Books Can Change Lives

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From a very young age, children are taught to read. They might ask, why? Why do I need to understand how these squiggles on the paper come together to form words? But, the answer is always the same. Books are the basis of all society and culture. If no one had ever recorded laws, and poetry, and math, then they would all be lost by now, scattered to the wind. All over the world, throughout history, books have changed lives. From America to Egypt to Mesopotamia; from the 1st century to the 21st, books have had great effects on all people, no matter what race, religion, or gender. Books can and have changed our lives. From Gandhi to the Sons of Liberty to great mathematicians, books have provided guidance and inspiration. The pamphlet, Common Sense, by Thomas Paine, helped to rile up the colonized people of North America so much that they believed that they had the power to stand up against the greatest empire the world had ever seen, one upon which the sun did not set. If not for this book, the citizens of the American colonies could never have gained the audacity to stand up and usurp the power of the British Empire suppressing them, in the great American Revolution. This moves on to The Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith. This man is well known for his work in capitalism, and both he and his written works have shaped our economy to this day, preventing poverty and tyranny for the most part, in our modern society. In the winter of 1843, the traditions of Christmas had begun to fade. People had become greedy, and the poor were freezing and hungry in the streets. The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, turned that around. His novel inspired the well off to stop being so miserly, and to learn to give more. He is often credited with saving the traditions of Christmas, not to mention the lives of those who would have otherwise starved if not for him. Although many
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