by Tessa Gray
“The
unexamined life is not worth living.” Although there’s some debate as to who
said this (Socrates or Thoreau), this quote remains one of my all-time
favorites. I firmly believe that most individuals continuously re-examine their
lives, and books play an important role in reshaping us. And to take this a
step further, I propose that well-written books sometimes change the course of
our lives.
When I was
around seven years old, I detested fairy tales. That intense dislike probably
stemmed from a troubled childhood. Shifted between foster homes more often than
I care to admit, I had little time for make believe stories; I was far too busy
trying to figure out real life. I learned early on that nothing comes easily.
For that reason, I fell in love with author Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie books.
For those of you who’ve read the Little House on the Prairie series, you know that those frigid
winter settings Wilder paints strike a chord, particularly if you’re from
Minnesota, like I was.
For the Ingalls family, life could often be brutal, and
I identified with that. I found myself rooting for this tight-knit family,
cheering right along with them as they struggled, rejoicing when the crops came
in that year, or when Pa got a well-paying job. And, of course, there was the
fact that Laura sometimes struggled in school and was far from perfect-unlike
her sister, Mary.
The summer
I turned nine, my situation shifted when a foster family took me in and made
the decision to raise me permanently. Once the dust settled and I didn’t have
to change schools every year, I began to feel like a pretty normal kid. My
taste in reading shifted, and I found myself drawn to books that were somewhat
lighter.
The Trixie Belden stories by Julie Campbell became my favorites. Trixie and her sidekick, Honey, experienced adventures most
girls during the 1960’s only dreamed about. Although I don’t recall many of the
storylines for this series, I know that those two girls often made me laugh.
Whenever we drove into our small town of Osseo, I always made a beeline to the
local library to check out more Trixie Belden books.
When those notorious
Trixie Belden paper dolls came out, I was the first girl in the neighborhood to
own them and quickly began creating even more Trixie Belden adventures with my Trixie
and Honey paper dolls.
Eventually,
of course, I moved on to romance novels. Truth be told, I’d never been exposed
to a romance novel since no one in my very conservative, religious family ever
owned one. But one hot summer day, all that changed. I’d just graduated from
high school and was working at a Target store when one of the employees (who
just so happened to also be a classmate of mine) introduced me to a novel
called Valley of the Dolls by
Jacqueline Susann. We were breaking for lunch when Sheryl reached into her
purse, handing me the novel she’d kept hidden from everyone. It took me most of
the summer to finish the book because I didn’t have the nerve to take it home,
fearful my family would catch me with it. Sheryl would fish it out of her purse
when we went on break, and I’d pick up where I’d left off the previous day.
While I
can’t say this is a favorite novel, for me, it represented the fact that the
world could be an evil place. I realized that I was a grownup now who would be
heading off to college without my foster parents to shelter me from the evils
of the world, and frankly, I was scared.
I don’t know if any of you have ever been influenced by a
novel you didn’t particularly like, but I was profoundly affected by this one.
My biological family, unlike the foster family I lived with, was extremely
dysfunctional and self-destructive, so I did understand the consequences of making
bad choices. But truth be told, it was this novel about three women being led
down an endless spiral of self-destruction that drove it all home-propelling me
into taking charge of my life. Up until that time, I don’t know that I gave
much thought to how negatively poor choices can impact a life, but after
reading Valley of the Dolls, I was
more determined than ever to make decisions that were wise and would lead to a
happy ending.
My taste in
books during college probably most closely reflects what I enjoy reading at the
present time. I adore strong, compelling characters that stand up and fight for
what they believe in. In To Kill a
Mockingbird by Harper Lee, lawyer Atticus Finch fits the bill.
Part of my fascination with this book stemmed from the fact
I’d never been south of the Mason Dixon Line but had spent the majority of my
childhood in the North. Frankly, we didn’t have any African American students
in my high school, and I don’t believe I’d ever been exposed to racism. When
Atticus lost the court case, I suffered right along with him, angry at the
injustice of it all. But through it all I learned that although our world is
far from perfect, we all play an important part in trying to create a kinder,
gentler world-one which we can be proud of.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a “must read” in many school districts, and
after reading it, I began planning which books I could use in my classroom as
tools for teaching some of life’s most important lessons. It truly shaped the
way I teach.
