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The Most Impactful Books I've Read in 2026 (And Why I Can't Stop Thinking About Them)
20 Plays10 days ago
Three books changed how I see the world in 2026. Even though I'm behind on my reading goal, these specific books stuck with me and taught me things I never learned before. Reading recommendations that matter and why these stories need to be heard.
Three impactful books:
- The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio - hidden stories of invisible communities
- Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green - how everything connects to systems and history
- A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon - depression and recognition in the pages
What they taught me: History I never learned in school. Systems I couldn't see before. Myself reflected on the page. These books showed me perspectives that matter and stories that need hearing.
Subscribe. Share. Remember that books show us what we need to see.
Small steps, big healing. Keep growing! ✨
Join the conversation! What book changed how you see the world? DM me on Instagram @YourCoachMari!
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Transcript
Introduction to Growing with Sol
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello beautiful soul and welcome back to another installment of the Growing with podcast where we explore the moments and stories that shape who are becoming. i'm Marisol and I love to have real conversations about growth, self-discovery, and learning to put yourself first.
00:00:14
Speaker
Whether we're diving into books that change our perspective or unpacking personal experiences that teach us something new, this podcast is for women who are done playing small and are ready to embrace their own journey.
Reading Goals and Book Discussions
00:00:27
Speaker
If you've struggled with putting in everybody else first or even battled self-doubt, you're in the right place. This isn't about perfection. It's about the messy, the beautiful process of growing into yourself.
00:00:39
Speaker
So come grow with me. naturally as you can tell this episode is going to be about books one of my favorite things to talk about ever on the entire planet and i need to be very real with myself especially now that we are so deep into 2026 that i'm probably not going to hit my reading goal i wanted to read 30 books this year and i don't know i've just been in like a reading slump for like months now and on my story graph, it says I'm eight books behind. like It's like eight more books to get back on track. And I'm like, who's gonna read eight books?
00:01:12
Speaker
Not me. I got work to do. And sleep to catch up on and dissociating to do, I don't know, I don't know why I'm not reading, but it's not happening.
Impact of 'The Undocumented Americans'
00:01:23
Speaker
With that being said, i have read a bit this year anyway, and I want to talk about the books that have really made an impact and have left their mark and that i keep thinking about.
00:01:37
Speaker
So let's get into it and get into why these books were so a profound and why they seem to just be stuck on a loop in my mind and why I keep thinking about them.
00:01:51
Speaker
The first one was an unexpected one. And it was one that... somebody that I follow on Instagram posted about it on their stories.
00:02:02
Speaker
And I had been looking for a really good nonfiction book. And ideally one that had a good audio book version. And they posted about it on their IG. And I was like, if this has an audio book version, that might be absolutely perfect.
00:02:15
Speaker
So I messaged her and i was like, hey, are you enjoying that book? And she said, yes, it's really good, but it's heavy. So I stopped reading it. And I was like, oh, no, last thing I need in life is a heavy book to listen to or to read.
00:02:28
Speaker
i don't need a downer. But I was like, you know what? It might be good. So I gave it a shot. I gave it a chance. And that book was The Undocumented Americans by Carla Cornejo Villavicencio.
00:02:41
Speaker
And I'm so glad I gave it a chance.
00:02:45
Speaker
One of the things that I will never forget upon reading this book,
00:02:55
Speaker
and it was it was one of those things that just after you listen to it, after you read it, you just want to like sit there and cry. like apparently, apparently 9-11,
00:03:10
Speaker
after nine eleven Undocumented immigrants were used to clean up and they were not given PPE. I didn't know that.
00:03:24
Speaker
I didn't know that. and did Did you like if you knew that, tell me in the comments that you already knew that. But I didn't know that. And as someone who witnessed 9-11 happening on her TV screen as a child and has grown and lived in the United States.
00:03:46
Speaker
you You learn about what happened that day and what led to it and the aftermath and how it affected people and the firefighters and, you know, all of that.
