The Book That Changed My Life: 71 Remarkable Writers Celebrate the Books That Matter Most to Them - Hardcover

Coady, Roxanne J.; Johannessen, Joy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1592402100 ISBN 13: 9781592402106

Publisher: Gotham, 2006

Synopsis

Sixty-five concise and lively essays by some of today's most successful writers identify the books that proved pivotal to the shaping of their careers, in a volume that includes Harold Bloom on Little, Big, Nelson DeMille on Atlas Shrugged, and Sebastian Junger on Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

About this title

About the Author:

Roxanne Coady, founder of R. J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, Connecticut, won the Publishers Weekly Bookseller of the Year Award in 1995. In 1996, Coady founded the Read to Grow Foundation, which, in partnership with urban hospitals throughout Connecticut, has provided books and literacy information to tens of thousands of children and families.

Joy Johannessen has been an editor/executive editor at Grove Press, Oxford University Press, HarperCollins, and Delphinium Books. Among the writers she has worked with are Dorothy Allison, Harold Bloom, Michael Cunningham, Nien Cheng, and Arthur Miller.

Review:

“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

About this edition

• Publisher: Gotham
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1592402100
• ISBN 13: 9781592402106
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224