I have always been obsessed with books, reading, researching and dreaming of far away places. I remember in Kindergarten I was the first person to read all of the 4 books we had lined up for the month. I started writing stories when I was 7 about princesses with sisters that lived in big castles.

I stopped reading in high school because it made me look "nerdy" and I was on my hardcore thug bullshit back then. Growing up in The Bay was rough lol. I didn't get back into reading until my ex husband left for the military in 2009; then the world of Young Adult sucked me in.

But before there was Young Adult there were a number of books that changed my life; helped shaped the way I thought about myself, the world or others. Or just helped enlightened me. And if there's anything I'm still a sucker for it's the things that change the way we think.

So here's 5 books that helped shape me;