I can remember two books that changed things for me:
"Max: The dog that refused to die": I think I was 6 when I read it for the first time and I cried through the whole book. My mom tried to take it from me, but I could not stop reading it. I then reread it at least 10 more times and sobbed through it every time. It was about a dog who became lost and suffered unbearable tragedies as he tried to stay alive. It fostered my love of dogs and instilled in me that anything is possible if you a)believe and b) never give up. I remember using the book to give myself a pep talk when I was upset. 'You can DO this. Think of poor Max falling off the cliff. If he could survive that, then you can give this speech.'
"On the Origin of Species" (Charles Darwin). I remember getting this book and a copy of Gray's Anatomy for Christmas when I was 9. They both cemented my love of biology. I spent hours and hours laying in bed and thinking about the things I read in that book. It made church unbearable for a few years. I had a hard time melding the two 'theories' together and it caused me a pile of Catholic guilt. I was almost into my 20's before I found a way to believe elements of both and feel peace with my own ideas about creation. If I would ever be lucky enough to meet one person from history, I would pick Charles Darwin hands down! God, I would love to pick his brain...
Last edited by kathleen'smum; 02/26/11 05:46 AM.
