Books that changed your life

[Keroin]

Are there any books that have changed how you think or act, or have changed how you view the world? What were they and how did they change you?

Just curious.

For me, it was "The Demon-Haunted World: science as a candle in the dark"
by Carl Sagan

I have never been religious but I admit that when I was young I used to believe in things like ghosts, astrology, UFO abductions, etc. As I got older, I began thinking a *bit* more critically. But it was Sagan's book that really opened my eyes both to the wonders of science and the dangers of pseudo-science.

I credit this book with helping me to shed a lot of harmful ideas and make better, more informed decisions in my life.

Which books have changed you...and how?

 

[chy_girl]

Are there any books that have changed how you think or act, or have changed how you view the world? What were they and how did they change you?

It wasn't a book per say, but more of an article. It was A Modest Proposal by Johnathan Swift.

It was the second assigned reading when I took a writing class on style and argument in college. The instructor gave the specific instruction not to read the into that gave the background/history of the writing. Just read the article and write the reaction in our journals.

The next class, everyone was in an uproar - people were accusing the teacher of everything under the sun in the discussion. It became about her and her choosing to assign the reading. After she got them calmed down enough to explain the history and the purpose - and how the article came about - it occurred to me what a brilliant way it was to address the issues at hand... But a large portion of my classmates refused to see beyond their original impression.

By the next class half of my class mates had dropped the class because of that story. And would loudly tell you about it when they saw you on campus.

It made me see exactly how much of an impact a piece of writing could have, even after so long. It also made me see how many people were willing to hold onto their righteous indignation for the sake of ignorance. There were people who literally refused to let it go even after hearing and saying they understood and accepted the explanation.

It also made me see how much I didn't want to be like that.

And ten years later I'm still happy I stuck with the class - best writing instructor I've had.

 

[00Syd]

The Lord of The Rings.

What can I say? I'm a geek.

 

[Keroin]

The Lord of The Rings.

What can I say? I'm a geek.

My guess is that there's no shortage of Geeks on this board.

So in what way did that series of books change you, Syd?

 

[00Syd]

My guess is that there's no shortage of Geeks on this board.

So in what way did that series of books change you, Syd?

I almost want to say that it completely changed the direction of my life, but that might be a bit much. I don't really know how to describe it, but after I read LOTR, my thinking on just about everything shifted and widened. It really influenced me in a lot of ways that I'm not sure I can fully articulate. I first read them when I was 12, and I believe that those books had a big part to play in my growing into who I am today.

 

[OzoneRed]

Ayn Rand, The Virtue of Selfisness

I suspect that will elicit some interesting replies.

 

[Keroin]

I almost want to say that it completely changed the direction of my life, but that might be a bit much. I don't really know how to describe it, but after I read LOTR, my thinking on just about everything shifted and widened. It really influenced me in a lot of ways that I'm not sure I can fully articulate. I first read them when I was 12, and I believe that those books had a big part to play in my growing into who I am today.

No, that's cool. Sometimes there's no way to pin down exactly how something changes or influences us. I was just curious. (I'm always curious )

Fantasy and Science Fiction were a big part of my reading choices as a young child and it is hard for me to say whether the books I read, in those genres, made me who I am or if I sought them out because of who I already was inside.

Ayn Rand, The Virtue of Selfisness

I suspect that will elicit some interesting replies.

Sorry, have to ask you the same question I asked Syd. How did that book change you?

 

[Keroin]

It also made me see how much I didn't want to be like that.

I really like this, BTW.

 

[thesan]

To Kill a Mockingbird

Les Misberable

Bel Canto

Oryx and Crake

 

[Cattypuss]

I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance at just the right time (I was just turned 20, travelling Europe with no timetable, recently recovered from a serious bout of clinical depression that had been ushered in by a massive stress-induced breakdown), so at the time it made quite an impression on me.

Probably the only other two books (and I'm a lifelong big reader) that have had a really profound effect on me are -


Ingenious Pain by Andrew Miller, and

Candide by Voltaire.


The former (a novel which I have re-read many times as it is beautifully written) is a very powerful examination of pain (both physical and emotional) and how it is a central - and necessary - part of human existence.

The latter is just a fun-filled delight to read and makes a very profound point about the pursuit of happiness at the end.

 

[chy_girl]

I really like this, BTW.

It was amazing to see how quickly logic was turned off by emotion. And how many people continued to allow their emotion and indignation over a story written almost 300 years ago to drive them out of a class they needed to graduate.

It redefined silly to a whole new level. And I didn't want my brain shut off like that. Ever.

 

[thesan]

Really so many books. I could go on and on.

Animal Farm

Rat Boy

1984

every erotic book I have read that expanded my ideals of what is appropriate sexual behavior for adults.

 

[Keroin]

To Kill a Mockingbird

Les Misberable

Bel Canto

Oryx and Crake

(Sorry, just had to correct that last one, lest the ghost of Margaret Atwood haunt me forever - yes, I know she's not dead yet).

