The first book I remember finishing was when I was a teenager, it was a collection of Plato’s Best Essays.
Looking back, it was probably an unusual choice, but a teacher assigned us to read one essay, Plato’s Closet, but I was fascinated by big questions even then and had to read them all. The book introduced me to the idea that some questions don’t have simple answers and that thinking deeply about life can be just as important as finding certainty. I continue re-reading these today.
I may not have understood every concept at the time, but I remember feeling challenged in the best possible way. It sparked a lifelong curiosity about people, meaning, human behavior, and the search for truth.
In many ways, I think that book helped shape the person—and writer—I would eventually become.