Which books changed your life or mind?

[Artdude]

Catcher in the Rye:

It made me lose faith in modern writing for a few days, but after I had regained my senses - and read some good literature as a kind of literary medicine to the literary illness that awful book caused me - I could comment further.

Catcher in the rye is one of the most poorly written, emotionally shallow, and boring books I have ever read. It remains the book that I despise most, along with 'Of Mice and Men,' and Ian Mcewan's 'Enduring Love.'

I realise fully that it is a reflection of an angry teenage life, told through his own voice for dramatic effect and intense emotional turmoil, and a personal view which is unadulterated and unhindered by the mundane omniscience of a standardised narrator. But for christs sake it was so boring. Call me childish for not engaging with the 'character,' but when that character is so reprehensible, it's difficult to see any point of living. And that is how I want to describe it. Living. Indeed, Holden's view of the world tempted me several times to stop school/further education, to reject the love of family and friends, and venture into the harsh world for my own gains. I discovered afterwards - this is nonsense. This is an incredibly cynical, incredibly over dramatised, incredibly depressing view of life, and is not at all how teenagers see everything, and should not be discredited as such. I condemn this book as vulgar trash.

In this sense - I credit it as one of the most influential books I have ever read. It changed how I perceive life. It convinced that if there is anyone like Holden in the world, the world isn't worth living in. I'm now far more optimistic about life, because I reject that book with so much contempt. I actually would like to thank Salinger personally, for convincing me that there is good in the world.

If you have never read this book - please do. Just remember your sense of self worth, and as long as you feel like you can look down upon Holden, then you will gain as much as I have. Truly awful book - truly amazing effect.

[Fran]

Catcher in the Rye:

It made me lose faith in modern writing for a few days, but after I had regained my senses - and read some good literature as a kind of literary medicine to the literary illness that awful book caused me - I could comment further.

Catcher in the rye is one of the most poorly written, emotionally shallow, and boring books I have ever read. It remains the book that I despise most, along with 'Of Mice and Men,' and Ian Mcewan's 'Enduring Love.'

I realise fully that it is a reflection of an angry teenage life, told through his own voice for dramatic effect and intense emotional turmoil, and a personal view which is unadulterated and unhindered by the mundane omniscience of a standardised narrator. But for christs sake it was so boring. Call me childish for not engaging with the 'character,' but when that character is so reprehensible, it's difficult to see any point of living. And that is how I want to describe it. Living. Indeed, Holden's view of the world tempted me several times to stop school/further education, to reject the love of family and friends, and venture into the harsh world for my own gains. I discovered afterwards - this is nonsense. This is an incredibly cynical, incredibly over dramatised, incredibly depressing view of life, and is not at all how teenagers see everything, and should not be discredited as such. I condemn this book as vulgar trash.

In this sense - I credit it as one of the most influential books I have ever read. It changed how I perceive life. It convinced that if there is anyone like Holden in the world, the world isn't worth living in. I'm now far more optimistic about life, because I reject that book with so much contempt. I actually would like to thank Salinger personally, for convincing me that there is good in the world.

If you have never read this book - please do. Just remember your sense of self worth, and as long as you feel like you can look down upon Holden, then you will gain as much as I have. Truly awful book - truly amazing effect.

Agree with you totally ... I'm not given to violence but I just wanted to slap Holden & tell him to 'get a life' & quit complaining. Tedious and boring definitely & so, so cynical but I accept I was not the intended target audience at the time I read it being female & I think in my late 20's.

[Reader-errant]

the books that changed my way of thinking was Cervantes. for Don Quixote, could easyliy persaude you that life is not how it seems that imagination can make us sane while reality makes us insane.
The Exemplary Tales, espically the Dialouge of the Dogs where Cipon sayd let your intention be pure even if your tounge speaks not. and the fact that looking at life via a child's eyes can change the world.
Cervantes's wit is like that you will think diffently, ethically and socially.

[Simworm]

Rachel's Tears and The Irristible Revolution. Both are non-fiction christian novels. The first is about one of the girls who was killed in the Columbine shootings. In her life before she died she lived completely for God and stood up for the underdog and in the end, died for her faith. The Irrisistible Revolution was more about the injustices of the world and living to bring love and peace to the world in a "gentle" way. As I was a teenager when I read them, they really helped me to see outside myself, to realise the world is big and I am small. These books helped me step outside my comfort zone and stop being the shallow teenage girl I was at the time.

[Defying_gravity]

I have a few...

Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery. I've loved it since I was a child and every time I read it I get something different out of it. There are some amazing quotes from that book too.

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom. This book was so inspirational and I just remember being blown away by it.

