I’ve grown as a reader. I can tell because books that once made no sense to me are now intertwined with my soul. The more we read, the better we get at focusing, visualizing, and thinking. Reading is like going to the gym for the brain—if you read well. Speed-reading or skimming doesn’t offer the same benefits as reading slowly and taking notes.
Anyway, here are five books I hated but now love:
The Old Man and the Sea (Ernest Hemingway) – When I first read this book, it seemed like a simple story about an old man going out in a boat to catch a fish. Great. But now that I’ve been through hard times and learned to appreciate the struggle, this book has become a metaphor for my life.
The Republic (Plato) – Plato frustrated me at first. His writing style baffled me, and The Republic was no exception. It’s a dialogue between Socrates and other thinkers in Athens. I hated reading the back-and-forth exchanges, especially when Socrates gets bogged down in details. But now that I understand the bigger picture behind the dialogue—stories like The Ring of Gyges, The Cave, and The Tripartite Soul—I’m hooked.
The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck) – I read this in high school, but I wasn’t ready for it. My reading level wasn’t there, and I preferred contemporary thrillers to symbolic literature with deeper themes. Now, having raised a family and worked hard to build my career, this story of a family struggling to survive during the Great Depression hits home.
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald) – The first time I read this, I thought it was just a jazzy story about rich people partying. Who cares?! But once I dug deeper into its themes—lost love, fragile self-worth, and our need to boost our egos with external success—I fell in love with it. Now, it’s one of my family’s favorite stories, and we talk about it around the dinner table all the time.
The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson (Emily Dickinson) – Her poems drove me crazy at first. Why? They don’t have titles and her style is dream-like. When I first started reading poetry, I needed something clear and direct. Dickinson’s work went right over my head. But after a few poetry classes, I’ve come to appreciate her. Like a fine wine, you need to understand its structure to fully enjoy it. Now, her work fills me with wonder. Dickinson was a genius—it just took me a while to realize it.
Here’s the takeaway: Don’t judge a book by its cover—or by your first reading of it. You may not be ready for its themes or style yet. Read a few more books, practice the skill, and then come back to it. You might find a book you’ll cherish for the rest of your life.
Until tomorrow, read slowly – take notes – apply the ideas.
-Eddy
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