Shannan edition – Modern Mrs Darcy

Today we’re starting a new loose series, conceived by our team member Shannan. Because this whole thing was her idea, I asked her to kick us off. I’m so happy to welcome her to the blog today to tell us about the books that shaped her. Happy reading! – Anne

I have been a reader or pretended to be a reader (before I learned to read) for as long as I can remember. I don’t know where it came from. I don’t remember my mom reading to my sister and I just for the joy of it. We did have a twice-daily Family Worship and my parents would read the Bible or some sort of inspirational story or devotional to us. We were not allowed to read fiction. I read many biographies and, in what I consider a bit of irony as a Black person, could tell you a lot about the lives of Confederate generals, whose stories were in abundance at my local small-town Southern library thanks to the Daughters of the Confederacy. 

I grew up in a conservative Christian household which included my being homeschooled over half of my K-12 journey, including all of high school. I was a serious child, an “old soul”, and nurtured to stay that way. I was also prone to low moods; it was probably Seasonal Affective Disorder but no one in my circle was aware of SAD then. I didn’t see anyone around me struggling and I sensed I was not like everyone else. I also got it into my head that happiness was a thing that might elude me for the rest of my life. I escaped into books, dreaming of a different life. 

Selecting the books that shaped me into who I am today was a difficult, but an important exercise. It was easy to know which books have had a significant impact in my life; they are what I curate in my personal library. I only need to turn around and look at my shelves. It was, however, impossible to narrow those books down. In the end, I decided to select five books that shaped me prior to my 30th year, the age I’ve felt I actually was my entire life. 

While my reading was heavily restricted, some of the books I read cracked some doors into other ways of seeing the world. Even at a young age, I began to catch a glimpse of the power of “who tells the story” and that led to my now-firm stance of the essentialness of appreciating other people, cultures, and their understanding of the world. 

The books below impacted the books I have read since. My love for gentle sci-fi/fantasy started when I was nine. A book I read in my early teens set the stage for Quiet by Susan Cain, where I as a human made more sense. (Of course I had to read Reading People when it was released in 2017.) The themes in a favorite novel led me to another all-time favorite, the memoir Eat Pray Love, where Liz Gilbert sets out to discover herself and live a life of happiness on her terms. And another read started an intentional effort to pursue happiness and enjoy my life that continues today. 

Here are 5 books that shaped me before I turned 30.

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During a period when I was particularly down in my late 20’s, I went to my sister’s to puppy-sit while she worked during the day. That evening she handed me her copy of this book. Rubin spends a year doing a number of activities in an attempt to be happier. I was hooked from the first line, “I’d always vaguely expected to outgrow my limitations.” The next morning I was the first person at the local bookstore, purchasing my own copy. I realized my left-brain could tackle the enigmatic subject of happiness in a logical and methodical manner. I began my own Happiness Project right away – my copy still contains the notes from it. More info →

I have read this American classic twice, the second time for MMD Book Club. The first time was for my African American Literature college course, my first real exposure to work by African Americans. It shaped me in two ways. One, it put into words what I was feeling inside my own body, especially in the scene where Janie is lying under a pear tree watching bees pollinate the tree. Two, it planted the tiny mustard seed of an idea that I could live my own life in a way that I wanted to. Janie exemplified that. More info →

My all-time childhood favorite is a children’s adaptation of Bunyan’s classic Pilgrim’s Progress where the protagonists are approximately 12-15 years old. This was one of the only works of fiction I was allowed to read because it was an allegory. Anne pointed out this book probably contributed to my love of gentle fantasy; there are giants, and knights, and a great dragon. Part 2, my favorite part, is the lesser known story of Christian’s close friend Christina and her pilgrimage with her little brothers and sisters. She needs help. Enter Greatheart, a young knight who is so brave and strong and kind that my 12-year-old self fell head-over-heels in love with him. He was my first literary crush. More info →

I checked this out from the children’s nonfiction section of my local library multiple times. It is about a young white girl who was taken captive by the Senecas during the French and Indian War. It read like fiction; an engaging page-turner even on my third and seventh readings. Originally published in 1941, author and illustrator Lenski dedicated herself to bringing different experiences into American consciousness. During her acceptance speech for the Newbery award in 1946, she said, “We need to know […] people different from ourselves–people of different races, faiths, cultures and backgrounds…When we know them, understand how they live and why, we will think of them as ‘people–human beings like ourselves.” She did that for me in Indian Captive, for there was a humanity that was not in any of the other works that I had read about Indigenous peoples. At age 10, she began my awareness of an author’s responsibility when portraying minority groups. It planted the seed that we can learn from those different from ourselves, if we choose to. More info →

This opened the door to a whole world of personality and the tests and measurements that exist to help us understand ourselves. I read it in my early to mid teens. Littauer used the basis of the four humors of the ancient Greeks: sanguine, choleric, melancholy and phlegmatic to divide the population. I was not surprised to learn that I was, and still am, a “Perfect Melancholy”. This book began my getting to know and making sense of myself. And it set me down a path of self-awareness I haven’t gotten off of yet. More info →

Have you read any of these books? What books have shaped you? Please share in the comments.

P.S. 7 books that will make you a better human and Science Fiction/Fantasy for beginners.

About the author

Shannan Malone is the MMD Cohost and Contributor. Her go-to genre depends on her mood! You can find Shannan on Instagram @shannanenjoyslife.