We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver. I was really shaken up after reading this book and it really made me think about a lot of issues and see things in a different light (regarding nature vs nurture).

[DavidB52]

"The Future of Industrial Man"
by Peter Ferdinand Drucker

and

"Atlas Shrugged"
by Ayn Rand

Books by Stephen Covey (self-improvement type books) are pretty good too.
For example, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People".

[Eric Tolevsky]

Catcher in the Rye:

It made me lose faith in modern writing for a few days, but after I had regained my senses - and read some good literature as a kind of literary medicine to the literary illness that awful book caused me - I could comment further.

Catcher in the rye is one of the most poorly written, emotionally shallow, and boring books I have ever read. It remains the book that I despise most, along with 'Of Mice and Men,' and Ian Mcewan's 'Enduring Love.'

I realise fully that it is a reflection of an angry teenage life, told through his own voice for dramatic effect and intense emotional turmoil, and a personal view which is unadulterated and unhindered by the mundane omniscience of a standardised narrator. But for christs sake it was so boring. Call me childish for not engaging with the 'character,' but when that character is so reprehensible, it's difficult to see any point of living. And that is how I want to describe it. Living. Indeed, Holden's view of the world tempted me several times to stop school/further education, to reject the love of family and friends, and venture into the harsh world for my own gains. I discovered afterwards - this is nonsense. This is an incredibly cynical, incredibly over dramatised, incredibly depressing view of life, and is not at all how teenagers see everything, and should not be discredited as such. I condemn this book as vulgar trash.

In this sense - I credit it as one of the most influential books I have ever read. It changed how I perceive life. It convinced that if there is anyone like Holden in the world, the world isn't worth living in. I'm now far more optimistic about life, because I reject that book with so much contempt. I actually would like to thank Salinger personally, for convincing me that there is good in the world.

If you have never read this book - please do. Just remember your sense of self worth, and as long as you feel like you can look down upon Holden, then you will gain as much as I have. Truly awful book - truly amazing effect.

Agree with you totally ... I'm not given to violence but I just wanted to slap Holden & tell him to 'get a life' & quit complaining. Tedious and boring definitely & so, so cynical but I accept I was not the intended target audience at the time I read it being female & I think in my late 20's.

I was taken aback a little by these responses to this book. If you compare it to say, Camus' or even Tolstoy's characters(before they find god at the end of the story), Holden is relatively well adjusted or at least not the most cynical character in literature.

[EmmaRhiannon]

The Harry Potter series changed my life completely.

It helped me to broaden my imagination and let my fantasies become reality for the time-being. No matter how many times I re-read these books they still captivate me as they did when I was 9 years old reading Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone for the first time.

However, the book that changed my life the most & for this I will always be grateful is Thin - Grace Bowman.
Having suffered from anorexia myself I didn't see what I was doing to myself was wrong. However, reading this book and being able to pick out so many similarities between myself and Grace, it helped me realise that actually, I was slowly killing myself. Which I very nearly did. This book literally saved my life.

[Maud Fitch]

The Harry Potter series changed my life completely. It helped me to broaden my imagination and let my fantasies become reality for the time-being.....

However, the book that changed my life the most & for this I will always be grateful is Thin - Grace Bowman.....it helped me realise that actually, I was slowly killing myself. Which I very nearly did. This book literally saved my life.

Wow, Emma, that is very powerful stuff you wrote there!

[Mel Carriere]

The Fountainhead changed my life too. It got me off my ass, even though I'm not sure if the long term results of my life exhibit that.

[Kn7481]

Hello,
Please read Love Woes by Nathan Moore Jr. Let me be the first to say it is Superb! Loves Woes is fabulous everyone can relate to it. So if your an avid reader or just starting out, do yourself a favor. Love Woes is the story of sacrifice and surrender because love requires sacrifice and surrender. Donovan suffers love affliction after meaningless relationships until true love recognizes Donovan. But, will Donovan finally recognize true love? Enjoy!!!

[Goldenet]

I must say such book is A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

I would suggest all to read it and share your comments how do you like it .
Engagement Rings and Diamond Rings - Goldenet Australia

[Inspiro Assistant]

The book that really make a big impact on me and change the way I think is Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. He is right about many things and about the way the school is teaching is not anymore applicable and most are obsolete.

Hi everyone,
I'm nicole.
I just read Ishmael and The Fountainhead. I'm looking for books that widen your perspective and change the way you live or think. I just graduated college and now I am my own teacher. Something truly challenging. Thanks.

[Inspiro Assistant]

What's up with that book?

For The Love of Life available on lulu dot com

[StephenKingman]

What's up with that book?

For The Love of Life available on lulu dot com

Nothing- it was spam and has been wiped