Read to Win: Impactful Books Part 1

Homeschooled Authors asked: 

What fiction book most impacted your life?

Aubrey Hanson ~ The fiction book that most impacted my life is sadly no longer available—although the author has since published an expanded author’s edition.  I don’t even remember how I came across the original edition of Angel Fall, but it shook me to the core.  It was raw, dealt with weighty subjects, and was borderline horror—and yet it was beautiful.  I had never read anything so dark and yet so full of truth and wonder in my life.  It showed me just how shallow most religious fiction is, and how much deeper it could be, if we only dared to be honest.  Furthermore, one day I took a leap of faith and contacted the author about a possible event.  This was the first time I’d reached out a “real” professional author, and I was terrified.  But he responded right away and was so incredibly kind, going out of his way many times for me.  To this day we’re still friends on Facebook.  And that is why Angel Fall is the most impacting book I’ve ever read—it restored my faith in Christian fiction and Christian authors!

Sarah Holman ~ When I was fifteen I read Christy by Catherine Marshall for the first time. This book was not an easy read, and there were some difficult parts to the story, but it only added to it's power. I was so much like Christy at age fifteen, thinking I had it all together and was read to rock the world. This book knocked off those ideas and replaced it with something much stronger and lasting: A stronger faith and a deeper love for people. So many of the people in the stories are so broken, yet God uses them. I have reread Christy two or three time since then (this is a big deal since I normally don't reread books for about five-ten years later) every time I get something new from it.

Morgan Huneke ~A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle is one of the books that has impacted me the most. It’s a classic tale of good versus evil, of overcoming darkness with light, of family and friendship, of doing the right thing even when it’s hard, and of freedom. It’s about how important it is to be individuals and not all exactly the same. I often quote “Like and equal are not the same thing.” And the realization, now that I’m older, of just how many quotes in the book come from the Bible only makes it even better. And then there’s Camazotz. Such a horrible place. Controlled by IT, surrounded by the Black Thing, where everyone is exactly alike, where no one has to suffer weeks of runny noses…but only at the cost of everything you are. We’re all fighting the Black Thing, the darkness, IT, but God is with us and we fight for Him. That’s what A Wrinkle in Time means to me.

Kate Willis ~ When I first stepped into Narnia as a little girl of six, it changed me forever. All seven of the books, especially The Last Battle, have had a huge impact on my life. In learning to love Narnia, I learned to love my world. In learning to love Aslan, I learned to love the real Savior. And in learning to love the true Narnia, I learned to love the Far Country. When one of the greatest theologians of all time writes a children’s series you get the perfect blend of amazing stories and beautiful lessons (with some good British humor!). Definitely time to read them again. ; ) Other books that have had a noteworthy impact on my life are Evangelists in Chains by Elizabeth Wagler and The Viking Quest series by Lois Walfrid Johnson. Both of these taught me the power of forgiveness and trusting God. I’ve never been the same.

Amber Schamel ~ I was browsing in an antique store one day when I found a book called Beulah.
This book was published in the early 1900’s, and I was inspired by the Biblical teaching and worldview that was ingeniously woven throughout the story...almost unnoticeably. It was then that I decided I wanted to craft books like that. Books that uphold and encourage the morals and views taught in the Bible instead of undermining them the way so much of our literature does today. That decision changed my life.




Now it is your turn: Post your answer to the question on your blog. On Friday, you will have a chance to share the link to that post here so that readers and authors can check it out!

The official rules for the Read-to-Win Challenge can be found here.

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