Has a book significantly influenced you?

[vas930]

The Ending Of Time.

By J Krishnamurti and Dr David Bohm.

[Laneco]

Interesting to see Jonathan Livingston Seagull already on this list. That was the first book I remember reading repeatedly. It was given to me when I was in 4th or 5th grade. I'll bet I read that 30 times over a couple of years.

Add me to the already mentioned Atlas Shrugged group. Read it on advice of this group here. Loved the writing, but when I was done, I also agreed that it could have been significantly shorter. That said, I read the book at a point in time where I was really looking around at what is wrong with this country, particularly our economy, and even specifically my workplace. Let's just say that there are alot of parallels...

angela

[12own911]

Originally Posted by nynor

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

Me too!

[bivenator]

Kurt Vonnegut, breakfast of champions. That book rearranged alot of my thinking as a young man.

[Burnin' oil]

Originally Posted by Aggie93

Have you read a book that significantly impacted how you thought about something?

Or do we just relate more to books that we already share common traits with the characters?

Both. I have read books that really opened my eyes and completely changed my perspective. I have read books with characters that I relate to but who rose above their dumb assedness to achieve something meaningful.

[Racerbvd]

This is another one that helped me A LOT when I was in High School & college... Still have my copy as well..

[Taz's Master]

To Kill a Mockingbird. It helped me to try to understand the motivations for some people's actions or decisions, that my perspective isn't universal. I guess that is what literature trys to do, but the story is so accessible, reading it at a young age really helped make me aware that what I saw wasn't all there was, and it helped me to deal with my own hurt feelings in a more constructive manner than I otherwise would have as an adolescent.

Lord Jim helped me understand how we tend to define ourselves by our failures. While others tend to see our abilities, we struggle to cover up or overcome what we believe makes us unlovable or unacceptable.

As an adult, probably Calvin and Hobbes has helped me see the absurd in life and enjoy it more than anything else I've read.

[dan88911]

"Over the Top"
by Zig Ziglar

[enzo1]

[s_wilwerding]

Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman. It didn't turn me into a conservative, but it demonstrated to me all of the logical underpinnings of conservatism.

[tcar]

Originally Posted by speeder

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. .

"Franny" and Zooey counts as 2, doesn't it?...



Slaughterhouse Five is one of mine...

[71 3.0 911]

"Shop Class as Soulcraft" by Matthew Crawford

"Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand

"Flyboys" by James Bradley

[9elf]

THE GRAPES OF WRATH - Steinbeck. My favourite book of all time. Empathy for our fellow man.

[Lothar]

Another vote for Atlas Shrugged.

[Blackie911]

Market Wizards- by Jack Schwager early in my career


The Big Short- by Michael Lewis more recently

[futurefun]

Originally Posted by svandamme

The Third Eye by Lobsang Rampa.

bout a kid that turns out to be a Lama reincarnation and he tells the story about how that all worked out..

I read all of Lobsang Rampa's books as a teenager. They helped to move through adversity & find the wisdom along with another view of our world.
1984
Silent Spring
Congratulations, You Made It Again by Michael Jaress brought the notion of balance of all aspects of life.
Zig Ziggler, Jim Rohn etc.
also books on quantum physics such as
A Brief History Of Time by Stephen Hawking
The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot
In Search Of The God Particle by Michio Kaku
All of these & many more were instrumental in opening up possibility, potential & perspective enriching life. Reading rocks.

[Baz]

The Sirens of Titan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"The Sirens of Titan is a Hugo Award-nominated novel by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., first published in 1959. His second novel, it involves issues of free will, omniscience, and the overall purpose of human history. Much of the story revolves around a Martian invasion of Earth."

[genrex]

I love the story of "Muldoon" in the Compleat Idiot book.

[slakjaw]

Replay and the man in the iron mask.

[GLASEM]

As the token member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.....

The Book of Mormon

Will see how fast the libs and those who don't like my faith jump on this one!!!!