Thursday, April 28, 2011

Books of Change

When I think about all the books that I have read, it is hard to pinpoint just one that has influenced my life. There are books that I read for pleasure, some that have caused me to reflect, and others that I just plain don't get. I was talking to my best friend, Karli, about books that have influenced my life and she informed me it was Pride and Prejudice. My parents had given me the movie when I was about 14. I watched it and fell in love with the story. After wards I found the book. I have read and reread the book many times.

Right before I headed out to college I was able to get in touch with my new roommate, Karli. We were going to be sharing a dorm. We had never met. In my email I had asked basic questions, and one of those questions was whether or not she had seen and liked Pride and Prejudice. When she informed me that she had not seen it all but from what she had seen she liked. I told my family after wards that I knew we were going to be friends. I had determined in my mind that if she did not like the story of Pride and Prejudice that we could not be friends. Not really sure why I based a friendship on a book, but I did. When reading a book it becomes a part of you. The characters and their experiences suddenly become your experiences. The story of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy had enchanted me and was a part of them. If my friend had claimed that she didn't like Pride and Prejudice, it would be like she was telling me she didn't like a part of myself. Do you ever feel when someone has disliked a book of yours they have personally offended you? I do not enjoy short versions of Pride and Prejudice because I feel like the story has been lost. I am a girl after all, and I like those silly romance stories.