A recent documentary marking the National Year of Reading explored the profound impact books can have on individuals’ lives through a series of personal stories. The film featured four people who credited books with helping them overcome adversity and transform their circumstances.

One subject shared how Glenn McCrory’s *Carrying David* inspired him during a severe battle with depression that left him nearly housebound. Another woman recounted how Robyn Davidson’s *Tracks* led her to leave her job at a wine company in London, relocate to Perthshire with her partner Steve, and convert an old Little Chef into a fish and chip restaurant. After Steve’s sudden death from an aortic aneurysm just over a year later, the book remained a source of strength. “Courage is about keeping going despite wanting to give up,” she said.

The documentary also highlighted Queen Camilla’s lifelong engagement with reading. Having left school at 16, the queen attributed much of her education to books. As a teenager, she read *Lady Chatterley’s Lover* secretly by torchlight, revealing a youthful curiosity about the controversial novel. She expressed particular interest in the French Revolution’s guillotine and the tricoteuse, and was fond of *The Scarlet Pimpernel*. Of personal significance was her father Major Bruce Shand’s memoir, *Previous Engagements*, which chronicled his time as a prisoner of war during World War II. The queen said it moved her deeply because he had never previously spoken about his wartime experiences. She emphasized the importance of reading, stating, “if there’s no reading, personally I think we might as well all give up because I don’t think we’d even be human any longer.”

Omar’s story illustrated how books provided an escape from a troubled youth marked by a serious accident and criminal behavior. At 15, while confined at Feltham young offender institution, he discovered *The Eagle Has Landed* left in his cell by a previous occupant. Reading became a means to mentally escape incarceration and personal struggles. Years later, Omar founded a company offering workshops and mentoring for people leaving prison, further demonstrating the transformative potential of literacy.

The documentary also included Peter, a Southport lorry driver born partially deaf who struggled with reading throughout his life. He described *Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone* as a pivotal book that “means the absolute world” to him, accompanying him repeatedly on long journeys.

While the film underscored reading’s role in stress reduction and emotional regulation, it noted that 40 percent of Britons had not read a single book in the past year. The documentary left open questions about contemporary reading habits and whether digital distractions, such as social media, have diminished book readership.