Shawn Mendes Reveals The Book That Changed His Life

As Shawn Mendes continues to enjoy his time off, he took to Instagram Stories to share a literary recommendation. On Saturday, August 20th, the singer shared a black and white photo of the book Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts along with the caption "life changer."

The 2003 novel follows protagonist Lin, "an escaped convict with a false passport who flees maximum security prison in Australia for the teeming streets of a city where he can disappear," the synopsis explains via Goodreads. "Accompanied by his guide and faithful friend, Prabaker, the two enter Bombay's hidden society of beggars and gangsters, prostitutes and holy men, soldiers and actors, and Indians and exiles from other countries, who seek in this remarkable place what they cannot find elsewhere."

The book was such a hit that Apple TV+ has made a series based on the story. Starring Charlie Hunnman (Sons of Anarchy, Pacific Rim) as the lead, Shantaram will premiere on the streaming service on October 14th. After the first three episodes are released on that date, new episodes will drop weekly every Friday until December 16th. To digress further, the show has been a work in progress since the early 2000s with Johnny Depp and Peter Weir initially being attached, according to a report from Deadline.

Now back to Shawn. The singer has made headlines since he announced he would be canceling the remaining dates of his world tour in order to prioritize his mental health. "After speaking more with my team and working with an incredible group of health professionals, it has become more clear that I need to take the time I've never taken personally, to ground myself and come back stronger," he wrote in late July.

Earlier this month, while being hunted down by TMZ at the airport, the singer shared, "I'm taking a lot of time just doing therapy, just taking it easy, man," he said. "I think for me it's just about spending time doing things that I haven't really done over the last few years, and so having dinner with friends and stuff."