Five Most Inspiring Books - Liz Threadgold's choice

Five of the most inspiring books I?ve ever read.

1. The diary of Anne Frank

I first read this book when I was thirteen, the same age as Anne when she was in hiding. It made me realise how lucky I was not to have to live my life in fear; Anne died just a few weeks before liberation of the concentration camps and I sobbed my heart out when I read that bit later. As a student I was lucky enough to go to Ann?s hideaway in Amsterdam. The saddest and most touching thing there was seeing the marks on the doorpost where they marked the children?s height as they were growing. If you haven?t read the book or you get the chance to visit her house- do it!

2. To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)

I read this relatively recently and of my own volition, i.e. it wasn?t as part of a GCSE English literature syllabus. A great book for making you question your own attitudes to prejudice especially under enormous public pressure. It?s a relevant today as it was when it was written and a darned good read! If you don?t like reading, watch the film; it?s a good excuse to see Gregory Peck in action anyway!

3. Jane Eyre

I?ve read this one a few times now and I always feel uplifted after reading it. Despite its age, it?s a good example of character building literature- Jane is a feisty young miss who?s not afraid to make hard decisions and despite a pretty horrible life up until her marriage she makes the best of her lot. It?s probably a bit of a ?chick flick? novel but it?s not too sentimental. Read it and be thankful that you?re not living on gruel.

4. La Peste (the Plague) Albert Camus

I first read this book when I was studying for my ?A? level French exams. It is set in Oran, Algeria and was written during the Second World War by Camus under the noses of the Nazi occupiers. You can read the story on two levels, firstly as the tale of how a town copes with a devastating plague, which first kills off the rats and then kills off everybody else or secondly as the story of what happened under Nazi occupation itself, (the plague being the occupiers themselves). It?s an inspiring book because it focuses on two very ordinary characters under extraordinary circumstances and how they work to make the world a better place. It was my first introduction to existentialist philosophy: essentially we are put on this planet to make the world a bit better than it was before we arrived.

5. Change the world for a fiver ?We are What we do?

This is a fantastic book that was put together by a group of advertisers but for the benefit of a community based charity. It lists fifty actions you can do either as an individual, a family, a school or a community to make the world a better place. Everything is very simple and the format of the book is like fifty double page adverts with very little text and striking images. From turning off the tap when you are brushing your teeth to giving an elderly neighbour your phone number in case of emergency every page is an inspiration. My eldest son and I enjoy baking the gingerbread men recipe to share (action 30).