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Go Tell It On The Mountain
By Paulo Coelho

The background: This is a fable about a shepherd boy searching for the meaning of life. He thinks his goal is to get to a particular mountain and look for gold. During the journey, he comes to realize that meeting people, learning from them—that's the gold.

Why she chose it: My stepdad gave this book to me when I was a teenager. He was like, "You can read your Seventeen magazines, but also read something that's going to stay with you." My parents were the kind who would have a two-hour discussion about a book. My stepdad was adamant that my stepbrother and sisters and I read this one, and it was a topic of conversation at the dinner table. He thought it was important to remember the things you have in your life: love, family, humility.

"Lucy did that—it called out to me, to the kind of life I had and the kind of person I am"