The most important lessons I’ve learned have been through words. There is something about books that bring forward the most intimate parts of you. They strip you clean and remind you that you are a human being who suffers, who experiences joy and who is capable of intensive and genuine thought.

Every time I finish a book, I feel like I am capable of anything. Of mosaics, of writing novels, of being a better friend, daughter, sister, and human. What makes them special is this sacred exchange of information between people. The author, through their words, tells you how they feel and what they know, and in turn, generate empathy, generate ideas, and create a world where anything is possible. And with that said, these are a list of some of the books I’ve read, what they have taught me:

1. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer

Told in the perspective of a 10-year-old boy who lost his father in the 9/11 attacks, Oskar travels all of New York City on his own searching for a treasure that doesn’t exist. The entire story follows the young boy’s search, who he meets, what he thinks, and how it feels. And what was once a tragedy of a boy losing his father, very painfully and beautifully becomes a story of healing, courage, and compassion. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close taught me that there is truly nothing more complex than grief, and nothing more evident than human goodness.

2. The Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison

A series of essays that tell of different experiences in Leslie Jamison’s life, The Empathy Exams taught me that empathy is the most important quality in a human being. With the distinct ability to deepen us as people, empathy moves mountains. Not only in the lives of others, but in our own lives as well. Teaching us that our hearts mean nothing if not extended.

3. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

Set in the 1950’s and narrated by young man named Holden Caulfield who struggles with his mental health, this book taught me of the universal pain that comes with growing up; but also the importance of protecting the element of innocence, softness, and adventure that makes you a kid.

4. The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold

The Lovely Bones, probably one of the saddest books I've ever read, taught me of family. How each member brings something forth, and how, when one is taken by tragedy, leave the aching gap of their absence. "The Lovely Bones" is a book of earth, it’s cruelty, and the hope of heaven. Alice Sebold expresses how time and the universe have a way of healing and justifying even the most painful circumstances.

5. Love Does, by Bob Goff

Probably one of the happiest books I’ve read, Bob Goff has a way of telling the truth about the relationship between God and people with such simplicity that it makes you believe that it was always meant to be that way. This book, a short 240 pages, taught me that love is a word of action and initiative. That the world can be one of joy if we all chose to love ourselves and love people the way God loves us.

6. I Am Malala, by Malala Yousafzai

A story that gained international media coverage, this memoir tells the journey of a girl who stood up for her education and was shot by the Taliban. This book taught me of my privilege, of the experiences of women apart from myself, and my ability to fight for whatever I want. Oh, and that nothing scares the crap out of terrorists than a girl with a book.