The Lupus Book by Daniel J Wallace, M.D.
When I was diagnosed with lupus in 2004, I didn’t know much about the disease aside from the fact that I didn’t want it. So, as I struggled to process the diagnosis and prognosis, a friend who’d battled with the illness since she was sixteen handed me a book. “Here, I ordered one for you,” she said.
I learned so much from that green covered hardback, and I often reread it as new issues pop up. Dr. Wallace’s explanation of what the disease is and how it affects the body has helped me to understand and accept the unpredictable, roller-coaster ride of living with lupus.
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
The South is steeped in history. Most of us know that. However, reading the personal stories of Ida, George, and Robert reinforced the fact that circumstances often warrant changes. And change plays a huge role in the lives of future generations. I also discovered something interesting: those who left Mississippi frequently migrated to Chicago, whereas those from Florida usually chose New York; and Southerners from Louisiana went to California. Having family members and loved ones from both Mississippi and Florida, I have found this to be true although I’d never really thought about it prior to reading Wilkerson’s book.
The Warmth of Other Suns was a fascinating read, and a daunting one too. Aside from Beulah Land, it is one of the longest manuscripts I’ve read. 622 pages! It didn’t feel like 600+ pages because Isabel Wilkerson did her research, and her epic tale proves it.
The Bible
I have several versions of the Bible and enjoy reading various interpretations. I’ve even heard that there is a graphic novel version? My oldest daughter told me and then added, “Cool! Now I’d read that.”
Granted, people have their personal view of the Bible, but I find it to be a profound, inspired, sacred writing that has helped me stay balanced and focused on many occasions. And I must make a retraction on Beulah Land (a close runner up in being on this list) or The Warmth of Other Suns being the largest volumes I’ve read. The Bible is by far the biggest book I’ve taken on. Coming in at over a thousand pages, it is quite an anthology. In other words, it takes a while to finish.
I started in the very back with Revelation and made my way to Genesis. But one year I read it the typical way from beginning to end. This year I’m going in alphabetical order—Acts, Amos, and so on. I learn something new every time I read the Bible, no matter how many times I read it, and I like that.
So, how has each book had an impact on my life? The Lupus Book has helped me to play an active role in my care and to understand the various issues that arise from having lupus. The Warmth of Other Suns made me understand and realize the importance of migration from the South and why it was necessary for some families as well as how it influenced future generations. And the Bible shapes and molds how I choose to live, how I interact with others, and I how choose to view the future.
Lists and Life 