must-read list.”
—STARRED Library Journal

“Bet you can’t read just one.”
—Hartford Courant

“After years of hosting authors and writers of every caliber, level of fame and expertise, Roxanne Coady has finally joined their ranks.”
—New Haven Register

"Editor Joy Johannessen and bookseller Roxanne Coady have gather together a star-studded roster of authors... [whose] passion for their books is downright contagious, making you want to rush to the shelves to pay homage to your own personal bests."
—Cookie Magazine

" [A] stunning collection of original essays."
—Pages

“A Connecticut bookseller and a New York publishing vet corral an impressive assemblage of noted writers to contribute brief essays on the one book that they will forever remember. Many of the pairings of writer and book are delightfully unexpected (Nelson DeMille on Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged!"). Of course, many classics appear among the favorites, but this anthology also contains many remarkable books that merit rediscovery, such as Sebastian Junger on Dee Brown's Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee."
—Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Roxanne J. Coady is the founder of R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, Connecticut, which hosts over two hundred author events each year, and won the Publishers Weekly Bookseller of the Year Award in 1995.
Joy Johannessen has been an editor/executive editor at Grove Press, Oxford University Press, HarperCollins, and Delphinium Books.

Imprint: Gotham
Distributor: Penguin Group USA, Inc
Publication Date: 10-18-2007
Pages: 224
Measurements: 7.92in X 5.36in X 0.61in X 0.43lb