Life-Changing Books

"This book taught me many lessons about the human experience, but for me, the most important was that you can choose absolution for yourself. This lesson helped me move past mistakes I made as a young adult and has been a constant reminder, with every re-read, that at the end of the day, we are all doing our best with The Human Experience — and that is enough." 

"When I first read Desert Solitaire around the age of 15, it was revelatory for me. The book illuminated my already profound teenage sense of connection to wild nature and legitimated my growing disenchantment with the status quo and the powers-that-be, those scoundrels who have continued to this day to fuel the ongoing degradation of nature and advanced what we now recognize as the disastrous consequences of climate change. Abbey was an iconic voice for the environmental movement in its early days and also for those of us who, even more today, feel estranged and isolated from our ever-more-indulgent culture of greed and self-interest. His message, I believe, is as relevant today as it was in 1968, when the book was published, about ten years after he had served as a park ranger in the then very wild confines of Arches National Monument in southeast Utah. Read the book and check out the recent Vail Symposium talk (on YouTube), entitled “Rethinking Edward Abbey in 2025.” 

"Okay, this book didn't necessarily change my life, but it changed the way I cook.  I first found it in a thrift store, and got it just because I liked the cover.  Flipping through the pages, I thought absolutely nothing sounded good--the combinations were too strange (mango and eggplant together?).  However, when I did decide to try to cook out of it, I was shocked that the combinations not only worked, they were some of the most delicious things I had tasted. I suppose it did change me in that it helped to teach me that an open mind in general can introduce you to something you never imagined."  

East of Eden is an epic tale told over several generations, which is my favorite fictional genre. Steinback tells the story of two families as a version of the Biblical story of Cain and Abel. The wide-ranging characters are intriguing and complex. My favorite part of the novel is the philosophical debate about the Hebrew word 'timshel' in the Old Testament and its implications for how we should live our lives. Steinbeck beautifully explores the ideas of good, evil and free will and reading it always leaves me contemplating the meaning of life. 

Mr. Stoker

Learning Specialist

Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo

"It is the story of a man who drives cross country with a Buddhist monk (Rinpoche) and the things they talk about and experience along the way.  The story is not as important as the perspective it brings.  I have a history of getting upset very quickly over silly things, especially when I was young.  The protagonist in the book also gets agitated too easily.  When he gets worked up, Rinpoche will ask him, "Why so angry?"  This is a mantra that I use all the time on myself when I am aggravated with traffic or some other thing out that shouldn't bother me.  It is amazing how much this has helped me over the years."