Drew Barrymore’s 10 favourite books of all time
Born into the icon Barrymore family of actors, Drew Barrymore was always destined for stardom. After coming through in her breakout performance in Steven Spielberg’s science fiction drama E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Barrymore featured in a series of blockbuster movies of varying genres.
One can find the likes of Charlie’s Angels, Batman Forever, Scream and The Wedding Singer in Barrymore’s filmography, and she’s also taken the directorial reigns on 2009’s Whip It. Barrymore has also emerged as an admired talk show host with her own TV show, The Drew Barrymore Show.
While Barrymore is indeed best known for her on-screen appearances, she is also a well-respected author, having had a collection of autobiographical essays published by E.P. Dutton and a bestselling autobiography as well. With that in mind, it’s no surprise to learn that Barrymore is an avid reader and once named her ten favourite books of all time.
She begins with the self-help book The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Person Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz, which is based on ancient Toltec teaching that tries to remove the shackles from one’s life. “It offers succinct and approachable advice about how to behave in life,” Barrymore said.
Tom Robbins’ 1980 novel Still Life with Woodpecker is next for Barrymore, which tells of a romantic affair between a princess with the ambition to save the environment and an outlaw bomber. It’s sometimes considered something of a post-modern fairy tale, and Barrymore noted of it, “A love story that is filled with poetic analogy. This man speaks in strange and delicious descriptions.”
There’s some older fiction in the shape of Ernest Hemmingway’s legendary 1929 novel A Farewell to Arms, while history also looks to be a deep interest of Barrymore’s with Alfred Lansing’s 1959 book about the Sir Ernest Shackleton’s failed Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, Endurance. She said of the latter, “This taught me that if you lead, you need to take other people’s personalities into account when you guide them. Shackleton is a brilliant hero.”
J.D. Salinger makes an appearance with Franny and Zooey, as does David Sedaris with Holidays on Ice. However, Barrymore’s “favourite” is Charles Bukowski, particularly his novel Women. The list of Barrymore’s favourite books is rounded off by John Fante, Dr. Seuss and Robert Fulghum, proving the actor is well-read and has a wide range of literary interests.
Drew Barrymore’s 10 favourite books:
- The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
- Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins
- A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
- Endurance by Alfred Lansing
- Fanny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
- Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
- Women by Charles Bukowski
- Full of Life by John Fante
- Oh, The Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss
- All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum
