Robert Bathurst: Books that changed my life

Christopher Reid’s wife died in 2005 and this wonderful collection of poetry is his tribute to her.

I read it at a time when there was someone close to me who was very ill—I had all the anxieties and confusion that Reid expresses so beautifully, and it gave me great comfort at a difficult time.

The poems are the best expression of grief and a celebration of life; we must enjoy our time while we can.

I studied law before becoming an actor, and I’ve always been intrigued by how the law can be used to support tyranny.

This book reveals how Stalin was able to carry out unspeakable atrocities and then have the courts justify his actions.

It’s a remarkable study in how power is created and sustained—in Stalin’s case by purges and man-made famine, which resulted in the deaths of some 15 million Russians in the 1930s. 

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I was brought up during a time when if anyone was a bit different they were considered odd.

Nowadays, I’m glad to say we have become much more accepting of people’s differences and that’s down to books like this—Charlotte Moore’s account of family life with her two autistic sons. Charlotte’s wonderfully accepting and loving outlook is humbling and inspiring.

We all need to understand that the uncontrollable forces—which make some people unable to see things through the prism of what we might regard as “normal”—aren’t to be feared, but embraced.

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