The church near Victor’s home was badly in need of repair, but no one seemed to care. Generations of worshipers had passed through its doors, but, with each passing year, the building got dirtier, darker, and more damp. It needed a new roof. Its rafters needed repairs. It needed a little of everything, but nothing was offered.

Unless something drastic happened, Victor feared that the old church would be torn down and a more modern building, maybe not even a church, would be put in its place. Victor was horrified by the thought. He saw something in the old church building that most others failed to see. Maybe they had seen it at one time, but most people in town largely ignored the old church. To Victor, the building was much more than merely walls and a roof. To him, the church was important.

What could Victor do? He was not an architect or carpenter. He held no political office. He had no authority to do anything towards preserving the church that he loved so dearly. Victor was a writer, mostly of poetry. Oh, dear. He published a paper entitled War [declared] on the Demolishers in which he argued for the preservation of old buildings such as his beloved church. Most of the people who read his paper were the ones who wanted to demolish buildings to make room to erect more modern structures. Victor was distraught.

Victor decided to write a book about the church in his spare time. For three years, Victor struggled to find the time to work on the book as his other literary projects, ones that earned money, took precedence. Rather than a clever title which would draw interest to the story, Victor simply used the name of the church as the title of the book. The church, an inanimate object, became almost a living, breathing character in itself. Finally, Victor finished the book, sent it to his publisher, and waited. Would anyone read a book about an almost forgotten church?

To Victor’s surprise, his book about the church became a hit. Readers flocked to see the old church which was featured so prominently in the book. They flocked to the same church they had previously ignored. The church had not changed, but their perception of it had. Victor’s book brought new interest in the church. With each passing year, Victor’s book became more popular. Thirteen years after Victor published his book, the king of the country ordered the restoration of the church, a project which lasted twenty years. With the success of Victor’s book, the church became much more than a building of worship. It became a national icon.

In the years since Victor’s book was first published, millions of visitors, myself included, have flocked to see the church because of the book. The church is currently undergoing another restoration following a disastrous fire. You and I know the story and the church well because of the book’s many stage, television, and film adaptations. Had Victor not written his book, the church which had stood for over 700 years would not have been saved, and you and I would never have heard of the church Notre-Dame de Paris. The original French title of Victor’s book was Notre-Dame de Paris, but English speaking countries know Victor Hugo’s 1831 book by its adapted title, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This is just one example of the positive power of words.