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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History
introIn challenging times like these – and at any time, really – we could all do with something to inspire us, to raise our spirits. Reading an uplifting book can do just that: here are 20 of our favourites.
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold FryRachel Joyce, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry – He only left home to post a letter, or so he thought. In fact, Harold Fry had just set off to walk the length of Britain. Utterly unprepared, he doesn’t have walking boots or waterproof clothing, but he is compelled to keep moving forward on his one-man odyssey from Devon to Berwick-on-Tweed. It is redolent of religious pilgrimage, linked to saving a life, but the question is: whose life?
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
Around The WorldJules Verne, Around the World in Eighty Days – French author Jules Verne published his Around the World in 80 Days back in 1873. It follows an attempt by the wonderfully named Phileas Fogg to travel – as the title suggests – around the world in 80 days to win a bet. Travelling with his French valet, Fogg gets into a series of scrapes, starting with being mistaken for a bank robber before he has even left England.
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
War HorseMichael Morpurgo, War Horse – Now a hugely successful film, War Horse presents a radically different perspective on World War I: not from the usual view of human suffering, but through the adventures of a horse, Joey. Sold to the army in 1914, Joey’s story is every bit as fascinating as that of a frontline soldier.
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
GoodnightMichelle Magorian, Goodnight Mister Tom – Early in the Second World War, thousands of children in cities across the UK were sent away to live with families in the countryside. In Goodnight Mister Tom, Willie Beech, a deprived London boy with a cruel mother, is evacuated and taken in by the elderly Tom Oakley. Only now does he start to learn that there is a better life than he has known.
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
AlchemistPaulo Coelho, The Alchemist – The format of Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is a simple one, of daring to follow your dreams. Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd, dreams of finding buried treasure under a tree at the foot of the pyramids in Egypt. He sets off, but discovers that he doesn’t need to travel such a distance to find what he’s looking for.
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
Man's SearchViktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning – A Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist, Viktor Frankl’s hugely influential 1946 Man’s Search for Meaning falls under the “survival literature” genre. For Frankl, it meant deriving a positive meaning in life, despite the terrible experiences he endured.
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
Watership DownRichard Adams, Watership Down – Published in 1972, Watership Down was eerily ahead of its time – or at least that’s how it seems today, as the impact of the climate emergency becomes ever more apparent. Eschewing the usual sentimentalisation of animals, Richard Adams showed the result of human expansion on a group of rabbits.
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
Born to runChristopher McDougall, Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen – Sick of experiencing sports injuries, runner and journalist Christopher McDougall explores what makes the Mexican Tarahumara Indians such incredible ultra-distance runners. They have honed their skills over centuries, but what is their secret?
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
Enchanted WoodEnid Blyton, The Enchanted Wood – Simple escapism for kids, The Enchanted Wood revolves around children Joe, Beth and Frannie discovering a magical wood. Published in 1939, it was the first in Enid Blyton’s ‘Faraway Tree’ series and locked onto children’s dreams of fantasy, discovery and exploration.
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
A Christmas CarolCharles Dickens, A Christmas Carol – A Christmas Carol is a masterpiece of storytelling, the tale of a man’s evolution from miserable miser to warm-hearted philanthropist. Dickens’ wrapped the story around Christmas and, in the process, helped create the ubiquitous good cheer and festivities we now associate with this time of the year.
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
Long WalkNelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom – The transformation of Nelson Mandela’s life, from the world’s most high-profile political prisoner (for 27 long years) to the leader of South Africa, still defies belief. Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom describes how he did it.
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
DreamingRob Sheffield, Dreaming the Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and the Whole World – Not everyone loves The Beatles, and the world probably didn’t need another book about the boys from Liverpool. But an exception can be made for Rob Sheffield’s Dreaming the Beatles, a book about why music and pop bands matter so much to so many people.
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
Touching The VoidJoe Simpson, Touching the Void – If you enjoy nature, wilderness and improbable survival stories, you’ll love Joe Simpson’s Touching the Void. In 1985, Simpson fell and seriously injured himself while climbing in the Andes with a friend. This was only the start of his problems, and the rest is almost too fantastical to take in.
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
MalalaMalala Yousafzai, I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban – In October 2012, Malala Yousafzai was just a young schoolgirl in the Swat region of Pakistan – and an advocate of education for girls. For that, the Taliban shot her when she was on her way home from school. She somehow survived, and her story of recovery, getting a university education and again advocating for girls’ rights continues to be an inspiration.
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
Pink RabbitJudith Kerr, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit – This wonderful semi-autobiographical story about escaping the Nazis before the Second World War was the first of Judith Kerr’s ‘Out of the Hitler Time’ trilogy. Written for children from a child’s perspective, it reflects Kerr’s escape from Berlin to Switzerland, then Paris and finally to safety in the UK.
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
Glass CastleJeannette Walls, The Glass Castle – Deprivation, violence and repeated childhood disappointments don’t make the best foundation for a successful future. But in this rags-to-riches memoir, Jeannette Walls managed to get an education and become a successful journalist.
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
Magical ThinkingJoan Didion, The Year of Magical Thinking – While death and grief are key elements to The Year of Magical Thinking, in the hands of Joan Didion such sombre themes turned out to be subjects that people actually wanted to read about. Didion recounts the death of her husband in 2003, followed by the death of her daughter the very next year. As so many reviewers have noted, such is the skill of the writer that the book has even been described as “exhilarating”.
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
TuesdaysMitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie – Death is also a major theme of Mitch Albom’s Tuesday with Morrie, a title that refers to the author’s regular visits to his old sociology professor, Morrie Schwartz. Albom and Schwartz discuss a range of subjects each week, continuing until the professor’s last days, after being diagnosed with a terminal illness.
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
GuernseyMary Ann Shaffer, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – Set during World War II, Mary Ann Shaffer’s The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a real treat for bibliophiles. It’s about an up-and-coming writer in wartime occupied Guernsey, the creation of a book-loving society and the importance of books in general – particularly when they are in short supply.
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The Most Uplifting Books in Literary History.
OveFredrik Backman, A Man Called Ove – Ove is the miserable neighbour nobody would wish for. Strict, punctilious and with a short temper, he looks as miserable as he seems. When new neighbours move in next door, several incidents lead to a thawing – and reveal a vulnerable, and much warmer, Ove than many thought possible.
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