00:03:59
Speaker
But not once in my life since I was 11 when it happened. Like, not once. like not ones in any of that, in school, in any of that, did I learn that undocumented immigrants were used, were contracted by like third party companies and stuff to clean up and not give in PPE.
Exploring Undocumented Immigrant Stories
00:04:26
Speaker
And there are ah so many impactful like tidbits of information essentially throughout that entire book that like
00:04:37
Speaker
It's like, oh, I didn't know that. And then you see it not only there, essentially like on the written page, but also given context, because this author does a very beautiful job of interviewing people and presenting their stories in a wonderful mix of factual, like matter of fact kind of a way, but still with a delicacy and respect for their lived experience.
00:05:16
Speaker
And we kind of begin the book with her talking about, you know, her own story as an immigrant and her own background and her family a little bit, um and sort of And that's also a lot of what she does in bringing in in the story she brings up as well and giving a little bit more history and context to the people that she does interview essentially for this book.
00:05:41
Speaker
And we do get to see undocumented immigrants from different communities within the United States as well. So we see communities from New York, from Florida, from Flint, Michigan, and we get to learn about their motivations, their aspirations, and a lot of the vulnerabilities that these individuals are experiencing because of their current situation.
00:06:09
Speaker
We also really get an a personal look, essentially. about or regarding how they also survive, essentially, in a sociocultural environment that is inhospitable.
00:06:27
Speaker
Which is like one of things about the United States is it's so inhospitable to immigrants when it is a nation of immigrants.
00:06:38
Speaker
Unless you're talking about actual Native Americans. Like everybody's a freaking immigrant basically. But it's so inhospitable to immigrants. And you see that through this book as well.
00:06:51
Speaker
And like kind I mentioned earlier, there's like those tidbits of information that just sort of stick with you when you read this book. Another one of those instances was the the story of undocumented immigrants living in Flint, Michigan.
Audiobook Narration and Experience
00:07:07
Speaker
As you probably already know, Flint, Michigan went through a water crisis. And one of the things that you don't really hear is how it affected the undocumented undocumented community in Flint.
00:07:26
Speaker
Like how many years have gone by where people have talked about this and people have reported on it? And I'm I would say I'm fairly tapped into like a news and current events and I have been over the course of my life, especially my adult life, but not once, not once did I ever hear about how the undocumented community in Flint was affected by this.
00:07:53
Speaker
And the thing is, since they are more of a vulnerable community, A lot of them were the last to know what the F was going on.
00:08:08
Speaker
And there were there was a point in time where like the National Guard was being used to like warn the community or to like let the community know that like they need to eat go to certain locations to get clean water.
00:08:21
Speaker
And like, as an undocumented person, the last thing you're going to do is open up your door when somebody in like a military uniform basically is knocking.
00:08:33
Speaker
So they were not warned. They did not receive the information unless they knew somebody who had received the information or spoke English um and was able to notify them.
00:08:45
Speaker
And like, I never heard that before until I read this book.
Exploration of 'Everything is Tuberculosis'
00:08:51
Speaker
So that's just two examples. But there are so many more. And one of the unexpected things that I found while listening to this book, which is narrated by the author, is that one, the narration is perfect. like Like, at first, I was a little concerned because she does have a bit of a dry tone. So I was like, oh, no, I'm not going to enjoy the narration.
00:09:13
Speaker
But it's absolutely perfect. Like, the dry tone that she has...
00:09:19
Speaker
surprisingly, like it was unexpected for me, but it pairs really well with like the humorous bits that she puts into the book. Like there were definitely and maybe it's because I can have a little bit of a like dark but silly sense of humor.
00:09:35
Speaker
So maybe it's just my sense of humor vibing with hers. It could be that. But there were definitely a surprising amount of times where I was or i was like literally like I'm on driving in my car listening to the book like laughing because she just said something that I was just like, what?
00:09:51
Speaker
Because it's generally some humor, which I think given the the heaviness of the topic or the heaviness that can be there, a little bit of levity is nice. But I just remember, again, terms of what stood out to me, there was one point where she was commenting on um something to do with like Mexican immigrants and the Mexican community. Like something.
