Tell us about the book that changed your life!

During our production of The Book Club Play we have been encouraging patrons to tell us about their favorite book and/or the book that has had the greatest impact on them. When you come to the show be sure to post your answer on the lobby board. This is a subject of discussion throughout the play and something that came up in a conversation with playwright Karen Zacarias. She was interviewed when the play was produced at Washington D.C.’s Arena Stage in 2011, and spoke about why she chose the books she did for the club to read. The titles in the play range from Moby Dick and Ulysses to The Da Vinci Code and Twilight. We prompted this question via e-mail to our subscribers and here’s what they had to say:

The Lord of the Rings –R. Hitchcock

The Women’s Room by Feminist, Marilyn French. I read this book as a young, newly married woman whose brain kept whispering, “is this all there is?”  Ms. French’s book gave me permission to feel and think these words. I was not alone with these thoughts and feelings. Although many years later, this book and the emotions I felt while reading it still linger with me today! –E. Slonina

Hate to be square  but it’s the truth. Dale Carnegie’s How To Win Friends and Influence People. It was read to me as a child; then I read it again as a 22-year-old. It gave me a a base for living that changed my attitudes and narcissism. And also valuable lessons in Public Speaking that I use to this day. –M. Jaffe

I still remember the first book I read that made me realize there was a world of imagination outside of my small Northern Minnesota town. That book was A Canticle for Leibowitz. I loved Grimm’s Fairy Tales as a kid, and this book was an adult version, with that wonderful combination of dark magic and irony that I find so appealing.  –J. Kotaska

If you haven’t already, tell us about the book that most impacted you! Send your response to feedback@horizontheatre.com and it might just end up on our blog.