We asked rising stars from the community to tell us about a book they’ve read and the impact it had on them. We’ve highlighted some of those responses below.

Harrison Colvin | Harrison Colvin | Artist

I’ve always been a biography fanatic. We are often told not to judge a book by it’s cover, so instead I often go for whatever title rouses interest in me. I had never heard of Andrea Dworkin before being recommended Woman Hating but I knew I had to get my hands on it when a print copy was nowhere to be found at any of my local bookstores. I had to settle with downloading a PDF version on my phone while waiting for my local library to get a physical copy ordered for me. Read more>>

Kendal Bernardez | Creative Director, Model & Production Designer

A book that absolutely changed my life was “Think Like a Monk” by Jay Shetty. The book itself was introduced to me at a pivotal part of my life and my career when I felt like I was losing sight of who I was and what I wanted to do. The book is a well-rounded book that greatly contributed to my self-improvement. I found so many valuable principles such as breathing techniques, asking myself questions to discover my purpose and identifying my values. When I read the book not only did I launch an internal assessment of myself, I also translated that growth into my career path. I began a journey of identifying who I was, what I wanted to do, and what my life’s purpose was. I discovered that I am meant to share my talents with the world and inspire people along the way. Read more>>

Bridgette Michelle Bentley | Actress, Writer, and Professional Stunt Woman

An important book I read is Physics of the Future by Michio Kaku. He’s the Einstein of our times. This book had a huge impact on me, I wrote my first feature length script based on several principles in the book. The film is currently in preproduction phase. It’s amazing what we’ve achieved as a human race that many people are unaware of. Physics and sci-fi movies absolutely borrow from one another. Like magick, it literally helps to see the goals you want to achieve first then move forward to put them in action. Read more>>

Carnell Tate | Mechanical Engineer and Educator

In his second book, Rock Bottom to Rock Star, Ryan Blair teaches us all some of what he’s learned through trial and error so that we can all become “rock stars” in whatever we choose. Each chapter is a different tip, told in his very readable and down-to-earth tone and with anecdotes showing either how he learned this and/or applied it. And although some of the lessons are more obvious than others, they’re all valuable. Tips include knowing your superpower, working backward, funding first, what weakens strengthens you, the wrong type of success, and many others. Read more>>