We are experiencing an error, please try again. “What’s this? The best gift I ever received is none other than my parents, given to me by God on my birthday. Is this what I think it is?” she asked. At Read It Forward, we have a healthy obsession with authors, stories, and the readers who love them. However, every time I pulled my copy from the shelf I couldn’t help but be plagued by childhood memories of librarians scolding fellow classmates for marking up books. Then it happened. But my best friend did not give me a gift like that. We all would like to have a gift, even if the gift is invaluable or inexpensive; it also brings for all of us happiness and respectability. I nodded half-heartedly as I watched her shoulders sink—a slow groan escaped from her throat. This time, she was heading back to her home in London after a yearlong stay in the States as an intern. Among of all the gifts I have ever received, the first one is the best. All rights reserved. She respected the fact that I loved my original copy, but she wanted me to have a pristine copy that could sit at the forefront of my bookshelves, representing its position as one of my all-time favorite reads. I was speechless and overwhelmed with gratitude that I had managed to attract such a person into my life. “This is for you,” she said as she handed me the book. I was so captivated with Their Eyes Were Watching God that I made it a point to read the book once a year. Two weeks later she was back at my doorstep, ready to embark on yet another trip. I braced myself for the lecture I’d been dreading all these years, one to the tune of “You aren’t supposed to damage books!”—but the words never came. I found honesty in its themes, relished the unapologetic determination of its tone, and the voice of its characters felt so familiar and relatable that I came to embrace the author, Zora Neale Hurston and the story’s protagonist, Janie Crawford, as friends, and as mentors. (Stay with me RIFers!). The guilt and shame of it was real. I “damaged” the book. I was presented many colourful and expensive gifts. She is the former editor of Books for Better Living and has written for Read It Forward and Signature-Reads. TA-TANISHA WILLIAMS is an urbanite who loves to read thrillers, roam the earth, listen to political podcasts, lose herself in good films, and engage in all things health and wellness. The Best Gift I’ve Ever Received One writer reflects on why receiving a copy of Their Eyes Were Watching God is the best gift she's ever opened. She simply turned to me, eyes wide, mouth slightly opened, and then burst into laughter. She, like me, was an avid reader, so naturally she gravitated towards my bookshelves to assess the literary bounty. In my enthusiasm towards the book, I committed what many avid readers might consider to be an unforgivable act. But last year, I received a special gift from my best friend. The Best Gift I Have Ever Received. I purchased my first copy of Their Eyes Were Watching God myself. She read through some of the notes, asking me to elaborate on some of the comments, and she shared with me some of her thoughts and feelings about the book. She paused and gasped in horror as she pulled my copy of TEWWG from the shelf. Image credits: Daniel_Dash/Shutterstock.com, Kaylie_Kell/Shutterstock.com. The Best Gift I Have Ever Received. Every year, I always receive a lot of gifts from my parents and friends on my birthday. “The only way that you can ever know if something is of value to you is by the way it feels as you are receiving it”. Get weekly book recommendations delivered right to your inbox and find out What We’re Reading. Nowadays, not every child is fortunate enough to have both parents to nurture them. But most importantly, she wanted me to have a new copy to refer to for my annual readings—one I could view through the eyes of the woman I had grown into—not the woman I used to be. As for me, I am lucky to be raised by two loving parents. Instead of seeing my copy of Their Eyes Were Watching God as a desecration of literature, she viewed it as the diary of her friend’s younger self. It was a brand new copy of Their Eyes Were Watching God. Although it was the first time my friend had seen my copy of Their Eyes Were Watching God, it wasn’t the first time she had heard about my love for the book and the impact it had on me as a woman and as a reader. Through this gift, my thoughtful friend had made me feel very much the way I felt the first time I read the words of Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God—that I had been seen, and that I had been heard because I mattered. Among of all the gifts I have ever received, the first one is the best.
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