00:10:14
Speaker
like ah Like a little like cultural commentary. Like nothing heavy or anything like that. And then she was just like, Mexican and they're Metallica. Yeah. I was like, what?
00:10:25
Speaker
Like, really? I was like, why am I over here catching sh strays? Because yeah, yeah, Mexicans in our Metallica, okay? I had my Metallica phase, and whenever a track comes on, I'm very happy. So, just the the dry tone, the little tidbits of humor, like, wrapped into the overall narration, and probably within, like, the writing of the book as well.
00:10:48
Speaker
Absolutely perfect. So if you like nonfiction, check this out. And the audiobook is fantastic if you are someone who likes audiobooks.
Connecting Life and Tuberculosis
00:10:59
Speaker
The second book that stood out to me this year was actually also a nonfiction book and one that I listened to as well. And that is Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green.
00:11:11
Speaker
Girl. Everything really is tuberculosis. Holy shit. Like beauty standards, having an artistic air or disposition, even politics and and colonization are linked to tuberculosis and the current lack of resources and just nations that are experiencing...
00:11:36
Speaker
and like treating and curing tuberculosis more so than others. Like, like all of that is tuberculosis, whether it is directly relating to it in terms of like beauty standards and stuff, like, because apparently with like tuberculosis, it gives you like, it gets kind of pale, but then like, I don't, it's just the way that they were talking about like beauty standards and like how you're supposed to like,
00:12:01
Speaker
And it could be thin and like kind of pouty, but like, and like a little bit pale. And but like a little bit like rosy cheeks, a little bit too. Like, like all of that is like, oh, you kind of look like a TB patient. Like, excuse Like, what?
00:12:14
Speaker
Like, at like when they were talking, when he was talking about that section of like Beauty Sanders and TB. And I would think back to like, when you apply makeup and what that looks like, like, oh my God, you know, freaking crazy.
00:12:28
Speaker
But, and again, this is one of those books where i was listening to it and getting angry because politics, history, colonization very much directly impacts today how nations are able to treat and cure TB or not really how they're not able to.
00:12:51
Speaker
um What I did appreciate about this book is how the story of Henry is interwoven throughout the book.
00:13:01
Speaker
So you're not just getting straight up facts like a textbook. You're getting the facts, but you're also getting this amazing story of someone that the author met who has tuberculosis.
00:13:15
Speaker
And not just that, but... I really also appreciated how John Green was... respectful of traditional medicinal methods of treating TB um that are sometimes that were used and are sometimes still used in Sierra Leone instead of Western medicine.
00:13:39
Speaker
um Henry's story that was interwoven into the book really highlighted like the emotional, emotionally tumultuous experience that it is having TB and how we can affect like the other people in your life.
00:13:56
Speaker
Like, it's not only difficult for you, the person who has TB, but it's difficult for everyone else in your life who loves you. And that story really highlighted that.
00:14:06
Speaker
And then again, the story also highlighted, you know, politics, lack of resources, the history of colonization, the imperfect, imperfect foreign aid um that is connected TB. And then again, Henry himself,
00:14:26
Speaker
was this person, is this person who has this like poetic heart in nature, again, hearkening back to like having that poetic disposition and air about you and that's what leads to TB, which was a common thought that people had like back in the day.
00:14:42
Speaker
Crazy, because i means I probably would have had TB as a kid if that was the only like reason. But yeah, ultimately, The way that this book takes all these different things in life and connects it to tv is just like, would have never.
00:15:01
Speaker
i would have never. So it's very enlightening in that way. In terms of the narration, because again, I also listened to this book, I really enjoyed the conversational tone that and John Green took when narrating.
00:15:14
Speaker
And as someone who struggles with reading nonfiction, I'm always a little nervous of like, how's the audio book going to be with a nonfiction book?
