The Impact of Nicholas Sparks on American Culture

“I don’t know that love changes. People change. Circumstances change” (Sparks). Nicholas Sparks is an American author who was born in Omaha, Nebraska to Jill and Patrick Sparks. Throughout his childhood, Sparks moved around the midwest due to his father’s graduate studies; which put a strain on his parent’s relationship. His mother’s strong religious beliefs were instilled into Sparks and his siblings, this can be seen in his books as he stated in an interview, “I do not use profanity in my novels. My characters all go to church” (Sparks). His parent’s discord lead Sparks and his two siblings to rely on each other and watch out for one another. Sparks and his younger sister Dana were inseparable, but sadly she passed away at the age of 33. Although this was very difficult for Sparks, it inspired one of his most popular books A Walk to Remember. Sparks novels are very successful due to each one having a unique storyline and his remarkable ability to engrain love, hope, and loss into each novel. Nicholas Sparks is one of the most influential writers of the twenty-first century, and his works continue to have an impact on American culture today.

Nicholas Sparks was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1965 to Jill and Patrick Sparks. According to a biography on Sparks written by Jessica Estremera, his father was a professor and continuing his graduate degree, which lead to his family constantly moving (2012). The same book states Sparks graduated as the valedictorian of his class and enrolled in The University of Notre Dame. Estremera also mentions Sparks’ athletic career, stating, “Nicholas not only excelled in academics, but also began to experience the thrill of high school sports, where he thrived in running track and earned a full Scholarship to the university of Notre Dame” (2012). Melinda Shepherd discusses Sparks’ career as a pharmaceutical salesman in an article in Encyclopedia Britannica (2018). In another article written in The Washington Post Karen Heller states that Sparks “kept the salesman job for another 15 months after selling The Notebook” (2016). The article also discusses Sparks’ decision to stay in New Bern, North Carolina, a small town with about 30,000 residents (2016). Sparks’ novels entail stories of love and loss; due to his many successful novels, Sparks is a world renowned writer.

Over the course of his career, Sparks wrote numerous novels, many of which are well known and read worldwide. Although many consider his novels to be in the romance genre, Sparks does not. In an interview with USA Today Sparks describes his view on his literature stating, “If you look for me, I’m in the fiction section. Romance has its own section. I don’t write romance novels” (Estremera, 2012). Sparks has sold over 55 million novels as well as earning over $300 million on his film adaptations worldwide, this places him number ten on the Forbes Top Ten List of Highest Earning Authors (Estremera, 2012). Along with being ranked in Forbes, an article in the Washington Post says, “Every book hit the New York Times bestseller list, often spiking to the top” (Heller, 2016). In Estremera’s biography on Sparks’ life she discusses how his conservative upbringing influences his work stating all of his novels have a recurring theme of abstinence before marriage and a lack of profanity, resulting in many of Sparks’ novels being viewed as wholesome love stories (Estremera, 2012). Although all of Sparks’ novels are adored and cherished by many, one of the most notable is The Notebook.

The Notebook is one of Sparks’ most popular works, with its inspiring tale of true love, it has sold millions of copies and been made into a film. The plot consists of a man reading their story of true love to his wife who suffers from Alzheimer's. It follows the two young adults through the trials of overcoming distance and social status to be together. An article in The Washington Post delves into the popularity of the novel as it sat at the top of the bestseller list for more than a year. The film adaptation also lead to Sparks’ being deemed the “undisputed king of tear-soaked literature” (Heller, 2016). An article dedicated to Sparks’ on a website dedicated to famous authors discusses the novel’s immediate success as literary agent Theresa Park and her agency offered to represent him leaving Sparks’ with one million dollars in cash in 1995. The same article discusses how the novel thrust Sparks’ into the spotlight stating, “The Notebook was a launchpad for Sparks. A literary agent Theresa Park discovered his novel from her agency and offered to represent him” (“Nicholas Sparks”, 2012). Despite The Notebook generally being the main novel associated with Sparks’ writing career, A Walk to Remember also swept the nation.

A Walk to Remember is a novel that hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list full of love, loss, and heartbreak. The novel follows a rebellious young teen, Landon, who falls in love with the minister’s daughter, Jamie. The story ends in heartbreak when Jamie passes away from Leukemia. According to a biography of Sparks’ life, the inspiration for this renowned novel stems from the death of his sister Dana. Dana died at the age of 33 after battling cancer (Estremera, 2012). In an article about A Walk to Remember written by Sparks on his website, he says a walk to remember was his favorite to write. He goes on to state, “In many ways, Jamie Sullivan was my younger sister,” and says that they resembled each other both in religious ideals and personality (“A Walk to Remember”). The story also mirrors his sister’s story of love, Sparks discusses his sister’s husband unconditional love despite the knowledge that their time was limited. Sparks speaks of this with admiration, saying, “It was just about the sweetest thing that’s ever been done for anyone, and I suppose I wrote this novel not only so that you could get to know my sister, but so that you would know what a wonderful thing it was that her husband once did for her”(“A Walk to Remember”, n.d.). Sparks’ work is loved by people of all ages and in all stages of life, his novels have impacted the American view on love and loss.

Sparks’ novels have impacted society in many ways, his enthralling stories of true love and pain have brought a new level of reality to the romance genre. Many of his fans are moved to tears, in The Washington Post on fan is quoted saying, “He reaches and touches me to the core,” at a book signing at the Union Square bookstore (Heller, 2016). Estremera discusses Sparks perennial popularity in her biography of his life, discussing his association with the romance genre and the bittersweet endings he is so well-known for (2012). Sparks’ stories also inspire inspire romance in real-life couples, the same article in The Washington Post discussed how she witnessed a proposal at an appearance in Denver, going on to state that this is “a regular Sparks phenomenon” (Heller, 2016). Not only is Sparks’ a world renowned author, but Heller also discusses his use of wealth to found the Epiphany School of Global Studies; this is not unsurprising since Sparks’ is well-known for his strong Christian faith (2016). Sparks’ ability to create stories readers can relate to time after time will undoubtedly set him apart from other writers forever.

Nicholas Sparks is one of the most influential writers in the romance genre of the twenty-first century, his work will continue to influence and inspire many future writers. Sparks’ is able to connect to his audience, and move them in ways that other authors fail to do. His ability to bring a more realistic aspect to his love stories set him apart from other authors in the romance genre. Every novel Sparks’ writes is different from the last, but maintains the same enthralling quality that holds his audience captive. Sparks’ transparency about his own life and relationship allows him to connect to his readers. Due to Sparks’ connection with his audience and ability to continue producing love stories that hold the reader’s attention through the end will be remembered long after he has stopped writing. He has developed a legacy that will live on throughout history. “Love is like the wind, you can’t see it, but you can feel it” (Sparks).