How One Book Changed my Life

Have you ever read a book that has changed your life in some way? Did that one book spark something within you that made you think “I need everyone in the world to know about this book”?

That is exactly what happened to me. And it has forever changed my life.

It was my senior year of high school, just less than a decade ago. I was going through a rough time in my life. I had lost 2 family members and a pet within the span of a year and a half, with another family member going through cancer treatment. On top of that, the stress of graduating and moving on to college was starting to weigh on me. It was all becoming too much.

The one thing that was getting me through this time in my life was music. I had begun listening to a punk-rock/alternative-rock band by the name of Fall Out Boy during this time and was quickly becoming obsessed with them. As anyone growing up in the 90’s and 00’s can tell you, I was going through my “emo phase”.

The bassist and lyricist for Fall Out Boy, a man by the name of Pete Wentz, had a way of writing lyrics in the band’s songs that spoke to me on a deeper level. So when I found out that he had written a book, I headed straight to my library to check it out.

And I am so glad that I did.

The book, by the name of Gray, hit me in all the right places. It’s a fictional tale, but you can tell that it is very much inspired by Wentz’ own life. It follows the life of a rock star and what goes on in his life behind the scenes. What us fans don’t see in the tabloids and I was so invested in what this book had going on in it, I was able to finish it in just one day. This is something that I hadn’t done since the first time I read Harry Potter. Though I couldn’t relate to anything going on the story as I am not a rock star by any means, the consistency of the plot and the twists and turns that it took the further you got in is what left the biggest impact on me. Just when you thought the story was going one way, there would be plot twist that took the story in a different direction that at least I didn’t see coming.

This book was one of most important pieces of my life that helped me get through the rest of my senior year. It was always on the back of my mind. The moment that I bought a copy for myself I read it again and again. It was in those moments that I realized that I need to share my love of this book for the world to hear.

Soon after I discovered the world of BookTube and book blogging. A space where I could not only just share my love of Gray with the world, but my whole reading journey. Every book I was reading, whether I love it or not, I could share my thoughts on with others just like me.

My blog, Evil Queen Books, was started in April 2016, just less than a year after I read Gray for the first time. Soon after, I made my YouTube channel of the same name in May 2016. Joining these communities has allowed me to grow so much as a not only a reader, but a content creator as well.

Not only did Gray introduce me to world of blogging and BookTube, but it was the reason I decided to become an English major. To not only tell everyone I seemingly know in class about Gray, but also to find other books that I can learn to love as well.

My other dream is to one day work in the world of publishing. I would love to work on getting what someone else’s Gray could be into the world. Not only do I want to do that, but I would also love to become a published author myself, something that I thought would ever be an idea a decade ago. If I can help publish, write, or even edit someone else’s Gray, that’s what I want to do with my life.

So that’s my story. How one book I picked up kind of on a whim in 2015 became one of the most influential pieces of art in my life. I wouldn’t be who I am today without it.

So, thank you Pete Wentz (who is now my idol since all of this transpired) for writing such an amazing piece of literature. If you ever somehow see this, I cannot thank you enough. And to anyone reading this who might be interested in Gray, give it a chance. I promise you won’t be left disappointed. And of course, there’s a million books out there in the world, and someday you’ll find your Gray. You just have to keep looking. You never know when it will come to you.