00:15:27
Speaker
But with these last two, with this one, the last one had like that dry tone with a little bit of humor. This one was very different, way more conversational, but both very enjoyable. So again, if you like audio books, if you've been wanting to read this one, check it out.
Personal Connection to 'A Magical Girl Retires'
00:15:45
Speaker
Definitely check it out.
00:15:48
Speaker
Okay, the third one is definitely one of my tried and true. We're going back to fiction. And I have actually already talked about this book on the podcast. So if you missed it, well, maybe you don't go back because that one's going to have spoilers. But if you've already read this book and you missed that episode, I'll link it down below.
00:16:05
Speaker
and the book is a Magical Girl Retires by Park Sol-yon. This book was so unexpected for me. Most books I tend to find online at this point in my life, whether it is somebody just talking about their favorite books or like them talking about books they read recently that they really liked or maybe I don't know, doing a book haul or something, or it's the author promoting their own book. That that tends to be how I find books nowadays.
00:16:34
Speaker
But this one was really that vintage experience of just happening upon a book while you're browsing the bookstore. And i love that for me, that it was just happenstance. It was chance. It was the universe bringing this story to me at the right time in my life, essentially.
00:16:54
Speaker
because the main character is so relatable. Like, the type of depression that she's experiencing throughout the the majority of the book, like... Like, I get it.
00:17:09
Speaker
like Like, for the most part, there is... you know, and I talk about that trigger warning, because it is a little bit... it starts off a little bit heavy in the beginning. So there is that. But for the majority of the book,
00:17:23
Speaker
There's sort of this like, you know that type of depression where it's like, I'm not okay, but I'm okay kind of a thing, which if you feel that way, you should still should go speak to someone.
00:17:38
Speaker
But there's sort of that like, i'm I'm okay, but I'm not okay, but I'm trucking on and I'm going to keep on my path to figure out my stuff and my life and my things.
00:17:50
Speaker
And I feel like a lot of like millennials, maybe Gen Z can relate to that. So that's one reason why she's very relatable. In the last episode where i talked about this book, I go into more detail about all of that.
00:18:01
Speaker
um But there's that aspect to it. The debt that she's in, very relatable. and the like there's a moment also in that book where like... Where it's like when when you're feeling...
00:18:17
Speaker
that like that way about yourself and about life where everything is a challenge no matter how hard you like try like nothing ever really is easy and you feel kind of like morose about everything all the time anyway there's this like something finally good is happening and you're daring to hope and then it's taken away from you and you're like oh yeah well of course i'm not the chosen one type of thing you know like like that like that feeling oh So relatable. And it was there on the page. I was like, yo who else who elsea has experienced this?
00:18:50
Speaker
What do you mean? What do you mean somebody else has experienced? Because this is this something I've experienced a lot. So seeing it on the page was fantastic. I also think that like the way in which the main character goes about
00:19:07
Speaker
handling her gift was really nice and a twist on the whole like superhero type thing and like trope. So that was really cool too.
00:19:19
Speaker
Overall, Magical World Retires is a phenomenal read. I really enjoyed it. I think it was incredibly interesting of a story. i think the characters are all very interesting and likable, even the villain.
00:19:33
Speaker
I do think even the villain is likable. So if you haven't read it, go read it.
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:19:39
Speaker
It's fantastic. All of the books that I mentioned today are going to be linked to below and they are also going to be linked in my bookshop book list.
00:19:48
Speaker
So if you're interested in getting them, check them out. If you've already read these books, and you liked them or you felt some type of way about them, let me know in the comments down below. I would love to hear your thoughts about it.
00:20:01
Speaker
If this episode resonated with you, that's awesome. I appreciate you for staying this long. Don't forget to subscribe, like the video, and to leave a comment as well. And additionally, if you...
00:20:13
Speaker
would like to, you know, if you resonated with this, would highly recommend trading it out as well to a fellow reader. And if you're also looking for support on your own journeys, you can definitely work with me and schedule your very own discovery call, the link in the show notes.
00:20:26
Speaker
And until next time, keep growing.