“The Year of Magical Thinking” by Joan Didion. Reading this book exposed me to the reality of grief and mourning and the magical (or crazy) thoughts that accompany it. It unknowingly prepared me for the losses in my life that I would soon endure.
Melinda Kane
Cherry Hill
I read “The Godfather” by Mario Puzo in high school, and it taught me about loyalty, family and respect. Oh, it also taught me about the glamorous life of organized crime.
Tim Louie
Berlin
“The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures” by Anne Fadiman. It’s the story of the struggles of a Hmong refugee family with a sick child. The lessons are so basic. Members of the healthcare team in this story judged family decisions. I learned the valuable lesson of listening and understanding when cultures are different from our own.
Helene Burns
Berlin
“Acts of Faith” is a book of quotes with daily meditations by Ivanla Vanzant. My first year of ob/gyn residency was a particularly challenging time in my life, both personally and professionally. This book helped me become more reflective, less critical of myself and empowered me to stand up for things I believed in. I still refer to it as needed. It resides in my nightstand drawer.
Jocelyn Williams
Moorestown
“The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson. The author humorously imparts wisdom to lead you to figure out what really is important to you and to not give a F*** about the rest. It taught me it’s ok to have problems and even embrace them but only if they align with your goals and values.
Sandi Kelly
Collingswood
The writings of St. Ignatius of Loyola, especially the “Examen of Conscience,” challenged me to begin looking for the sacred and presence of God in the seemingly mundane moments of life. Bruce Main
Audubon
I read “Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger in one night when I was in high school. My parents had grounded me, so maybe that’s why I related to Holden so much. He made me think it was ok to not like things. He also made me realize my life wasn’t so bad.
Tim McCarthey
Voorhees
“Awaken the Giant Within” by Tony Robbins is a classic masterpiece that changed how I think. I read it 10 years ago, and I still hold on to some of his principals, like “If you don’t have something you want, you don’t really want it.”
Luke Martinez
Mt. Holly
Two books pop into mind: “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee and “The Tortilla Curtain” by T.C. Boyle. I read them about 25 years apart, but both changed my way of thinking about a particular issue and made me see the world through another person’s eyes.
Lucy Beard
Mount Laurel
When I was in fifth grade, I read “Harriet the Spy” by Louise Fitzhugh. It was the first time I read a book that had a smart, independent girl. She was awesome, and it made me think I could be awesome too.
Lorraine Kridla
Lumberton
“Father, Son & Co., My Life at IBM and Beyond” by Thomas J. Watson Jr. and Peter Petre. There was a passage about a major train wreck with IBM employees going to a meeting. IBM’s upper management rushed to the hospitals and wreck site to assist its employees. It taught me that people, in business and in life, are most important and we need to never forget that.
Dennis Murawski
Cinnaminson
Steve Martin’s autobiography, “Born Standing Up,” is the only book I can remember reading, finishing, then immediately starting over again. Twice. It’s a pithy and fascinating exploration of the creative process and the very personal way in which even a wildly successful person defines “success.”
Chris Lukach
Washington Twp.
