One of our favorite ways to discover new books is by checking out staff recommendations at local independent booksellers, so we thought it would be fun to create an ongoing blog series that features recommendations from the New World Library publishing team. Senior Editor Jason Gardner kicks it off with this glowing recommendation of And There Was Light by Jacques Lusseyran.

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I was thrilled to acquire publication rights last year to And There Was Light, a classic but little-known memoir originally published in 1963. I was wowed by Jacques Lusseyran’s brilliant voice and his buoyant embrace of life, no matter the challenges he faced.

Here are five reasons you should read it: 

Welcome to 2015!

Now that you’re here, let’s take a look around and see what you brought with you to this point in your life.

Your stuff, your activities, the people in your life, and the ways you see the world are all here with you. We’re going to look them over and see what you’d like to bring with you on your trip in 2015. We’re going to sort out the things that feel like dead weight and won’t be used.