Embarking on a mission to ignite a passion for reading among his Year 11 English class, a seasoned teacher returns to his alma mater. Disheartened by the lack of enthusiasm for leisure reading, he challenges his students to discover the wisdom in the choices of successful individuals. What ensues is an inspiring project where letters are sent to over 250 accomplished Australians, asking a simple yet profound question: "Which book influenced you most as a teenager and why?" This anthology reveals over 130 heartfelt responses, accompanied by brief biographies. A testament to the enduring impact of literature and the success bred from a love of books.

Contributors include: Charles Abbott, Phillip Adams, Patsy Adam-Smith, Claudio Alcorso, Charles Anderson VC, Bob Ansett, Sir Reginald Ansett, Doug Anthony, Julie Anthony, Sir Robert Askin, Sir Garfield Barwick, Marjorie Barnard, John Bechervaise, Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, Geoffrey Blainey, John Blight, Sir Henry Bolte, Sir Jack Brabham, John Brack, Russell Braddon, Sir Donald Bradman, John Bray, Niall Brennan, Sir Macfarlane Burnet, Jim Cairns, Clive Caldwell, Dame Carmen Callil, Sir Roderick Carnegie, Matt Carroll, Maie Casey, Nancy Cato, Don Charlwood, Manning Clark, Sir Rupert Clarke, Jon Cleary, H.C. "Nugget" Coombs, Sir Zelman Cowen, Finlay Crisp, Paul Cronin, Dymphna Cusack, John Beede Cusack, Sir James Darling, Sir Rohan Delacombe, Viscount De Lisle VC, Stuart Devlin, Brian Dixon, Rosemary Dobson, Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop, Dame Mary Durack, Geoffrey Dutton, Hughie Edwards VC, Tony Eggleton, Herb Elliott, Sumner Locke Elliott, Noel Ferrier, Joan Fitzhardinge, Malcolm Fraser, Frank Galbally, Ken Hall, Rodney Hall, Dame Joan Hammond, Lang Hancock, Sir Keith Hancock, Pro Hart, Sir Laurence Hartnett, Sir Paul Hasluck, Stanley Hawes, Bob Hawke, Bishop John Hazlewood, Sir Robert Helpmann, Angas Holmes, A.D. Hope, Peter Howson, Barry Humphries, Robert Ingpen, Peter Isaacson, Kenneth Jack, Sir Robert Jackson, Sir Asher Joel, Ian Johnson, Barry Jones, Marilyn Jones, Louis Kahan, Peter Karmel, Nancy Keesing, Michael Kirby, Sir Richard Kirby, Leonie Kramer, Stanley Kurrle, John La Nauze, Don Lane, Clifford Last, Sir Condor Laucke, Phillip Law, Ray Lawler, Joan Lindsay, Archbishop Sir Frank Little, John McCallum, Alan McCulloch, F. Margaret McGuire, Sir William McKell, Sir Charles Mackerras, Ian McLaren, Sir William McMahon, Leonard Mann, Alan Marshall, Bert Newton, Gerald O'Collins, Andrew Peacock, Stuart Sayers, Sir Billy Snedden, Peter Sculthorpe, Dame Joan Sutherland, Colin Thiele, Lindsay Thompson, Archbishop Sir Frank Woods, Sir John Young

DAVID THOMSON was born in Melbourne and educated at Monash, Cambridge and Harvard Universities. After a compulsory stint of National Service in the RAAF, he became a teacher, eventually returning to his old school where he taught English and Legal Studies for 37 years. He has written for many publications in Australia, the UK and the USA and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2018 for service to education.