Hal Evergreen > Status Update

Golly, how can I resist a challenge like that - the answers probably change from day to day, because seriously?? Just five??

The Little Prince - my Mum read this to us several times through my childhood, and she loved it so much that reading together was magical

The Lord of the Rings - I reread this yearly between the ages of 10 and 16, every summer in the treehouse, it taught me to dream in new ways

Rilla of Ingleside - the power of a simply-described ordinary life to move the reader to laughter and tears - I wanted to write after reading this

The Door Into Fire - the first published fantasy M/M I read (1979)

The Good Thief - the book that when I read it, somehow resonated enough with what I'd been writing for years to encourage me to submit a manuscript to MLR Press.

This is my "books that made me a writer" list. There are other "books that made me..." lists too.

Wow, what a question. These books made me who I am:

The Dark Is Rising Sequence - My mom first read The Dark is Rising to me in bed when I went to sleep when I was 6, and I finished the rest of the series over the next two years. It hooked me on fantasy for life. I've never stopped wishing there was more to the world than what we see.

Dragonsong - When I was 8 I discovered all my friends had been invited over for a pool party during the holidays, except for me. It was the first moment I was conscious that I just didn't fit in. The same week I discovered this book in my mom's bookshelf, and it helped me feel that being different was OK (also that the solution is to become completely self-sufficient: in retrospect probably not the most ideal reading). I read the whole series hundreds of times over the next five years. It is not hyperbole to say that my frequent serious consideration of suicide as a teen remained only plans and not actions because of McCaffrey's books. I wish I'd written to tell her that before she died.

The Bell Jar - we were assigned this to read for class when I was 13. I was astonished to find that the inarticulate and inchoate thoughts I had were expressed coherently on the page by another human. A wonderful moment. It's hard to communicate the sense of relief I felt.

The Face of the Rapist - My first book on gender studies. Although very dated now, in 1988 I found it life-changing. I still have my copy.

Rules - my first yaoi, and from this I got into m/m, and also reawoke my love of graphic novels. Before this, although I was aware of slash fandoms I don't watch a lot of TV, so I missed the concept of the insane hotness of m/m. Reading the scanlation online I thought I was going to combust. I never dreamed anything so could be erotic and heartbreaking. There is still only one book available in English! It's a travesty!

Wow, great answers. :-) The Lord of the Rings almost made my list, but I figure it didn't quite change me or influence my tastes the way certain other books have. Emma, McCaffrey's Dragonrider series was one of my teen obsessions too. Still, if I had to pick five, these would be mine:

Anne of Green Gables - I have always been a dreamer, but Anne taught me how to use my imagination to redefine my world. That skill has kept me sane through every difficult period of my life.

I, Robot - This is not necessarily one of my favorite books, but it is the first hard science fiction book that I read. My love affair with androids has been going strong ever since. My dad gets the credit for handing me a copy of this when I was a pre-teen. Any nerd tendencies I exhibit are his fault.

Persuasion - Pride and Prejudice is my favorite Austin novel, but while I admire Elizabeth Bennett, I identify more with Anne Elliott. She taught me that a quiet, reserved woman can still be strong.

Gaudy Night - I love the entire Lord Peter Wimsey series, but this is the book that changed me. Harriet is an incredibly complex character, and the emotional and spiritual journey she goes through in this book continues to encourage me in my own periodic voyages of self-discovery.

Possession - While this book features a heartbreaking historical romance, what impacted me more was its depiction of how a relationship can develop between two very modern, very broken people. The imagery of the bed with white sheets - clean, unblemished by past mistakes and disappointments - resonates even more now than when I first read it.