Life-changing books you need to read on National Book Lovers Day 2019

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The Young Post team reveal what their favourite novels have taught them

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'To Kill a Mockingbird' has made an impact on people around the world for its lessons on morality and courage.

In honour of World Book Lover's Day, the Young Post team shares what novels have had the greatest impact on their lives. 

The entire Harry Potter series means a lot to me. The books contain many life lessons, but one of the ones that sticks out is how courage isn’t the absence of fear, but rather standing up and moving forward in spite of it. There are many scary things in the world (we’re lucky enough to not face magical ones on top of them), but we can’t let our fears get the best of us.

Ginny Wong, Subeditor

To Kill A Mockingbird. I don’t even know where to begin with this one. This classic is rife with many valuable lessons. It gave me a fictional hero in Atticus Finch, who taught me to be courageous, to always stand up for what I believe in, and to always be compassionate towards others. 

Rhea Mogul, Junior Reporters’ Manager

7 books that will change you for the better

Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime is not just about a book about apartheid, it is also about thinking beyond one’s current circumstances, turning fear and pain into positive growth, and not letting our fear of failure hold us back. This is best summarised by my favourite excerpt from the book: “We spend so much time being afraid of failure, afraid of rejection, but regret is the thing we should fear most. Failure is an answer. Rejection is an answer. Regret is an eternal question you will never have an answer to. ‘What if?’ ‘If only?’ ‘I wonder what would have?’ You will never, never know and it will haunt you for the rest of your days.”

Doris Wai, Multimedia Editor

My favourite book of all time is The Great Gatsby. I have a well-worn copy that I read whenever I’m sad. There’s a variety of lessons in the book – that money doesn’t buy you happiness, that everyone is in the pursuit of happiness in their own different ways and lastly, that “whenever you feel like criticising anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”

Dannielle Higginbotham, Web Editor

Netflix is working with actor Henry Cavill on a live-action adaptation of 'The Witcher' books.
Photo: Handout

Whenever I am planning to do something that might not be wise for my age, I always remember this quote from the fantasy novel Blood of Elves by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski: “I know you’re almost 40, look almost 30, think you’re just over 20 and act as though you’re barely 10”. It reminds me to be more mature and professional in difficult situations.

Jamie Lam, Special Projects Editor

I first read To Kill A Mockingbird when I was a teenager, and it had a really profound impact on the way I thought about the world. It taught me that what is right and moral, and what is legal or socially accepted, are definitely not always the same thing. My favourite line from the novel is, “Before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself”. It made me realise that as long as you can reconcile your actions or decisions with your own conscience, you don’t always need to justify them to the rest of the world. Whenever I feel like I need reminding of this, I go back to this book. 

Charlotte Ames-Ettridge, Sub-editor 

The Hunger Games, To Kill A Mockingbird, Pride and Prejudice and other books we can read over and over again – what’s yours?

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince is packed full of valuable lessons, but what I love most about the book is that it reminds people to treasure their inner child. When I was a kid, I felt a lot of pressure to grow up quickly and act more mature. But this book showed me that it’s actually quite special to be able to look at the world with a child’s eye, and that while growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.

Nicole Moraleda, Sub-editor

Night is a memoir by Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel. In his masterpiece, Wiesel doesn’t sugar-coat the unspeakable crimes he witnessed during his time at Auschwitz and Buchenwald. What I love about this book is that not only is it a vivid portrayal of the horrific experiences many Jewish people endured during the Holocaust, but also proof that even in the worst situations imaginable, there’s still hope that, one day, justice will prevail.

Veronica Lin, Reporter

Edited by Charlotte Ames-Ettridge

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