Books That Made a Difference to Ashley Judd
The actor, human rights activist, and author finds fiction and nonfiction both enlightening and healing.
Photo: Marko Metzinger/Studio D
5 of 5
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
By Mark Twain
480 pages;
Puffin Classics
"Twain is my favorite humorist," Ashley Judd says. "I even have a quote I think is from him in my e-mail signature: 'A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.' And this book is, of course, hilarious—but it's also a family story and a love story in the sense that it's about the divine love between Jim and Huck." The American classic also has another meaning for Judd: "Huck is the child of an alcoholic; he endures incredible physical and emotional abuse. When he finally reaches his own bottom, he realizes he has to escape before Pap literally kills him."
— As told to Sara Nelson
Published 04/27/2011