How did those books change you?

I feel like a broken record, lol.

 

[Keroin]

It was amazing to see how quickly logic was turned off by emotion. And how many people continued to allow their emotion and indignation over a story written almost 300 years ago to drive them out of a class they needed to graduate.

It redefined silly to a whole new level. And I didn't want my brain shut off like that. Ever.

Not to mention that article was a satire. I can understand the reaction if someone were to actually advocate the eating of children but, honestly, you'd have to be blind to miss the author's intention in that piece - even without the historical context.

 

[thesan]

I went back and fixed it to.

Mockingbird- made me think of the depth of human judgment and compassion and the thin line b/w the 2. It also gave me my first and still the best definition of what courage is.

Les Mis- being judged and still remaining faithful to ones own morals and as a result transforming the life of another.

Bel Canto- how beauty can be found in the most awful places. And how humans can misunderstand and so easily destroy that beauty and the world is a poorer place as a result. This book broke my heart.

Oryx- well what can I say, Margaret ALWAYS makes me think of human society and the philosophical underpinnings of the world we live in. How it could be so different with one wrong misstep. How every time we try to "fix" something, we break another part of it. I could go on and on

Animal Farm- the roles we play in the lives we lead. How they define us and how we can in turn define them

Rat Boy- the ritualization of so much of our lives. How so much of our lives are ritualized from the WWF to crack addicts. And also how beauty and nobility is so much deeper than our skin.

1984- what can I say. When government runs amuck, it really really runs amuck. And since the writing of that book, so much of what was written has come to pass. And it is NOT done yet.

 

[Keroin]

I went back and fixed it to.

Mockingbird- made me think of the depth of human judgment and compassion and the thin line b/w the 2. It also gave me my first and still the best definition of what courage is.

Les Mis- being judged and still remaining faithful to ones own morals and as a result transforming the life of another.

Bel Canto- how beauty can be found in the most awful places. And how humans can misunderstand and so easily destroy that beauty and the world is a poorer place as a result. This book broke my heart.

Oryx- well what can I say, Margaret ALWAYS makes me think of human society and the philosophical underpinnings of the world we live in. How it could be so different with one wrong misstep. How every time we try to "fix" something, we break another part of it. I could go on and on

Animal Farm- the roles we play in the lives we lead. How they define us and how we can in turn define them

Rat Boy- the ritualization of so much of our lives. How so much of our lives are ritualized from the WWF to crack addicts. And also how beauty and nobility is so much deeper than our skin.

1984- what can I say. When government runs amuck, it really really runs amuck. And since the writing of that book, so much of what was written has come to pass. And it is NOT done yet.

Thanks for explaining!

I love Atwood and Orxy and Crake gave me some serious heebie jeebies. Specifically because it was just so damn plausible.

One of the lines from 1984 that rings so true for me today is: "Freedom is the freedom to say two plus two equals four." There's so much doublespeak, exaggeration and muddy language in our society that speaking plainly has almost become taboo. Then there's that whole "_______ is the new _______" trend that really creeps me out.

 

[midwestyankee]

From Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance I gained a profound respect for serious thought as well as a love of doing careful mechanical maintenance. I also learned the importance of staying in touch with your children. Zen may be the only book of its seriousness that I ever read in a single sitting: my first time through the book I stayed up through the night to finish it. This is also one of the very few books that I have voluntarily re-read a number of times.

 

[trojan_man_co]

tuesdays with morrie... if youve read it youll understand

 

[graceanne]

I don't know about changing my life, but I know that reading dracula when I was 10 (?) started my lifelong obsession with vampires.

 

[DVS]

tuesdays with morrie... if youve read it youll understand

wonderful, very touching...a strong understanding of life and family.

 

[trojan_man_co]

wonderful, very touching...a strong understanding of life and family.

also a good sense of how valuable life is to enjoy it and experience it all to the fullest. Never regret any decisions or life choices.

 

[rida]

"Johnathan Livingstone Seagull"

I read it when I was 13. It inspired my first writing (I hated writing back then and kept hating it for much longer afterward).

Why and what? I've always felt an outsider, different. It gave me the first step to accept myself, by accepting to be different.
The different=superior part though, although I wished it was true, I didn't believe it. And instead it made me weary of the "misunderstood victim" syndrome.

 

[JMohegan]

Treasure Island.

An epiphany in which I realized that reading didn't have to be a chore; it could be a great adventure.

Ayn Rand, The Virtue of Selfisness

I suspect that will elicit some interesting replies.

Ever read The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair?

 

[Keroin]

Treasure Island.

An epiphany in which I realized that reading didn't have to be a chore; it could be a great adventure.

This makes me happy. Reading should not be a chore. I'm glad you found that book.

 

[Raisa_Greywood]

Do I hafta pick just one? Oh god, decisions, decisions....

I'd have to say Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

Now, who wants to play "geek of the mountain"?

Bella