Synopses & Reviews
andlt;Bandgt;THE GIFT OF A BOOK BECOMES PART OF THE STORY OF YOUR LIFE. andlt;/Bandgt;Perhaps it came with a note as simple as and#8220;This made me think of you,and#8221; but it takes up residence in your heart and your home. andlt;Iandgt;The Books They Gave Me andlt;/Iandgt;is a mixtape of stories behind books given and received. Some of the stories are poignant, some snarky, some romantic, some disastrousand#8212;but all are illuminating. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Jen Adams collected nearly two hundred of the most provocative stories submitted to the tumblr blog TheBooksTheyGaveMe.com to capture the many ways books can change our lives and loves, revealing volumes about the relationships that inspired the gifts. These stories are, by turns, romantic, cynical, funny, dark, and hopeful. Thereand#8217;s the poorly thought out gift of andlt;Iandgt;Lolita andlt;/Iandgt;from a thirty-year-old man to a teenage girl. Thereand#8217;s the couple who tried to read andlt;Iandgt;Ulysses andlt;/Iandgt;together over the course of their long-distance relationship and never finished it. Thereand#8217;s the girl whose school library wouldnand#8217;t allow her to check out andlt;Iandgt;Fahrenheit 451, andlt;/Iandgt;but who received it at Christmas with the note, and#8220;Little Sister: Read everything you can. Subvert Authority! Love always, your big brother.and#8221; These are stories of people falling in love, regretting mistakes, and finding hope. Together they constitute a love letter to the book as physical object and inspiration. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Illustrated in full color with the jackets of beloved editions, andlt;Iandgt;The Books They Gave Me andlt;/Iandgt;is, above all, an uplifting testament to the power of literature.
Synopsis
This beautiful full-color treasury of stories about gift book-giving celebrates the enduring power of literature: stories of significant books people have received and what those books mean to them.The Books They Gave Me collects 200 poignant, funny, and provocative stories that together comprise a love letter to literature and the physical book. Some of the stories are disastrous, some touching, but all are illuminating, revealing volumes about the relationships. There’s the couple who tried to read Ulysses together over the course of their long-distance relationship and ultimately never finished it. There’s the girl whose school library wouldn’t allow her to check out Fahrenheit 451. At Christmas she found a copy waiting for her with the note, “Little Sister: Read everything you can. Learn about all the ideas that this world has to offer. Subvert Authority! Love always, your big brother.” There are stories of people falling in love, regretting mistakes, and finding hope.
Illustrated in full-color with the jackets of beloved editions, these stories convey vivid memories of insights and revelations, disappointments and joy, illuminated with the wisdom the passing of time brings and enabled by the enduring influence of the books we love.
About the Author
After a decade and a half spent in Chicago, where she worked as a freelance writer and served as a founding contributing editor of andlt;i andgt;Digital Scrapbooking Magazineandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;bandgt;Jennifer Adamsandlt;/bandgt; moved to New York to be closer to The Strand. She is at work on a variety of projects, including a zombie novel for middle-grades readers. She blogs sporadically at Jen-Adams.com. She lives in Astoria, New York, and is the mother of two boys.