Writers Write: My Favourite Book 28

Michael Wagner

Dibs in Search of Self, Virginia M Axline

I can’t think of any higher praise for a book than to tell you that this one made me sick! Actually sick. But in a good way … sort of. I was so deeply moved by this true story of a troubled boy, Dibs, and his psychologist, Virginia Axline, that when I finished reading it, I had some sort of nervous break down of my own! True. I actually had to take a week off work to recover. Now that’s a powerful book! And, no, I don’t require time off every time I read a good book!

To Kill a Mocking Bird, Harper Lee

The last time I looked, this Pulitzer Prize winning book was one of the biggest selling novels of all time, so I’m not exactly Robinson Crusoe in loving it. But what’s not to love? This gentle, wise and poignant account of racism in 1930s Alabama is a monument to human decency. In the character of Atticus Finch, Harper Lee created a father-figure for generations. If you haven’t read it, you really should.

The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger

The power of this book is in the authenticity of the teenage narrator’s voice. Like a lot of adolescents, Holden Caulfield may be judgemental, confused and a little lost, but he’s also honest, gentle and kind. The voice Salinger has created for Caulfield is so incredibly real it’s as if the poor kid is sitting right next you, telling you (and only you) his sad, difficult, but ultimately uplifting story. The final scene in the book remains one of the most tender and touching I’ve ever read.