Have you read a book recently that had an impact on you, your life or the way you think? Let us know and check out some great responses from the community below.

April Peterson | Image Consultant

The Secret impacted me the most . Right before I started my business I quit my job and needed direction and a push towards my goals. This book taught me to manifest my own destiny creating everything I want along the way . Showing me I control all my outcomes. Read more>>

Laray Dyer | Author

For decades, I have been guided toward taking better care of myself without context nor instruction. Atlanta-based author, Anana Harris Parris, on the other hand, concisely lays the foundation that self-care is holistic, revolutionary, and requires a plan. Indeed, Anana’s work, “Self Care Matters: A Revolutionary’s Approach,” not only defines the topic and the categories of care therein—spiritual/emotional, economic, artistic, physical, educational, and social—but also provides strategy and a complete guide to creating a plan. I reread and listen to “Self Care Matters” regularly. Doing so empowers me to refine my curated plan, address my critical needs, and grow in areas that support my physical and mental health. This book is an invaluable tool. Read more>>

Leslie Thurston | Actor/Writer/ Filmmaker/Teacher

How often are we judged by what we look like, by the color of our skin, the texture of our hair, the size of our body, the shape of our facial features, and the clothes we wear? It’s what we have seen explicitly in the news of late and what has been reality since the beginning of time. When I read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, it blew my mind. For some reason, I didn’t read it in school but years later in a co-ed book club. I emphasize co-ed because I loved that this club was inclusive no matter the gender, race or age. We had decided that it was a book club where we read both classic and contemporary fiction. When Frankenstein was recommended by one of the members, I was less than thrilled but I had no idea what I was in for. The only things I knew about Frankenstein was from the countless film and television adaptations that were made. Read more>>

Jaylynn Harrison | Content Creator

My favorite book has probably got to be Awareness by Anthony De Mello. Like light in the darkness, the truth was revealed: the most important thing for us to do is hold ourselves accountable. No one owes us anything, so we must be grateful for everything we get. Things don’t disappoint us; the truth is in our faces—about things, ideals, and people—but it’s up to figure out whether we trust our judgments about them or not. Read more>>

Ava Lorde | Creative Artist & Entrepreneur

I’ve read “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho 3 times, and it is one of the most beautiful written works of art. Each time I’ve read the book, I’ve been at a crossroad of some sort. I’ve been on the edge of making important, life-changing decisions. The book is full of thought-provoking storytelling and powerful quotes, but my absolute favorite is this: “At a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what’s happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That’s the world’s greatest lie.” Those words have kept me, both, accountable and hopeful. Accountable, because I accept the fact that I am responsible for my life and my decisions matter. Hopeful, because I understand and believe that no matter how challenging or grim a particular season or direction is, a new and better path is always possible. Read more>>

Jose Sanchez | Freelance Illustrator

What was your thought process behind starting your own business? The truth is that in house illustration work is scarce and there are less and less positions every year. Within the next seven years, freelancing is expected to make up over fifty percent of the workforce and the creative fields are going to be hit harder than others. With that in mind, managing myself as an illustrator and choosing to go the freelance route allows me to focus on those jobs where my art is best fit. Whether it be children’s books or greeting cards, I can make the art I want to sell for my own projects and I can work with the clients that choose me specifically for the style of work that I do. Ultimately freelancing is a hard gig because it puts a lot on the freelancer to secure their next job but taking things one day at a time and building that client base is worth it. Working for yourself is rewarding and lets me define my art and my brand according to who I want to be as an artist. Read more>>

Scoobie West | Owner, Scoobie West & Company

Recently, I read ‘How to be a Badass’ by Jen Sincero. I picked it up in the airport while traveling from London with a client. Initially, I thought — how can this book change how I live? Well, while reading the book, I was able to pinpoint and relate to many of the examples of how we sometimes doubt ourselves, leading to slow or no growth. Since reading the book and applying the principles, I was able to grow my business by over 25%, by not doubting myself. By not doubting myself and believing in all possibilities, I am able to continue to follow my dreams. Read more>>

Chelsea Sabo | Founder, Executive Director of Mother Advocacy Project

At the Mothers Advocacy Project, we are always talking with our clients about mind-body connection. The trauma that they have endured in their past will come back from triggers and show up in flashbacks, but it also manifests itself in their physical bodies as well. That is the reason why participatory arts (specifically martial arts and ballet) are an important component of our trauma intervention. But, I wanted to see how this mind-body connection could be a part of our work for employees as well. So, we started off this year with the theme of “thoughtfulness” and it has carried through our work. Which brings me to the book that inspired me with some ideas we have been trying. The book is called “Rituals for Work,” written by Kursat Ozenc, PhD and Margaret Hogan, PhD. In this book it highlights that fact that when our bodies engage in a physical activity that is representative of the values we hold while completing what might be a mundane task, we are able to bring meaning to that task. Read more>>

Sydnee Robertson | Artist & Teacher

I flung myself into reading a ton of books around the sixth grade. If books could be devoured, then I was the cookie monster taking in every middle-grade, young adult, and the odd adult book I could get my hands on. Shoutout to Accelerated Reader (AR). Now, I wasn’t reading just because. There was a challenge that whoever had the most AR points by a certain date they would win a brand-new Dell 17-inch desktop monitor and tower. I mention this because I was making sure I only read the books that would give me the highest points possible. This type of strategy led me to one of my all-time favorite books and author. Every idea I have now received some type of influence from this book, Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. Reading this book helped me foster an appreciation and love of written words. I’ve probably bought this book at least four times. She’s a figure I wish I could have met and picked her mind. Read more>>