What non-fiction book have you read that has changed your life?

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   petenaliposted 11 years ago

   What non-fiction book have you read that has changed your life?
   
   Personally, I have had a few, but the one that sticks out for me is "Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge.  It talks about fatherhood and having a warrior heart.

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2. 66

   bizarrett81posted 11 years ago

   I've read so many non-fiction books that have blown me away.  I guess I would have to say all the non-fiction books about the universe and space as a child changed my life, they lead to questioning the world, critical thinking, and a search for knowledge that has never died.  Most recently, though, I would have to say my Textbook for my Psychology class has changed my life. I realized that is what I want to do and am in the process of changing my major.  I have always LOVED studying the human brain and always wondered why people behave the way they do and believe the things they do.  So I guess this has changed my life, since it has changed what I am going to pursue for a major, what I will pursue as a career, and what I will do with my life!

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      petenaliposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Wow, the human brain must be fascinating to study.  I bet it's an intense read.  Good luck with your studies..

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      bizarrett81posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you! It is very fascinating.  The human brain is an amazingly complex and beautiful thing

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3. 68

   hawaiianodysseusposted 11 years ago

   YOUR BEST LIFE NOW, by Joel Osteen
   
   Pastor Joel's words reminded me of our innate value in God's eyes.
   
   We human beings have long been duped into labeling and categorizing peers and, sadly, ourselves, as falling into different classes. Whether we admit it or not, we're all guilty of it. So to know that we have God's royal blood coursing through our veins and that we have His abundant favor enables me to know that I am valued in any setting and with any group or individual.
   
   Thanks for asking this interesting question.
   
   Joe

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   1. 77

      petenaliposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, Joel Osteen has some great insights and it is VITAL in today's world with all the mixed messages, that we know who we are.  Might have to read that one myself now... thanks.

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   peeplesposted 11 years ago

   The Child Called "it" by Dave Pelzer. When it first came out I was still living at home with my parents being abused daily. I read it at school and was amazed by his courage. When I went into foster care I finally got my own copy. Then I got the second installment The Lost Boy. At that time in my life I needed to hear other stories like mine and know that people made it through okay. These books helped a lot!

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      petenaliposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for sharing that.  Help can come from unexpected places for sure.  Glad, in your case, that you found help through these books.

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   Pennypinesposted 11 years ago

   Well I don't know of any one book but there are non-fiction books that have influenced me in one way or another.  My grandmother, Diana Agabeg Apcar wrote several mostly of a political nature, Winston Churchill's books were extraordinarily well-written and absorbing.   
   When my grandmother's eyes began to fail, I would go to her bedroom after school to read to her, mostly passages from the Holy Bible. 
   All of the above stayed with me throughout life.

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   1. 77

      petenaliposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I've not read anything by Churchill yet, but that would interest me for sure with my English background...

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   Healthy Mikeposted 11 years ago

   I have  read quite a couple but one that sticks out is facing mount Kenya by Jomo Kenyatta.

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      petenaliposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Sorry, not heard of that, but I can check it out now... thanks.

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7. 60

   citywolfposted 11 years ago

   The Bell Jar. Although, some might consider it fiction, it is based on Sylvia Plath's life experience with depression.

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      petenaliposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Another one I've never heard of.  I'm gonna have my work cut out reading all these...

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      donnah75posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Great novel, but it is fiction. A must read. I wrote a hub on it if you want to see what it is about.

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   Electro-Denizenposted 11 years ago

   I guess a similar book that influenced me would be Iron John: A Book About Men by Robert Bly.
   
   Otherwise I'd say Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth, the most profound spiritual insight I've read, written by someone who's actually there.

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   1. 77

      petenaliposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I've heard of Iron John, but not read it.  Have to add it to my reading list... thanks.

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9. 61

   Dusana1234posted 11 years ago

   Hi, for me it is The Secret and The Power from Rhonda Byrne. I believe in the power of positive thinking and the law of attraction.
   The power in using the law of attraction depends largely on how you think. Your mind creates your future.
   Dusana :-)
   
   ''Our limitations and success will be based most often, on our own expectations for ourselves. What the mind dwells upon, the body acts upon.''
   ~Denis Waitley~

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      petenaliposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Two more I've not encountered... thanks.

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      Seafarer Mamaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I have read both of those Rhonda Byrne and found them very inspiring and useful.

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10. 0

    Moeskyposted 11 years ago

    Without doubt two books had a definitive effect on my life. The first was "My Family And Other Animals" by Gerald Durrell. The second (though this is fictional...) was "Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
    I could now tell you why they had such a profound influence on me - but I wrote a long Hub a while back that tells the story more deeply than I could do in a few words. Hope you'll check it out: (The Powerful Magic Of Storytelling)
    http://moesky.hubpages.com/hub/Inspirat … orytelling

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       petenaliposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I read your hub - great stuff.  It is wonderful how a book can connect with individuals in different ways, and sometimes those ways are life-changing as was yours.

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11. 77

    Seafarer Mamaposted 11 years ago

    "Women Who Run with the Wolves" by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
    
    and
    
    "Les Miserables," by Victor Hugo

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    1. 77

       petenaliposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       These two I have heard of, but never read.  Man, I'm gonna be spending the next year in hibernation with a stack of recommended books...  Thanks.

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       Seafarer Mamaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I just realized that the question was about non-fiction. "Les Miserables" is a fictional story, but set  in a non-fictional society. I suppose that "Women Who Run with the Wolves is non-fiction (about relationships based on archetypes).

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12. 60

    montylynposted 11 years ago

    The Tongue Book and Angels Book by Charles Capps. They both have given me some inside on how our words can really bring us curses...and the Angel book it has shown me how true it is that God has placed Angels to work in our lives....HUGGIES, LINDA

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       petenaliposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I've read The Tongue - A Creative Force by Capps and it was really good.

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       montylynposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Glad to hear you have read and like it..I would recommend for you to read more of his books, he is such a good writer and if Angels should interest you I highly recommend it too. Thanks for letting me know you liked it and thought it was a good one

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    donnah75posted 11 years ago

    A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins. I first read it in 8th grade. It has stuck with me. It opened my mind to have a spirit of adventure to travel and to explore who I am.

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       petenaliposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Not heard of that one, but exploration is always good.

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    Jessica Noelposted 11 years ago

    Recently, I read "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Timothy Ferriss. Game changing! It really made me re-consider my career, and I highly recommend it.

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       petenaliposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Now that sounds intriguing... gonna check it out for sure. Thanks Jessica

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