Fave book: \"Into the Wild\" by Jon Krakauer
It's a beautifully written book that shows the beauty of nature and the danger of nature. It's the extraordinary journey of a guy who's unafraid to break free from the expectations of a young person. It ends in a sad way, but it is still very inspiring.";
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i++] = new Array("","Lindsay Vonn","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/081110-vonn-vmed-830a.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Jonathan Fickies", "Getty Images file", "273", "205", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i-1].body = "
Fave book: \"Picabo Street: Downhill Dynamo\" by Joel Dippold
I learned a lot of things I didn't know about [skier Picabo Street], including the fact that she named herself. I found a lot of similarities between her and I. She had a lot of ups and downs and at the time I read it, I was having a lot of downs. That’s why I related to it.
";
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i++] = new Array("","Lester Holt","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040212/040212_lesterholt_bio_3p.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "", "NBC New", "273", "214", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i-1].body = "
Fave book: \"The Kite Runner\" by Khaled Hosseini
The themes of personal redemption, moral courage and loyalty resonated deeply within me. It's a book that made me really ponder the depth of my own friendships, and the choice we all face of whether to do the right thing in trying and extraordinarily difficult moments in life. ";
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i++] = new Array("","Maureen McCormick","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/2007/May/070515/070517_MaureenMcCormick_vsmall.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Frazer Harrison", "Getty Images file", "273", "194", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i-1].body = "
Fave book: \"My Life So Far\" by Jane Fonda
She totally got naked in that book and revealed herself -- her realness and all of her mistakes. It was just amazing. I just thought, \"Wow, I could be a friend of Jane Fonda.\" I admire her for her truthfulness, and she inspired me to be the same way. ";
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i++] = new Array("","Giada De Laurentiis","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo/_new/081002-giada-vlrg-9a.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Heidi Gutman", "NBC", "273", "219", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i-1].body = "
Fave book: \"Goodnight Moon\" by Margaret Wise Brown
I read \"Good Night, Moon\" to my daughter because that book means a lot to me. My grandmother was the first person to tell me stories about the moon. We used to call her \"Nonna Luna\", which means \"grandmother moon\" in Italian. So I think it's appropriate for my daughter, because it's a way for me to tell her about her great-grandmother, who is no longer with us.";
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i++] = new Array("","Ann Curry","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo/_new/081002-curry-vlrg-9a.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Evan Agostini", "Getty Images", "273", "219", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i-1].body = "
Fave book: \"The Once and Future King\" by T.H. White.
It's my favorite book of all time. It is the story of King Arthur, but it is really about the greatness possible in even the lowliest regarded person. ";
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i++] = new Array("","Jesse McCartney","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo/_new/081001-mccartney-vsmall-230p.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Mary Altaffer", "AP", "273", "209", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i-1].body = "
Fave book: Anything by Dr. Seuss
As a young kid, my interest in reading was sparked by Dr. Seuss. My parents would pick the books out for me, and when I got older, that encouraged me to pick up books on my own. My first memories of reading were of \"Horton Hears a Who!\" and \"The Grinch Who Stole Christmas\".";
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i++] = new Array("","LL Cool J","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo/_new/081001-llcoolj-vsmall-228p.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Chris Pizzello", "AP", "273", "209", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i-1].body = "
Fave book: \"Cashflow Quadrant\" by Robert Kiyosaki
This book really helped me understand finances at a time when I wanted to get into the business side of the industry. It taught me how to be an astute businessman in addition to being an entertainer, and it is a really important book that helps you take control of your money and be an entrepreneur.";
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i++] = new Array("","Sonia Manzano","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo/_new/081001-manzano-vsmall-235.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Thos Robinson", "Getty Images", "273", "209", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i-1].body = "
Fave book: \"Charlotte's Web\" by E.B. White
As a fifth grader going to school in the Bronx, I remember my teacher reading \"Charlotte's Web\" and how much that book made me feel. It's a combination of joy and sadness, and it's a story told on two different levels.";
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i++] = new Array("","Amy Robach","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo/_new/081002-robach-vlrg-9a.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Virginia Sherwood", "NBC", "273", "219", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i-1].body = "
Fave book: \"Xanth\" series by Piers Anthony
The first one, \"A Spell for Chameleon\", for me, back in middle school, this was like \"Harry Potter\" -- I was addicted. I spent summer after summer in the library checking these books out and it truly sparked my love of reading and fantasy. It gave me a place to escape to, a magic world, when I had just moved at the awkward age of 13 from a small Catholic school in St. Louis to a huge public school in Atlanta. That book and the ones that followed in the \"Xanth\" series literally got me through a really rough time in my life.";
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i++] = new Array("","Jenna Wolfe","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo/_new/081002-jennawolfe-vmed-1123a.hsmall.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Virginia Sherwood", "© NBC Universal", "273", "247", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i-1].body = "
Fave book: \"The Prince of Tides\" by Pat Conroy
It was the first book that I ever read twice and it inspired a trail of reading outside my comforted zone of authors. It's such a beautiful story about love and pain and family and the thin line between each. I learned that relationships can blossom independent of site and circumstance, regardless of rules and boundaries. I learned that not every story has to have a happy ending to inspire, and that sometimes, if you strip away the obvious, there is much more to be seen.
";
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i++] = new Array("","Mary-Louise Parker","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo/_new/081001-parker-vsmall-227p.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "right", "Frank Trapper", "Corbis", "273", "209", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TODAY_081002_CelebInfluentialBooks[i-1].body = "
Fave book: \"Somebody Loves you Mr. Hatch\" by Eileen Spinelli
I wasn’t a terribly social child and books were really my best friends. I pass that on to my children. I think it's the best way to stimulate their imagination and their compassion and to help them focus.
"; // END editorial data