Stories We Need to Know

From Homer to Harry Potter - the wisdom of classic literature awaits you.

If you’re looking for reliable, time-tested guidance on your journey through life then this is the book for you. Using the wisdom of over three thousand years of literature and myth, Dr Allan Hunter explores the stories we need to know and understand, and shows how they have offered us real advice and guidance for generations.

You’ll find practical advice that will help you identify which of the six archetypes you are presently living, as well as what challenges you may need to face if you are to grow spiritually to fulfill all you are capable of being.

For the first time we have a coherent way of understanding these archetypes and the way they appear in our world and our lives. Until now this way of looking at ourselves and others has been hopelessly confused. Now it is made clear –and we see that the information we have been seeking has always been present in the stories our culture has been treasuring since storytelling began.

Whether you are a student of literature or a student of life, walking a spiritual path or not, the information you’ll find inside this book is an eye-opening experience.

"Just as this is a book about the Stories We Need, Allan Hunter is an author we need. Using what he calls ‘the guiding power of literature’ to illustrate the six distinct stages of personal development he has identified over his 30 years of counseling and teaching, Hunter fascinates, educates and exhilarates. Waves of gratitude to him on behalf of the legions of souls in whom this book is sure to spark introspection, revelation and growth."

-Suzanne Strempek Shea, author of Becoming Finola

"Stories We Need to Know refreshingly reminds us of what our heavily sedated and theoretical age has sadly forgotten: that great literature was always a source of healing and a path to personal growth. In this groundbreaking study, Allan Hunter uncovers the vital interplay of literature and psychology as he takes a bold new look at the way archetypes – whether found in The Odyssey or Harry Potter – can profoundly transform both individual lives and our spiritually starved society."

-Robert Atwan, Series Editor, The Best American Essays