A Life-Changing Read: How One Book Changed My Life

Have you ever read a book that didn't just change your way of thinking, but truly called you to action?

I recall during the early days of COVID, Girl, Wash Your Face was that book for many of my friends; I even jumped on that bandwagon. It spoke to a particular need in my life at the time and served its purpose. But after just one read-through, it became a "shelf book"—a book for a moment, not a lifetime.

The book that truly changed my life—one I revisit regularly and eagerly share with any women who ask for recommendations—is Clair Swinarski's Girl, Arise!: A Catholic Feminist's Invitation to Live Boldly, Love Your Faith, and Change the World. As a cradle Catholic who was, by my own admission, pretty lukewarm my whole life, this book wasn't just a call to action; it felt like a warm, powerful hug. It didn't ask me to be different from who I was created to be. Instead, it strongly urged me to lean in and truly be my authentic self, embracing the unique purpose God has for me.

That feeling of being "lukewarm" is key to my story. Do you recall Revelation 3:16, where it says, "Because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth." It's a verse that hit heavy, while listening to the Bible in a Year podcast a few years ago, and has stuck with me ever since. Reading Girl, Arise! felt like a clear, loving call to action to ensure that wouldn't be my fate.

In general, I've always felt God was close by, but I wasn't inspired to do more, to be more. I routinely went to Mass (if we don’t count those years in college or early motherhood where I wasn’t as consistent as I wish I had been), believing all would be well if I was just a "good person."

Reflecting on it, I probably don’t fit the mold of what many believe a "Catholic woman" should be. I'm kind and caring, but I'm not mild, or quiet, or submissive. I'm a Challenger (Enneagram Type 8), loud, and I regularly put my foot in my mouth! Growing up, I got the impression I should talk less and smile more (did anyone else hear Aaron Burr singing when reading that line?) and be more mild, less challenging, less me.

But I think that’s part of what makes this book so inspiring. It reminds us we aren’t supposed to fit a "mold," an expectation of others. Claire Swinarski had a way of making me feel truly seen. She offered examples of powerhouse women saints, showing that we are all wonderfully different, yet all called to holiness and a divine purpose. We are called to be exactly who we are, and with God’s guidance, to become a force to be reckoned with—changing the world by simply embracing the person He created us to be!

Ultimately, this is the profound truth that Claire Swinarski’s book helped me to realize. It’s a truth beautifully captured by the words of St. Catherine of Siena: “Be who God created you to be, and set the world on fire.”

If you're looking for a book that will inspire you and potentially change your life as it has for me and some of my friends, go grab a copy. Or, if you're local, please just borrow mine!

What books have changed your life? And how is God calling you to be who you were created to be?