What books have changed your life?

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   danielabramposted 10 years ago

   Consider books that have redefined your life. For example, many people are moved by Dale Carnegie's book How to Win Friends and Influence People

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      Dantex460posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Sherlock Holmes, it makes me think very differently now for the better.

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      Borsiaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy”, by Douglas Addams.
      It is the base for all of my religious beliefs, most of my political beliefs and a good portion of my views on life in general.
      It is also the only 6 part trilogy ever written in the history of mankind.
      I suppose the word "base" is incorrect I should say it best puts into words what I’ve always believed.
      As an atheist, I used to use it as a counter when anyone started quoting bible to me as a simple illustration that you can not use a book to prove it’s self. They usually don't like that very much but it is effective and proves the point.
      I no longer remember all the chapter and verses as I once did.
      I have a black leather bound gold gilded version that is the last edition before Mr. Addams left us and I still reread it from time to time.

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         rmcrayneposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Come again?  Six part trilogy?!

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            Borsiaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Pure genius if you ask me and has never been done before or since.

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               rmcrayneposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               So in this particular Galaxy, a trilogy is not 3 parts?
               
               From Wikipedia:  A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games. 
               
               (I'm not trying to be a smart aleck.)

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                  Borsiaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  No it is a trilogy in 6 parts. As I said its the only one.
                  You pretty much need to read the book to grasp it, I suggest that you check it out next time you are in a book store or library, read the first few chapters and you will know if its something you will like. But if you can't get the concept of a spaceship powered by infinite improbability then you probably won't enjoy it.
                  It does reveal the secret of flight, you hurl yourself at the ground,,, and miss. It just required a very high level of distraction. But I've said too much; I don't want to give away all the secrets of the universe.

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                  Uninvited Writerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  It's Douglas Adams sense of humour...

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                     rmcrayneposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                     Thanks for replying UW.  I figured something of the sort.  Borsia missed my question/point.

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         Borsiaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I should add "Freakanomics" and "The Peter Principal" to my list.

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      Tarotwomanposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      My mother started me reading young, but the book that most impacted me as child was The Hobbit. You never know where the road will take you.

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   snakeslaneposted 10 years ago

   The I Ching

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3. 93

   lorddraven2000posted 10 years ago

   Freak The Mighty, Where the Red Fern Grows
   
   Really opened a world of emotions up to me.

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   gautams1posted 10 years ago

   The Goal. This book taught me about productivity and think in a different way to perform my job.

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   DoItForHerposted 10 years ago

   The Gift of Fear, Parenting with Love and Logic, and 1-2-3 Magic. All self-help books.
   
   As for fiction, Ghoul by Brian Keene. The ending still pains me to this day. Quite moving.

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6. 92

   agilitymachposted 10 years ago

   "The Problem of Pain" by CS Lewis
   
   It helped form a lot of my theology by answering, well, the problem of pain. As I always question my beliefs, this book was a great source for me at a critical time.
   
   "The Lord of the Rings" by JRR Tolkien
   
   This trilogy (and a true three book trilogy) taught me the power of true creativity and imagination.
   
   "Lad a Dog" by Albert Payson Terhune
   
   Read as a child, this book, and all of Terhune's other collie books, put me on the path to my current career as a professional dog trainer.  I collect these old, long forgotten books now.
   
   and of course the Bible.

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7. 81

   Mighty Momposted 10 years ago

   "The Pet Goat."
   That is the book George W. Bush was reading along with a group of schoolchildren at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota County, Florida, on September 11, 2001.
   

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      watergeekposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Upside down 

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8. 60

   Hollie Thomasposted 10 years ago

   The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, 1984, Illusions; The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah and Catherine Cookson's The girl (yes, I did say Catherine Cookson, I think she's wonderful)

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   Teylinaposted 10 years ago

   As a child, I remember the Wind in the Willows books coming to life for me and wanting to be part of their world; I've succeeded in some ways! And I remember vividly Uncle Remus because I was born and raised in the part of the south which unfortunately lived by those ways (think the new "Help") and was fortunate enough to have lineage, parents, grandparents, friends, etc. who drove ANY thought of racial differences out of my mind; growing up: Nancy Drew (I can really solve a strange problem but not sure that's where I got it!) and one more "classic" which names eludes me). As an adult: The Romance of Adventure without a doubt, became almost a mantra. Many, many others, but, alas, my bookcases are packed and I can't remember without looking!

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    austinhealyposted 10 years ago

    Germinal, By Emile Zola
    As a teenager, this book made me aware that there was a different world out there besides the nearly perfect family circle I grew up with. It made me discover than human being are flawed and in many instances not very nice to each other. It was also a fascinating read, being extremely well written, and a realistic description of life in France in the nineteeth century

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    puregraceposted 10 years ago

    A book about Crispus Attucks, about a black slave who escapes, opened my eyes to the plight of slavery for the very first time.
    A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Van Auken was enlightening...how God's mercy can be so severe in order to save his own.
    With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray was a long hard read for me (I used it as a devotional), but oh, so encouraging for those whose life is prayerful.
    I so loved the books by B.J. Hoff on the lives of folks during the Irish potato famine, and the books by Brock and Bodie Thoene, especially the A.D. Chronicles (the second one is so good - the way leprosy played such a role in the lives of people in those days).
    And and there are so many others...I think I have been shaped for the better because of the way books affect me.
    I think the Bible, the way God planned that his Word be in written form, suggests how the written word affects the soul.

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       Borsiaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       You might also like to read "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl"
       It is a free download on Amazon's Kindle books.
       About the life and eventual escape of a young slave girl. I was written by her and is a great read imho.

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    watergeekposted 10 years ago

    Maxwell Maltz's "PsychoCybernetics" - Took me away from hiding in historical fiction to understanding why my supposedly "lifetime marriage" family broke up when I was 13. Started me on a lifetime interest in how we create our lives. Turned out it was also the beginning of a new discipline called "applied psychology" ("Games People Play" was another in that new genre).
    
    Richard Hittleman's "Yoga: 28 Day Exercise Plan" - Has kept my body flexible and strong since my early 20's (I just turned 62). Tuned me into my body, so I can tell before I get sick that there's something off.
    
    Richard Bach's "Johathon Livingston Seagull" - Gave me permission to be myself, since I was weird anyway (lol). Helped me put psyche over money and over submission to others.

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    maheshtcr1posted 10 years ago

    Think and grow rich By Napoleon Hill

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14. 59

    HaleyMCruzposted 10 years ago

    Hmm...I'd have to say I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Greenburg. The ending was just wonderful and inspiring!

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    Uninvited Writerposted 10 years ago

    I think every book I have read has somehow changed my life.

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    lorlie6posted 10 years ago

    Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath"-hands down!  The last scene about floored me...

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    Shadesbreathposted 10 years ago

    Aristotle: Rhetoric - Far and away the greatest piece of literature on Earth, ever.
    
    Thucydides: History of the Peloponnesian War - Complete and total perspective on the unchanging nature of humanity AND it's "modern" seeming issues.
    
    Tolstoy: Anna Karenina - Just so true, and, manages, somehow, to show how to be a good human versus not.

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       CyberShelleyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Ann Rand - The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged
       Joseph Heller - Catch 22,
       
       I had read a number of the classics, but somehow these three book were so different and each compelling in its own way, that they would get my vote.,

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    Hui (蕙)posted 10 years ago

    Love of Life by Jack London. Life is precious, never give it up easily, even in extremely difficult conditions! When an exhausted people meets an equally exhausted wolf, a scene of a war for food: the bottom line of surviving, shows up...

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