It wasn’t
until my own two children grew fairly self-reliant that I actually began
reading novels on a regular basis. I’d finally reached a point in my life where
I’d achieved many of my own personal goals and allowed myself the luxury of
escaping through a good, old-fashioned romance novel. I settled on many books
by writers such as Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown, and Fern Michaels, enjoying the
storylines immensely.
Author
Debbie Macomber wrote a book called Dakota
Home and for me, that book would forever change the way I viewed characters
in romance novels. In the prologue, hero Jeb McKenna loses his leg in a farming
accident. After reading that short prologue, I remember leaning back in my
chair, wondering how in the world this author would manage to make an actual
hero out of a guy with one leg. It’s a judgmental thought, mind you, but I’m
being honest here.
The book was written in 2000, before our country went to war
and we learned to deal more openly with people who’d lost limbs. By the middle
of this book, I’d fallen in love with this hero and spent many sleepless nights
thinking about him. This book was part of my evolution and I found myself drawn
to characters with angst, enormous flaws, and lots of grit. I continue to
marvel at how skillfully Ms Macomber wove together this cast of characters from
a small, fictitious town.
On a personal note, I’ve been fortunate enough to attend
many of Ms Macomber’s book signings and at one of them, she wrote a special
message to my mother-in-one. My mother-in-law shared this special inscription
with many of her friends until the end of her life. How special it is when
authors take that extra time to make someone happy. The characters in Debbie
Macomber’s novels are kind and gracious, and I suspect they’re drawn straight
from the heart.
Firefly Lane by
author Kristin Hannah is a beautifully written women’s fiction novel about the
journey of two best friends. Like many readers who’ve reached a milestone, we
often become not only reflective about our lives but begin moving away from
situations and circumstances that don’t bring out the best in us. In other
words, we become much more selective. It’s another part, I believe, of our
complete evolution as women.
Ms. Hannah’s lush descriptions of the Pacific Northwest with
settings so real you can actually feel the ocean waves wash over your legs are
a huge draw for readers; coupled with the fact that her characters are flawed,
gritty, and often full of angst.
The most surprising thing about this novel is that one
friend disapproves of the other’s choice in men, and yet, the women learn to
live with it. Many friendships have broken up over this, but not the deep and
abiding friendship between Kate Mularkey and Tully Hart. It’s a great summer
read that I highly recommend.
The cast of characters writers create often greatly
impacts us. I attended a writing workshop sponsored by the school district I
taught in a number of years ago. We sat in groups, reading the poem Sympathy by Paul Laurence Dunbar. One of
the teachers became very emotional when we got to the part about the bird
beating its wings against a cage, longing for freedom. Suddenly, her eyes
welled up with tears as she confessed to everyone at the table that she’d been
in a loveless marriage for years with a husband who controlled her every move.
She announced that the poem had caused her to step back and take a hard look at
her life. We shed many tears together and when all was said and done, she
headed home to tell her husband that the marriage was over.
Sympathy – by Paul Laurence
Dunbar
I know what the caged bird feels,
alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
When the first bird sings and the first bud opens,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals--
I know what the caged bird feels!
I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting--
I know why he beats his wing!
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore--
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings--
I know why the caged bird sings!
I often find myself wondering if the author of this beautiful
poem had any idea how impactful his writing truly was. It’s mind-boggling that
the power of words can impact a life so profoundly as it did this woman’s. In
the grand scheme of things, I suspect that’s all we really want as readers-to
find our true, authentic self through the writings of others. I suspect as most
of you read, your own life stories have a great deal to do with the books you
choose to read. Read what you enjoy, read what helps you become the very best
person you can be, and above all else, share with everyone you know the impact
a book has had on your life.hlse again with a keener sting— he beats
his wing!
 |
| Author Tessa Gray |
If there’s such a thing as reincarnation, Tessa Gray plans to live her second life in the tiny, west Texas town of Alpine, getting to know the locals. After attending the Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Alpine, she’s chosen this location for her “Dreamcatcher” series. The first book in this series, LAST CHANCE TEXAS, was released in December 2012 and is available in electronic format. Having written for nearly nine years, she’s completed eleven novels. In addition to writing, Tessa spends a large chunk of her time singing and quilting. She resides on a three acre plot in Fairview with her husband of thirty-eight years, Jim, four dogs, and two miniature donkeys.
The amazon link to LAST CHANCE TEXAS is:
The amazon link to TEXAS SUNSET is:
Both books are also available in print, as well as e-book versions.
Find out more about Tessa Gray at her website:
TesssaGrayBooks (Twitter)
