Recently I watched Fried Green Tomatoes for the first time. Captivated by the movie, I immediately went looking for the book where I thought I'd find it. On my boss's bookshelf. I've read enough of her choices to know it would be among the wonderful books he'd inherited from his mother. And there it was. Inside the cover she'd written, “I've read this three times!”

You learn a lot about people by what they read. Years ago an eccentric woman was active in a cause that I supported. She was ridiculed regularly for her outspoken ways and her many oddities—even changing her name to that of a President she admired. A newspaper columnist interviewed her as part of a series of intriguing people, and one of the questions was about her favorite books. Seeking to understand her better, I read her favorite, Ethan Frome. This tragic, ironic tale of obligation and loyalty helped me see her with different eyes. It is now among my favorites. Read it, and maybe you'll learn something about me.

Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can fully share its joy. Proverbs 14:10