Author Elizabeth Gilbert Reflects on 'Eat, Pray, Love' 10th Anniversary, New Book
The author is still trying to figure out what made the book so successful.
— -- “Eat, Pray, Love” has become a cultural phenomenon since it was published a decade ago. It sold 10 million copies worldwide, was translated into more than 30 languages and was made into a feature film starring Julia Roberts.
In the original book, author Elizabeth Gilbert chronicles her quest to find herself during a year of traveling through Italy, India and Indonesia.
To celebrate the book’s 10th anniversary, author Elizabeth Gilbert appeared live on “GMA” to discuss “Eat, Pray, Love Made Me Do It” -- a new anthology of essays in which fans of the original book share how their lives changed because of her best-selling memoir.
"I've been trying to figure that out for 10 years," Gilbert said when asked why her book resonates with so many people. "... When I read the essays that people wrote, I saw this theme that showed up again and again -- this moment in someone's life where they realize, 'My life doesn't have to look like this anymore' and that's what 'Eat, Pray, Love' is all about. It's not about the travel, the eating, it's about, 'My life doesn't have to look like this. Tomorrow doesn't have to look like today. We can make a a change. We don't have to be stuck.'"
The book inspired fans Laurna Strikwerda, Lisann Valentin and Nicole Massaro to turn their lives around.
For Valentin, that meant leaving behind the rigid sense of duty that led to her career as an attorney.
“In Latino culture, when you are the firstborn, you have a duty to be the responsible one ... you make sure you get a solid education, you get a career, you stay on that track,” the New Yorker said on "GMA" today.
She turned her back on acting, which was her true passion, and “prayed every day” to pass the bar exam, but once she had succeeded, she found that that goal didn't reflect her. She's now a full-time working actress.
Strikwerda’s transformation came when she started listening to her own voice -- just as Gilbert did.
“The big change for me has been really a journey self-acceptance,” the Washington, D.C., woman said.
Massaro, a graphic designer from South Carolina, said Gilbert’s book inspired her to start saying “yes.”
“'Eat, Pray, Love' really inspired me just to go out, and grab the opportunities that come along in life,” she said.