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culture
The Books That Changed My Life with RIISE Founder Sara Bell
16/01/26
Author: RIISE Team
DOCUMENTED BY: ELIZABETH ROBERTS
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Welcome to a new editorial series, where we explore the ideas, art and cultural influences that subtly shape who we are and how we view the world. In each instalment, we invite creative voices from our community to share personal literary touchstones that have profoundly shaped or moved them.
This first edition comes from RIISE founder Sara Bell, who reflects on nine books that shaped her inner life — from identity and belonging to leadership, motherhood and healing. We hope it inspires you to revisit old favourites, discover something new, or simply reflect on the stories that have shaped you, too.
01. Miss Smilla's Feeling For Snow, Peter Høeg
Some books come to you at the right time and resonate deeply because you identify with them. Between my teenage years and my early twenties, I was very confused about my nationality and lacked a sense of belonging. I was raised in Sweden but moved to the UK as a tween. I identified with ‘the outsider’ and this book reinforced the feeling of not belonging, but it also helped me to reclaim my narrative and view my differences as a strength. I can still evoke the feeling and mood of this book 30 years later and still love Peter Hoeg’s writing.
02. The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
I was in my twenties when I read this book and didn’t fully understand it at the time because I was still processing my own childhood. I remember being very shocked and angry about the cruelty of the mother, Ammu. One phrase that Ammu says to her daughter really stood out: “when you hurt people, they begin to love you less.” When I had my own children, I thought a great deal about this phrase, and it influenced what I said — and didn’t say — to my own children. Ammu’s character behaves like a child herself and acts out her own damage. I re-read it a couple of years ago and felt compassion for Ammu. The description of Ammu having the “infinite tenderness of motherhood and the reckless rage of a suicide bomber” is a really insightful way of describing a parent who hadn’t yet untangled their own childhood conditioning.
03. The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle
I am a planner and used to have to remind myself to live in the moment, not in a future of my own imagining that had not yet occurred. This book helped me change my perspective and I am now much more present and appreciate the journey instead of the end game. Taking time to smell the roses and appreciate life, just as it is, is both a challenge and a gift.
04. The Crucible, Arthur Miller
I studied this book at school and still think about it to this day. My favourite line in the play is “the magistrate sits in your heart that judges you”. It taught me that it doesn’t matter what other people think about your behaviour if you yourself are not happy with how you have behaved — and that seeking external approval is less important than getting comfortable with who you are and living your truth.
05. The Places in Between, Rory Stewart
This book documents Stewart’s walk across Afghanistan in 2002, the kind of wild travelling I dreamt about as a teenager but never quite had the courage to do. It shows that if we look for it, we can always find humanity in others. The kindness Stewart experienced during this trip reaffirms my faith and optimism in humanity, a driving force that propels me and my mission with RIISE.
06. The Waves, Virginia Woolf
I went through a phase in my 20s when I read everything Virginia Woolf had ever written and this book was by far my favourite. It’s on my list to read again this year. I love how she so eloquently captures the way our lives entwine over time and how we grow in different ways as a result of our lived experiences. I think it was the insight into the character’s inner voices and feelings that made this book have such a strong impression on me.
07. The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli
A mentor recommended I read The Prince quite some time ago. I had just been promoted and had my first experience of managing others. I have read it many times since and consider it the best leadership book I have ever read. I just substitute the word ‘prince’ for ‘leader’ when reading it. It teaches us that a leader needs to prioritise respect over love and must be able to make difficult and uncomfortable decisions in order to move forward.
08. Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut
In this book, Vonnegut introduced the concept of a False Karass: a group of people who appear to have a shared identity or purpose based on things like nationality, school or university alumni, or social class — but their association is ultimately meaningless. In my own life, I have often experienced being pulled into a False Karass. For example, when my children were little, I often felt as though I didn’t quite fit in with the other mothers and would have been more at ease in a bar full of colourful strangers. Just because we had had children at the same time didn’t mean we had anything in common. Vonnegut’s concept helped me understand why I felt this lack of belonging in certain situations, and that real human connection is not based on arbitrary or superficial things.
09. The Body Keeps The Score, Bessel van der Kolk
This is an incredibly readable book on trauma. After finishing this book, I had an increased understanding of my childhood and felt much more compassion towards my father. I was able to reframe how I saw him, as an undiagnosed trauma victim. This book helped me understand why he behaved in the way he did. It also helped me to understand my own damage and take the necessary steps to heal, a journey I am forever grateful for embarking on.
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Documented By: RIISE
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