Which books changed your life or mind?

[goofygal37]

Back when this thread started in 2008, a poster noted that she had read "Gone With the Wind" when she was 8 years old.

You know, I started reading very early and always have been a big reader, but this blows me away.

Anyone else read any 1,000 page novels while in the second grade? (I was 8 in third grade but was among youngest in class and that was 50 years ago when kids started earlier. Poster noted it was Gulf War era for her at 8.)

I dont know about 1,000 page novels, but by the time I was in second grade I had read every single Magic Treehouse Book that was out. lol Those werent complex reads, though, so if I had to equate something closer to that difficulty, i'd go with the Greek Mythology books I was reading in 2nd grade, and the books on Pompeii.

[MandiKenendy]

For me it was "Interview with a Vampire." It was the first "grown up" book I read at fifteen and it showed me that there was a whole world out there other than the "normal world" I lived in. It was the first book which made me realise that there were other people out there, just like me.

[FNAWrite]

mandikennedy: [Interview with a Vampire"] showed me that there was a whole world out there other than the "normal world" I lived in."

Thing is, we're not supposed to believe made-up stories, that's among the reasons they are called fiction.

goofygal: Magic Treehouse books are recommended for ages 4-6+, not surprising you had read thes by 2nd grade - you're right, not really GWTW.

I loved mytholgy as a child, especially Norse. I have no recollection of whether I first read hamilton's or Bulfinchs (500 pages so likely not) or some other collection made easier for a child.

It's nicew to look back and think that "When I was in 2nd grade I was reading at an 8th grade level." when the majority high school students today barely read above 5th grade level.

[sneha-branwyn]

Wuthering Heights!

[goofygal37]

Fna: way to go and be blatantly rude to 2 people you don't even know. I admitted they weren't 100% relevant, just what I had been reading in second grade, as the question asked. Its clear that were all on here for our love of reading, I don't see why you have to stomp on other people and boast about how you're even BETTER at being a bookworm like everyone else here... lol

[Gannon]

Fna: way to go and be blatantly rude to 2 people you don't even know. I admitted they weren't 100% relevant, just what I had been reading in second grade, as the question asked. Its clear that were all on here for our love of reading, I don't see why you have to stomp on other people and boast about how you're even BETTER at being a bookworm like everyone else here..l

Don't worry about it goofygal, check his posts he is rude to everyone. A few of us have been talking about him and the best thing to do is just ignore him. Haven't seen him on here since BigHuey told him off anyway.

Have a great weekend.

[catsy_red]

The Jodi picoult books that deal with different situations make you really think about what you would do and have changed some of my views.

[kharkins16]

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Future of Us

[Ellasmom1008]

If you haven't already read "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo, it is one that I highly recommend. I Christian and I would say I was a pretty strong believer in Christ before I read that book, but it definitely opened my eyes to other things. You know what your parents and your pastors teach you about heaven and the after life, but this four-year-old that has just gone through an experience with the creator himself, tells of everything he has seen. You even get a glimpse of what Jesus actually looks like. I would say that "Heaven is for Real" is a book that has definitely changed my life and the way I have thought of the after-life and what I have to expect.

[Phoenix98]

The Bible

[jp7395]

In all honesty, probably Lord of the Rings. I saw the movies first when I was about nine or ten and wasn't really into it. But then when I was in my teens, I saw them again and was like "what have I been missing. " So I ran out and bought the LOTR trilogy and attempted to read it but couldn't get past the Two Towers (mostly the Entmoot bored me to death so I just stopped reading, much to my shame.) Then I read the Hobbit, which was much easier. So after a couple of years, I tried reading the LOTR trilogy again and just could not put it down this time. Then I read the entire Appendix and no joke, cried multiple times. I felt an overwhelming sense of misery because these characters were so... immortal (not literally, like in the book.) I read about them dying or leaving Middle-earth after this journey that changed the world and I just felt so sad about it. But ever since then, I've been violently addicted to anything to do with Middle-earth... and this has profoundly affected my life.

[Fran]

I've been giving this a good deal of thought and conclude that without doubt the book that influenced my mind & life most was The Cinderella Complex by Colette Dowling. It's an old book, published in the early 1980's I think, a friend lent me her tattered copy a long time back (I remember her saying it "was an absolute eyeopener"). I subsequently purchased my own copy. I credit this book with making me very much the independent person I am today & it had a definite influence on my choice of partner.

[A24]

The Bible

[MandiKenendy]

[quote="FNAWrite"]mandikennedy: [Interview with a Vampire"] showed me that there was a whole world out there other than the "normal world" I lived in."

Thing is, we're not supposed to believe made-up stories, that's among the reasons they are called fiction.

I was actually talking about the fact that it was the first book I had read with gay characters and as a lesbian it made me think about my own sexuality for the first time. That's why I put said "normal world" in quote marks because up until then I hadn't really come across any gay or lesbian characters in books and it made me actively go out and search for books with other gay characters in.

[meraki28]

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts.