Finding Yourself in a Book

Angie Haas//Blog Writer

One of my favorite things about reading is how I can immerse myself in an entirely different world; however, this just leaves me more disappointed when I close a book and am back in the “real world.” I read mostly fiction novels, so I often find it difficult to connect what I  read to real life, despite how hard my high school English teachers pushed the idea that every book we read had some sort of life lesson in it..

I stumbled upon an article on Forbes the other day that I found rather interesting. It was a simple list of three books to read that may help improve one’s self-awareness this year, and lead me to think about how lifestyle books have really seemed to increase in popularity over the past few years and have almost become a trend. Everyone has a story that they want to share: sometimes it’s in the form of an intimate memoir, sometimes it’s a cookbook with recipes that the author used during their weightloss journey.

So, why do these self-awareness and lifestyle books seem to be increasingly popular in bookstores? I think the books we read often reflect the society we live in. In the past, books seemed to be exclusively fiction and this pattern even worked its way into the 1900’s. While I’m not an expert on the subject, I think that perhaps society is craving a change from the usual fiction read, and is yearning for books that they can connect to and even apply to everyday life.

My first introduction to this lifestyle/memoir genre was through my mother. A few winters ago, she asked for Ellen DeGeneres’s Seriously… I’m Kidding, Malala Yousafzai’s I Am Malala, and a few other random (but similar) books that I don’t quite remember the name of. I understood why she wanted to read I Am Malala, but I couldn’t piece together why she wanted to read the rest. I love Ellen DeGeneres as much as the next person, but I didn’t understand why she would want to read an entire book about this woman’s life other than the fact that it’s probably a very funny read. Little did I know that my mom was way ahead of her time with her birthday and Christmas list that year.

Hollywood celebrities are vocal now more than ever and enjoy publishing their lives in memoirs and books of the like, just as much as the rest of us enjoy reading about their lives. These books give us a new way to live vicariously through others, the stories we read in these texts were real events and give real examples experienced by people who are still alive. When someone in the public eye opens up about a personal experience (i.e. mental health) in a book, it allows people to feel like they are not alone on their journey. In addition, a book can feel more personal in many ways as writers typically feel more comfortable opening up on paper than they do in person. It’s also easier for the reader to pause and close the book at any moment if something resonates with them and overall provides a more intimate experience between the author and the audience.

Fortunately for you, if you wish to read one of these more personable books after this article you have a wide variety of options to choose from. Chef Gordon Ramsay recently released Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Fit Food, and singer/songwriter and mental health advocate Demi Lovato has a book titled Staying Strong: 365 Days a Year. Even YouTube celebrities have released books, such as Bethany Mota’s Make Your Mind Up. Of course, there are many other lifestyle books on the market, but those are just a few to help you get started and hopefully develop a love for the rising genre. Happy reading!