Reporter Jacqueline J. Holness has read her share of great nonfiction books, but once she tried a new genre, she discovered a book that changed her life.

What is the book that changed your life?
I don’t know that this book changed my life as much as it rekindled my childhood affection for novels. After college, I began reading nonfiction and decided that novels were for people who were trying to escape real life courtesy of some author’s imagination. But this book demonstrated that novels can be significant in real life too. All that to say, Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant 🙂

Tell me about the book.
For as long as they can remember, Gayle Saunders and Patricia Reid have been as close as two friends could be—practically sisters. And from the time they were small, each has had big dreams that they think will make them happy—but will take them far away from each other. In a difficult world, Gayle and Patricia realize that true friendship is one of the few things you can count on, and that it isn’t just blood that makes two women sisters.

Why did it impact you?
It helped me examine a childhood friendship that disintegrated over time. Gayle and Patricia’s friendship mirrored my relationship with this friend in a lot of ways. I was surprised that a novel could help me analyze a real-life friendship.

Is there anything you would like to add?
I’m still picky about the novels that I read, but thankfully I’ve discovered some novels that impact me as much as my favorite non-fiction works.