Favourite Books of All Time
The following works represent books that have shaped Schoanna’s thinking, values, and literary philosophy. These selections are not exhaustive, but formative texts she returns to and recommends for both personal reflection and family reading.
Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott
A novel of sisterhood, moral growth, and quiet ambition.
The March sisters represent different forms of strength, creativity, duty, independence, tenderness.
For Schoanna, Little Women remains a reminder that womanhood contains multitudes, and that integrity and aspiration need not be in conflict.
Flowers for Algernon
by Daniel Keyes
A deeply moving exploration of intelligence, dignity, and the fragility of human worth.
This novel shaped her understanding of empathy, particularly toward those whose value is too often measured narrowly by ability or productivity.
It remains one of the most emotionally transformative books she has read.
The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini
A story of guilt, redemption, and the enduring weight of childhood decisions.
Set against a backdrop of political upheaval, it explores loyalty, betrayal, and the complexity of forgiveness.
For Schoanna, this novel reinforced the power of storytelling to humanise global histories.
There Are Rivers in the Sky
by Elif Shafak
A sweeping, intergenerational narrative that traces memory, exile, and belonging across time and geography.
This novel resonates deeply with themes of migration and identity, ideas that echo within Manchester’s own cultural fabric.
It affirms that stories travel, and that history lives within people.
Where the Crawdads Sing
by Delia Owens
A quiet, atmospheric exploration of isolation, survival, and human prejudice.
Through the character of Kya, the novel examines what happens when society misunderstands those who grow up on its margins.
For Schoanna, this book reinforces the importance of compassion before judgment.