A Book That Changed Your Life

The Erl King
by michel tournier

ive learned after reading this book not to be blind and deaf for "signs" troughout my life. And it made me helping regconice them easier.

 

Any book by Ayn Rand I find to be quite life-changing. I read Anthem, am currently reading The Fountainhead and heard that Atlas Shrugged is def. worth reading... if ya like the philosophical thing (I love it). Some of Neitzsche's works have truly changed my life: On the Origin of Morality and Ecce Homo.

 

Same here man

 

'Three friends" by E.M. Remark and 'Master and Margarita" By M. Bulgakov

 

When I was 7, Dostoyevski tought me how to think analyticly and appreciate phsychology. When I was 8, Bulgakov gave me a wild imagination. When I was 14, Nabokov gave me a sense for the unusual and unnacepted by society, When I was 16, alot of Zen writers (especially Signor Rinpoche) gave me meditation, when I was 17 Kerouac encouraged the sense of adventure that was already deep within me. When I was 18, Ginsberg urged me to criticize that which others do not. This year Vonnegut tought me how to redicule humanity with humour.

Books have tought me much

 

The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra. It changed the way I look at literally everything.

 

Watership Down by Richard Adams, my hero. I was struggling with the issue of abortion and women's rights, and the self-absorption of fetuses scene cause me to join NOW although I'm a man.

Robert Eggleton
"Rarity from the Hollow"

 

Each book we read means a new experience for its readers. I'll say there's something we learn from every book. It also depends how we read it, whether we focus on the happenings or on the literary technique, on the symbols, etc.

 

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold really changed my perspective about the afterlife. I had always viewed "heaven" as the way she described it.

Johnathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal". Hilarious satire.

Alice in Wonderland is awesome too.

I read The Little Prince in French, and I really enjoyed it that way. I also read The Stranger in it's original language as well.

The Red Tent was definitely one of the best books I've ever picked up. It's pretty much amazing. It gives such a wonderful perspective of women in a time where history kind of skips over the details of the female lives.

 

the book (on the taboo against knowing who you are) by watts. it made me shift the way i think about existence, and i have not been the same since.

pillars of the earth by ken follet. brilliant much? it got me out of a no reading-slouch.

the dragons of eden by carl sagan. explained how humans are human in terms of brain physiology.

anything by david sedaris. got me through rough times, made me laugh and laugh, and altered my writing style. now i get smiley faces on bullshit english papers. hooray!

 

"Steal This Book" by Abbie Hoffman

 

Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks. this book illustrated for me that personal revolution is possible, without forcing anything, and that you'll become exactly who you need to be (but also, you can't be someone you're not meant to be). it showed me that things happen when you need them the most, and that when you help people, they'll help you too.

**** by Inga Muscio. this book came to me exactly when I needed to see that there is power in the feminine. I would recommend this book to everyone, not just women. it talks about a lot of problems our society faces as a whole, with an emphasis on women's rights. very interesting read.

 

Good books listed so far, A bunch of them I added to my "to get" list.

So far I think the most influencial book Ive read is "Do IT!" by Jerry Rubin, it was before my time but until I read that I never realized how close we came to a real social revolution.

Cannery Row by Steinbeck was also very good in that it helped me realize that you dont need money in order to be happy (should be a big DUH but this book highlighted that point)

IN dubious battle by Steinbeck was another eye opener for me in that it shows communism's great plans and ideals but somehow always seems to mess everything up in the end.

 

The Thundering Years (I forget the author) - Kind of a self-help book for teens but it really gave me cool things to think about.

 

'the politics of ecstacy' by timothy leary.

 

"Power" by Michael Korda. It explains how other people, intentionally or not, manipulate us to the point that some of our principle concerns in life are about things that absolutely do not matter. Once you understand how they do it, you can stop them in the early stages of their agenda. It works well for life in general, but if you work in business it's a must-read. I sure wish I could have read it when I was a teenager, I'd have had far fewer miserable days.

 

Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein. I read it my freshman or sophomore year of high school... the perfect time for it to open my eyes to what makes us human and how love is not a limit.

 

I just read the book The Fine Line by Zerubavel...it was def. a hard read and it and it kinda played on common sense but yet it brought about sooo much truth about people and the way they precieve lines that are imaginary yet they make them rule.
Another book that's kinda changed me is a Biography called No Compromise, The Keith Green Story. I believe it was written by Melody Green, Keith's widower. It touched me to see someone's life changed so drastically by God and it amazes me of all the faith that man had! Realy good book! And he has some good tunes too!

 

the conquest of bread ......and memoirs of a revolutionist ......by peter kropotkin ..

 

Green Eggs and Ham