Wednesday, July 6, 2011

A Passage to India

A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
1968
Weight: 10 oz
Method of Disposal: Donate to the AKF





I read A Passage to India as an assignment in my First Year Seminar at Agnes Scott. I had no feelings about it. I did not suffer to get through it, but I was and am willing to read almost anything. I just read it and then it was done.
Later in my college career, I met a woman who changed my life. I was fascinated by her. She was brilliant and she was (is) an incredible writer. Her e-mails captivated me, but later I would be blown away by her short stories. I only knew her for a brief time, but we packed a lot in before it all imploded. She taught me to daydream about outer space, to question my own involvement in my more miserable moments, and most of all how to stay up to 6am just laughing.

It has been over four years now but when I see this book I think of her, and I still smile. While this book left little to no impact on me, it encouraged a massive change in her life. She started allowing herself to realize things and/or allowing others to see things about herself that might have previously gone unnoticed. She wrote a confessional letter home, which she knew would be met with great resistance. And then, she went on. She continued on her path to great things. I hope anyone else who picks up this book has a similar experience, but if not you will probably find the inspiration elsewhere.

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