Books That Changed Your Life

[fox_sloan]

Awesome post......I wrote several down from the list, am looking forward to a change in reads.

[seven14]

We read Death of a Salesman in grade 12. Something shifted inside me part way through the play. I went from laughing at Willie Lowman to suffering along with him.

[SURY]

Many. Mainly, Aldous Huxley;s books, J.Krishnamurti's, Sr Aurobindo's

[MysFan]

This is a tough one to answer. Different books at different times. When in my later teens and college I read about Greek and Roman history; fiction and non-fiction. I have seen no writing since that shows so clearly, regardless of humanities good intentions, that we are doomed to repeat the mistakes history should have taught us to avoid.

I read Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies. We see so very much today about how people treat each other. These books were very revealing about what individuals will do to survive. It was an eye-opener, although I recognize this is a portrayal of people and times at their worst.

Later 1984. When this book was published many of us really thought the times outlined in the book were coming. It was horrifying. I already worked in an government office and it did not seem such a leap from the bureaucracy that was pretty much woven into our lives, to the total control that this book portrayed. Unfortunately, even as so much time has passed, the jobs I have held over the years still have some similarities!!! The paperwork just gets worse and the actual help provided to the public lessens by simply increasing the amount of paper required to acess the assistance. And the imperative of the bureaucracy is to sustain the bureaucracy at any cost.

Along with this was Fahrenheit 451. While many thought it was really neat that television could come right into your living room and an individual could actually influence the action of the characters, it just seemed horrific to me. (Now if they were able to manage this with our groceries, that would be the neat thing. I would certainly appreciate having a television where if we wanted foods they were advertising, or had other menu choices, they would magically appear.

Lately I have been reading more about how America gained its freedom from the British Empire, some earlier governing principles and early Presidents. Of course as I am older what I was taught in school was often slanted to imply these leaders were without human failings. Now we can read about the real individuals, and how they were still able to lead American in its very early days, even though many had serious challenges to face in their personal lives. It can't have been easy working to form a completely new nation with ideas and a structure based on a mix of concepts from their old lives and totally new ways of doing things. I have especially enjoyed reading about Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. It is clear to me why each of them, in their own way, were considered great leaders. But they changed my life by helping me realize that we cannot expect our leaders to be flawless anymore than we are. Because of their positions of trust, they should be held to a higher standard, but there is no perfect human being.

While I was working, in order to maintain my sanity, I as well as my fellow prisoners really enjoyed Dilbert. I was raised to believe that no matter how bad things were, we had to be strong and get through it. And with so many people out of work, we were told often that (1) we were lucky to have a job at all, and (2) if we did not like it there were thousands out there that would gratefully step in. The humor was a great help. It helped us to see what was to us a horrific place to work as really something that many were experiencing. We even got to the point where we thought the author was working with us there were so many similarities. These cartoons helped me get through and finally retire.

[Mio042487]

i picked up the book Baby Proof by Emily Griffin. I usually don't grab a book like this one but it completely changed the way i thinks of my own life and where it is headed.i cried at the end scared of what my future will be like but i truly loved the book.

[angellong]

With regard to books that have changed my life- I was most moved by a book called the Prince of Tides, which is based in South Carolina where I am from. This book was phenomenal as it reminded me that people from genres of life encounter the same issues that I have experienced as well as things that I once believed were only relative to those without money or prestige. I was really impacted by the relationship discussed between the mother and son, and had many moments to review and compare my life.

[Trilna]

Air by Geoff Ryman, randomly picked it up at the library in high school and has been a staple of inspiration for how i write for years now.

[karoosie]

The Hours. Hands down.

[MysFan]

karoosie, The Hours. You reminded me of how great it was. I enjoyed reading it too.

[Locky]

Great thread to start...

First one that really struck me as a young man was 'The Prophet' by Kahlil Gibran. Every thing in this book just struck me deeply. Sometimes you'll hear a song that will make you stop whatever you're doing and listen, or a smell that'll bring back distant memories that make you smile. Reading this book made me feel like I was reading something that was pure truth, something I'd forgotten a long time ago.

A series that changed my entire view on life was 'Conversations With God' by Neale Donald Walsch. Another great series that just instilled peace inside me.

'Way Of The Peaceful Warrior' by Dan Millman - another book to transform your life.

'Illusions' by Richard Bach. One of my favorites that I can re-read over and over and over.

Finally, 'Wandering' by Herman Hesse. Such a beautiful and human experience to read.

Also, 'Thus Spake Zarathustra' by Friedrich Nietzche doesn't go astray either.

[tlallport]

I believe that most books teach us something that we need to know - even the ones that we don't actually like at all. I also believe that the process of reading itself reveals something about ourselves, in the sense that the context in which we do our reading and the emotional reaction we have to a book all influence our judgement of the writing and how it might fit into our lives. So there are many books that definately influenced my life - I guess one of the ones that I could claim actually changed my life would have been my reading of Alice Walker's "The Colour Purple" when I was in my teens. I didn't know that people could write like that, and the main character's story provided a crash course in traumatic reality and the power of resilience and change.

[krewlob]

Hi I'm a new member and am quite excited to find this forum. Like all avid readers I love talking about books & writers. A book that really changed the way I looked at certain things was 'Mornings in Jenin'. We read this at a book club I belong to and it tells the story of a Palestinian family living in Israel from their time as farmers happy with their simple life to their decades spent as displaced persons in a refugee camp in Jenin.
Leaving aside the politics of the situation I realised how much propaganda I have absorbed over the years and vowed to be a bit more discerning in my judgment.

[Eminenz CW]

5 books that changed my life:
1. Peppermint by Dorothy Grider.
2. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach.
3. Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley, aka The FlyLady.
4. Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion by Gregory Boyle.
5. 29 Gifts by Cami Walker

[bookfalcons]

hi friends their are many books that can change your life but it is depend on your choice if you are spiritual then books on Muhammad can change your life.

[cmjellison]

My life has been changed by the writings of David Sedaris. He uses humor to make is crazy life seem more bareable. I think this is really inspiring.