We asked our authors from around the world to share their thoughts on why they write, why they read, and the books that have influenced them.
Here’s what they had to say.
Tell us why you read and share your favorite books! Join the discussion @HarperCollins on Twitter using #hc200.
Ferdinand Leyro
My childhood reading helped to build me from the inside. As a child, when I read about an outsider or a lost or misunderstood person, I felt compassion I didn’t experience in my real life. When playing outdoors seemed like looping around aimlessly, a book was there to whisk me off to places near and far, like a hunt in Zululand with a brave and clever girl. Even today I read both to lose myself and to feel connection with people and stories beyond my own.
