Up In Words

“The only important thing in a book is the meaning that it has for you.” ‑ said W. Somerset Maughamome

Books have influenced everything from movies to music and even the way that you think. Why? It’s because we connect to what we read in some way. And not every book is for everyone exactly how not every movie is made for all human race (though some people think you are committing a sin when you do not like something they do).

               For me, it has effected how I see what relationships should be whether it be romantic, family or platonic relationships. With Tonks and Lupin from Harry Potter or Feyre and Rhysand from A Court of Thorns and Roses, hell, even the relationships of the Weasleys to Harry Potter from Harry Potter taught me that it’s okay to be a little broken because people will still love and care for you.

               Books also taught me that at the end of the day, the only opinion that should matter to me is my own. Determined, sarcastic and stubborn characters tend to be my character genre of choice because that is who I relate to. Those who seem cold on the outside but on the inside, is like a warm chocolate chip cookie on a chilly day.  Take Manon Blackbeak from Sarah J. Maas, Throne of Glass series or Evangeline from Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen, they seem stone cold and heartless but as you get to know the character more, the more warm and relatable they seem.

               Books are the spine to what we know today in our culture of technology and the only way anyone can ever really learn is by reading. I’m proud that reading is a part of my life because it has helped me through so much, it helped me modify myself to not be so hateful.

When I ask people what book has changed their life, it takes them a while to think of one, but for me, I knew what book series changed my life.

People who know me would probably think Harry Potter, but as of late Sarah J. Maas’ series A Court of Thorns and Roses has been what has made the most impact in my life. It changed my view on what a healthy relationship should be, both romantic and in friendships.

The series has three books now and there are more to come, but each of the books touched my heart in some way.

A Court of Thorns and Roses taught me that no one can give you strength, you should find it. It showed me that I must find who I am before I can be in any healthy relationships. Tamlin represents what people look for on the surface in a relationship and his mask showed that he had ulterior motives in the relationship. He wore a mask around Feyre and as soon as the curse broke and the mask came off, his true character shown through.

I relate to that because of how many people are today, they befriend you and get in a relationship with you only until they get what they wanted from you then they showed their true colors.

A Court of Mist and Fury taught me that when I am broken and feel like I have nothing left, the right people will help put myself back together again. It showed that being in a seemingly healthy relationship could be darker and more abusive than it could be and that those who really love me would be willing to do anything to help bring me back to health.

“‘I want you to know,’ I whispered, ‘that I am broken and healing, but every piece of my heart belongs to you. And I am honored- honored to be your mate.’” – Sarah J. Maas.

A Court of Wings and Ruin, though focused on Feyre and Rhysand, I fell in love with the dynamic of Cassian and Nesta. Nesta is cold hearted, blunt, nose in a book and is easily loved or hated. She says what she means and I relate to her character because of that. Her dynamic with the entire Inner Circle is how I feel about socializing in general.

Cassian is her opposite and the sun to her moon and gives her more depth and as a person who tends to be attracted to people who are opposite of who I am, it connected to me. The whole dynamic between the Inner Circle showed me that you do not have to keep the family, but I can make my own, which is what I do.

“The great joy and honor in my life has been to know you. To call you family. And I am grateful-more than I can possibly say- to have had times like this with you all.”- Sarah J. Maas.

Tyler Anderson Bailey, a Troy University music industry major from Wetumpka, Alabama, had a tough time picking just one book that has changed his life, he chose three. Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, a story about unrequited love, The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, a story of an outsider and Maus by Art Spiegelman, which is about the holocaust in a graphic novel form.

“It really helped me understand what other people go through and how it feels like nobody’s understanding him and I felt like nobody was understanding me,” said Bailey. “It helped me figure out what I wanted to be and where I wanted to go.”  

“There are interesting things in everyone,” Bailey said when he was asked what he learned from Rostand’s play. Cyrano de Bergerac, a play by Edmond Rostand helped Bailey figure out how to open with people and be more of a social person and what to respect in relationships, not only romantic relationships, but also friendships. Bailey really identifies with the main character of the play, which what helped draw him into the story.

Bailey was assigned to read all three of these books for different classes while in high school at St. James in Montgomery, Alabama. His teacher of those classes made them interested in them and Bailey wished to learn more about them. The teacher’s passion of books influenced Bailey’s love for books.

“Catcher in the Rye helped me move on from being a child,” Bailey said. The novel helped him move on and get through the transition moments in Bailey’s life. The relationship with the siblings in the novel changed how he viewed his relationship with his own siblings.

Bronwyn Arnold, Junior English Education major from Prattville, Alabama, introduced “Cracked” by K.M. Walton as a book to open readers’ minds about the mentally disabled.

The minimalistic cover caught her attention with the medical cup and the two pills on the cover and she picked the book, read the synopsis and decided to give it a read.

“It was sort of foreshadowing of what could happen,” said Arnold.

Arnold revealed that she had a friend who lives with a mental disability and that is a reason why the book touched her soul.

“Some wait for no one/ they fill’ themselves/ up,” a quote from the poem “Just a Little Peace” in “Cracked” that stuck with Bronwyn since she read it. She mentioned that she highlights important lines that speak to her, but this one was the one that just stuck.

“It brings up the question of what drives a kid to the point of suicide,” said Bronwyn. “It’s not always them but how things affect them.” The boy becomes hopeless while being the victim of bullying and how he does not want to be alive anymore. Then learns the value of life through the help of others.

“There are bad circumstances but if you find the right people, then they can help you and you can also help them,” said Arnold, speaking on how that there is power in numbers, especially when it comes to knowing that you are not alone in a mental disorder.

“It would be better to try to work out your problems, rather than let them overtake you,” said Arnold who grew throughout reading the book and feels as if she came out at the end as a better person than who she was when she began reading the book.

“I would like others to read “Cracked” so they can learn about different mental disorders and how they affect people,” said Bronwyn. She wants other to know that having a mental disability does not mean you must suffer alone. There is a community of survivors who are willing to help those in need.