Well, I know some here will laugh, but Donald Trump's "Art of the Deal"
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Back when I was still chasing points racing BMX (the 80s), there was one race that only the Top Ten in each state would be invited to, The NBL Christmas Classic, in Columbus, OH, that I loved racing.. I would fly out on X-Mas day, the race was held in the Ohio Center, and I always booked a room in the attached hotel. One of the guys I met, was working his way through college, like I did and he told me(bartender, like I did on some nights & weekends) about the book and how it MOTIVATED him to work harder and go to college. The day after the races were over and I was checking out of the hotel, this guy came over to say good bye and gave me his copy. I started it on the plane and yes, it did motivate me, course those were the days when young people wanted to be like the Rich guys and wanted to make it themselves, unlike today's youth, many of whom think that the Rich are evil and the government should take the money they earn & give it to the losers...

Most of Ayn Rand, especially Atlas Shrugged and Anthem, I read them early on and I think they influenced my politics, everything by Hemingway.

Atlas Shrugged!

The Bible
Atlas Shrugged
Catch 22
No Exit
The Metamorphosis
The World According to Garp
A Prayer for Owen Meany
FailSafe
Dr Strangelove
A Confederacy of Dunces
Poland

moving from the political to the personal, i'd say arnold schwarzenegger's education of a body builder:

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read it about 30 years ago, and inspired me at the gym for many years.

i have small frame, but at least my tshirts hung from my pecs. lately they seem to be hanging from my belly. soon to be corrected! :D

electric kool-aid acid test;)

actually, The Hobbit did chang my life in that it was the first book I ever asked for and read on my own in 4th grade and it turned me into someone that likes to read I guess. All the Kerouac and Bukowski books have left a lasting impression as well.

Read most of Rand's books. They bored me to death

God The Bible - for me, a good road map for life

Aldous Huxley "A Brave New World" - what happens when you miss your exit.

Introductory physics - don't remember the authors
Riddle 3 - the de rigueur calculus text of the day

I've read a lot of great books - too many to list - but nothing freed my mind like basic science.

This will be the most unusual, I'm betting: a comic book series called "The Question" written by Denny O'Neil. The Question is a minor DC character inherited from Charlton comics, the character of "Rorschach" in The Watchmen is based on him (as are all the characters).

O'Neil used the 3-year series to recreate the character around Eastern philosophies and debate Western ones, and each issue contained a suggested reading list covering various aspects of philosophy. It sparked my interest in the subject, which has lasted ever since.

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1776- David McCullough

A Walk in the Woods- Bill Bryson

I intended to ask a fiction book , but this turned into a pretty good list of books.

I think it is interesting that almost everyone has mentioned a book that influenced them and nobody has discussed the last question. I might not have phrased it as well as I wanted. I was trying to ask, is it our experienced that influenced us, but do we recall a book that had a similar circumstance and give that more credit that it deserves?

Maybe I’m trying to split hairs, but I’ve been wrestling with feelings that I’ve never really felt and trying to figure out what road to go down. Maybe it’s just a mid-life crisis.

Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman

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zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. it changed my life. i read it every couple of years.

An American Tragedy, In Cold Blood, Stranger in a Strange Land, Slaughterhouse Five, Catcher in the Rye, American Gods

x2 That was great

I really like Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead but when I've read Into the Wild more than anything else I can remember. I was in high school when he died and was a lot more into the outdoors then. The story really hit(s) home.

Excellent thread!

Probably many books but in particular the writings of Robert E. Howard such as the fantasy series "Conan the Barbarian".

Conan (books) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hard to believe someone could write so amazingly well at such an early age. He committed suicide at age 30. Pretty interesting man and if you ever read any of his works you'd find an amazing writer as well.

Robert E. Howard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

the art of war

I guess that "Catcher in the Rye" affected me more than any other book because I was a child and it was the first real literature that I ever read. I was a pretty good reader as a child but did not like books much unless they were about a subject that I'd already decided I was interested in. One day my mom told me to read that book and I was enthralled. Could not put it down. When I was through reading it, I told her that I never wanted to read another book because nothing could possibly compare to that. She told me that my younger brother had read "Franny and Zooey" and liked it even better. I thought that was impossible but I had to read it just to be sure. I liked it better.

So began a life of reading. I've been inspired by so many books that I could not possibly name all of the authors, much less the titles. I do have my favorites, though, such as Martin Amis.