Some books are delightful to read — ones we might even happily lend to a friend — but that are essentially forgettable. We can enjoy the experience of reading them, but when we're done, we just move on to the next one. The characters don't stay with us, the message doesn't leave a mark. And then there are the books that, when we turn the last page, have forever changed us. These are the books that we can't give away (though we'll certainly tell others to read them) and that we come back to again and again.
Whether it's a fictional character whose meaningful insights showed us a different way to be a person, or a nonfiction subject that helps us understand ourselves better, the right book at the right time can be a breathtaking experience. Knowing the book that changed someone's life is an interesting glimpse into who they are and the kind of person they want to be, so we were curious to find out more about the books that some of our favorite celebrities have cited as having a profound impact on them.
From spiritual texts that are thousands of years old to a children's book to a searing modern memoir, the book choices we found are as diverse as the roster of celebrities sharing them. Read on for a list of books that just might be the thing that could change everything for non-famous readers, too.
Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon was 19 years old and on her way to college when she read Marian Wright Edelman's The Measure of Our Success: A Letter to My Children and Yours. Reese was changed by the book's lessons about service, what real mothering looks like, and the obligation we all have to take care of the world's children.
Toni Collette
Actress Toni Collette is a big fan of author Elizabeth Strout, especially the Olive Kitteridge books. "[Elizabeth Strout] knows and understands humanity on a level that very few people can express," Toni told OprahMag.com. "I was given an advanced copy of the sequel, Olive, Again, and man, I couldn't put it down. It moved me to tears. I laughed out loud, and I just love everything that Elizabeth writes."
Kristen Bell
Glennon Doyle's memoir, Untamed, was a massive hit when it was released in 2020, debuting at No. 1 on the bestseller lists. Among the book's many, many fans is actress Kristen Bell. "My favorite person has written my favorite book!!" she told her followers in a May 2020 Instagram post. "Glennon Doyle's Untamed is an anthem for women today. It speaks to so many female truths. I haven't stopped talking about this book since I read it. Everyone in my family is sick of me referencing it, but I'll never stop because it's PERFECT."
Bill Gates
Tech mogul and philanthropist Bill Gates has called Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature the most inspiring book he's ever read. "Pinker shows how the world is getting better," he wrote on Twitter in 2017 in a message to new college graduates. "Sounds crazy, but it's true. This is the most peaceful time in human history. That matters because if you think the world is getting better, you want to spread the progress to more people and places. It doesn't mean you ignore the serious problems we face. It just means you believe they can be solved. This is the core of my worldview. It sustains me in tough times and is the reason I love my work. I think it can do same for you."
Serena Williams
Serena Williams' life-changing book could arguably be considered one of the most influential books of all time. She told OprahMag.com that her life was profoundly impacted by the Bible. "It's really helped me a lot and it's underrated," she said. "People always mention other books, but the Bible is where I get the best advice to help me through life."
Alan Alda
Actor, writer, and activist Alan Alda's life was changed by a book about a horse. He told Thrive Global that his most meaningful reading experience occurred when he was very young: "I was 8 and read a book called Top Horse at Crescent Ranch. I knew from that moment that I wanted to be a writer. So I started working on a story that I decided would be completely different. I called it Not the Top Horse at Crescent Ranch. In a way, it was a different story because it was about the underdog, not the big cheese."
Issa Rae
Issa Rae's life-changing book, The Alchemist by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, is one that came to her during a moment when reading about the power of pursuing her dreams was something she needed to hear. She told OprahMag.com that she read the novel "during a transitional period in my life, and it just made me think differently."
Yara Shahidi
When she got her first taste of the work of writer James Baldwin through the book The Fire Next Time, actress Yara Shahidi says she felt like she'd been given "new tools to help verbalize" her feelings. The book meant so much to her that it even inspired her first tattoo, as well as made her feel more connected to her own legacy with the civil rights movement.
Julianne Hough
Actress and dancer Julianne Hough also chose a nonfiction title with a spiritual theme as her life-changing book. She told Thrive Global that she loves The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra. "Super simple, easy-to-read, but profound in how easy it was to understand pure potentiality," she explained.
John Legend
John Legend used the writings and books of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to help him become the activist adult he wanted to be. As a guest on the NPR podcast It's Been a Minute, he shared with host Sam Sanders, "I've always thought of myself as a very political person, even as a child. When I would go to the library, I would choose to read about Dr. King. I would choose to read about the struggle. I would choose to read about people who fought for justice. That's always been inspiring to me."
Kelly Rowland
While many of our celebrity bookworms have identified nonfiction books as their life-changing read, Kelly Rowland's choice is a good reminder that we can also learn a lot from fiction. She told Oprah magazine that the book Waiting To Exhale is where she learned about friendship. "Some stuff I didn't quite understand because it was talking about marriage and I read it in my teens, but it taught me how important my friends are," she said.
Adele
If Kristen Bell loves Untamed, she's got celebrity company. Adele also gushed about the Glennon Doyle memoir on Instagram. "If you're ready, this book will shake your brain and make your soul scream. I am so ready for myself after reading this book! It's as if I just flew into my body for the very first time. Whew! Anyone who has any kind of capacity to truly let go and give into yourself with any kind of desire to hold on for dear life — do it. Read it. Live it. Practice it. We are a lot! But we are meant to be a lot!"
Oprah Winfrey
We all know that in the realm of celebrity book lovers, Oprah Winfrey is still the queen. Her Oprah's Book Club made the careers of many authors, and she regularly posts about books she's loving. Given her healthy reading habit, we were curious what title stood out most for her. In 2017, while giving a graduation speech at Skidmore College, she shared that the book that most changed her life is Gary Zukav's The Seat of the Soul, which talks a lot about the power of intention, something that struck a nerve with Oprah.
"So this principle of intention is literally what saved and changed the trajectory of my living," she said. "I started to make my decisions on what I intended, not just on what someone else wanted me to do or what I thought would please them. But what do I really intend to happen from the outcome of this decision or this choice? And so I started to apply this intentional living and intentional thinking to everything in my life."
Jennifer Garner
If it wasn't for the play Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley, things could have ended up very differently for actress Jennifer Garner. She told Oprah magazine that she found the play in college, where she was a chemistry major at the time. "It was the first play I read that I completely related to," she revealed. "I am the middle of three sisters, I come from a Southern family, and I wanted to be cast as one of the girls in this story. I changed my major to theater right after that."
Jameela Jamil
Jameela Jamil, who stars in The Good Place and the new She-Hulk series, has been a vocal activist about anti-diet-culture body liberation (her takedowns of the Kardashians have been epic). She shared that she wished she had been able to read Roxane Gay's memoir Hunger when she was younger because she would have better understood how to heal her own body traumas.
Hillary Clinton
The book that changed Hillary Clinton's life came to her during an especially difficult time. "In 1994, after I had experienced some tragic and painful losses — my father, my mother-in-law and our dear friend Vince Foster all died," she explained to Oprah magazine. A friend then gave her a copy of The Return of the Prodigal Son by Reverend Henri J.M. Nouwen.
"One sentence hit me like a lightning bolt: 'The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.' I had never thought of gratitude as a habit or discipline before, and I discovered that it was immensely helpful to do so," she added.
"When I found myself in a difficult situation, I began to make a mental list of all that I was grateful for: being alive and healthy for another day, loving and being loved by family and friends, and experiencing the awesome privilege of working on behalf of my country. By consciously reminding myself of my blessings, I could move from pessimism to optimism, from grief to hopefulness."
