The Reading List

Naina’s list symbolizes the ability of books to teach, heal, and connect. The list is something of a miracle; Naina scatters copies of it around her community, in places where they could easily be lost, ignored, or thrown away. However, against all odds, the list finds its way to various strangers, right when they need it the most.

Aidan is the first character to encounter the list; his rejection of it symbolizes a rejection of healing and connection. The next person to find it is Aleisha; unlike her brother, she engages with the list. At first, she dismisses it as nothing more than a way to pass time at her boring summer job, a way to make up for being rude to the old man—Mukesh—who asked for her help. As she makes her way through the books on the list, however, Aleisha realizes that she has gained so much more: “The list wasn’t a distraction for her anymore. She’d learned how to fight for something you believe in from Atticus Finch; she’d learned how to survive with a tiger like Pi; she’d learned never to stay in creepy house in Cornwall, maybe just go to a B & B” (240). The list has become an instrument for emotional redemption, a way to explore herself and open up to others, like Mukesh, Zac, and her mother.