69 replies to this topic

[H3x]

not to many posts in here hehe so what are a few books that changed your life or way of thinking?

[SuburbanalCuts]

H3x, on Dec 16 2004, 09:53 PM, said:

not to many posts in here hehe so what are a few books that changed your life or way of thinking?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

One Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka.

[srbin]

Hm...i think that is definately the book Xtazy...
Why?...because i catch this thing,that every drogs are pure shhhh and they will anhiliate u now or later ...

[lostmaiden]

Actually... Inuyasha really changed me cause that's when I saw great manga was and I changed from a normal person to some anime freak that now has nothing better to do than own an Inuyasha guild on neopets...

[Caveman]

George Orwell's 1984 was HUGE for me. Winston's story is an incredible one, and only the genius of Orwell could put something so mindblowing together in a single comprehensive novel. The biggest thing that book taught me was that you should never be afraid to question. We live in a scary world, there's not doubt about it, and the only way to make sense of it is to be inquisitive, and not swallow up what's thrown out at you.

I read Animal Farm in 6th grade. Unfortunately, I was FAR too young to grasp any of the underlying concepts. Maybe I should pick it up again...hehe

[vanilla_rent]

caveman... nice to see someone so like-minded in this forum!

where do I start.. I have no idea where to start. There are way too many books that have changed my life before I even knew they were changing my life- that sounds silly but I'm referring to days like 5th-6th grade, and the like...

so many books are amazing that it's an obsession of mine as a writer, and for anyone who even rarely reads (you would think I spend all my time reading loving it so much and yet how sometimes I don't even get to it except for school) but loves reading... books can definately change your life. look at me- looking at schools for creative writing majors when I would of never even of thought myself good at writing save essays and the like freshman year...

but books? Well, over the summer I read House of Leaves, as did actually a bunch of incredibly talented book-literate theatre kids I know... It can be one amazingly confusing book at times, but never in a frustrating way- only confusing in the ideas swirling in your head... no one has any idea what I'm talking about, just because when you try and summarize the magnitude of House of Leaves it's almost.... you really are lost in where even to start to even give a halfway accurate picture of the book. It is one amazing book- I could name other books that I keep by my side as picturesque momentos of thoughts of members of the real world as abstract as it is, but it could take me forever- even a partial list... spans hundreds of authors. but I do have my favorites, like anyone.

you see, it's not so much House of Leaves changes your train of thinking- or possibly it does- theatre kids like myself live in a world sometimes so amazingly... upfront? (not even the world for it, though, unfortunately to truly generalize it) to simply keep from being pretensious that possibly we can't be completely changed by something when you are always changing but... it's like seeing the span of your life spread out so evenly and chaoticly, extremely researched and footnoted and yet in reality, utterly made up, and yet how in reality it is a novel by a guy with no relation to you, and the story has absolutely no relation to you, and yet... House of Leaves swallows you up, and eats you alive... now that, that is what gives me inspiration and a will to live in life... and the want to be a writer and to be around other writers, theatre kids and like minded... anyone...

[Kahli]

'lord of the rings' changed my life, and made me really appreciate tolkien and all his works. even though the fellowship of the ring was a *little* slow to start off, the pace gradually began to pick up.

[ICE-XG]

lostmaiden, on Dec 26 2004, 02:51 PM, said:

Actually... Inuyasha really changed me cause that's when I saw great manga was and I changed from a normal person to some anime freak that now has nothing better to do than own an Inuyasha guild on neopets...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

lol never seen someone's live turn around after watching a tv show. but, it's a good show. i like animi, who dosen't. i watch animi snice i was born bcuz i was born at asia S. Korea. get back to the point, ur the 1st person i heard of that have life changing turn around from TV in 30min. To bad it isn't the same way for everyone. it will b kind of funny

[byrdhouse]

Well, I would have to say the Bible. It not only has changed my life but it continues to offer good wisdom about how to be a better Christian. And lately I've been reading books about Jesus and his personality...how he handled events, relationships, his role, etc. I just finished a book titled The Traveler's Gift, Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success by Andy Andrews. Andrews has the main character go back in time and talks to famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Anne Frank, and so on who impart one of the seven principles of success. If you think that you can't change the world this book will convince you otherwise. Anyway, I really enjoyed it.

...on to my next book,

Ciao,

A librarian's worst nightmare

[spiderink]

Harry Potter. It hasn't changed my way of thinking, but my life would be vastly different if I had never read them. It led to certain choices and discoveries that have changed my life for better and worse. (Chaos theory) It's only directly influenced one big choice in real life, and joining parts of the fandom online. But both of those have branched out with far-reaching consequences. I don't know whether or not I believe in fate/destiny. But major parts of the last three years, and the rest, of my life might not have been.

[leiaah]

the catcher in the rye. I read it when I was 17 and a bit angsty. As with everyone, I was drawn to the character of Holden Caulfield and found myself to be relating with him. It was exactly what i needed at that time since I was feeling confused about some things then. In deference to what Holden always says, it kills me!

[squishybear]

i read this book by t. morrie, 5 people you meet in heaven. its a light story, but changed my outlook in life, and death.

[mama_soap]

It's been a while since the last post here, but I'm going to post anyway, this is question after my heart...

Someone (I think it was Caveman) mentioned Orwell earlier, and I thoroughly agree. 1984 was probably one of the most powerful political satires (or black-humor-book as they call it) I've ever read. I recently re-read Animal Farm for the third time, and it's also a book I like very much, especially the way the pigs keep modifying the commandments (e.g. 'No animall will kill another' --> 'No animall will kill another without a reason'!!).

I'm not sure about life-changing, but a book that did influence me rather deeply was Sophie's World. Then there's Kafka's Metamorphosis and Sartre'sNo Exit; The Stranger by Camus, all of them were... to put it briefly - influential.

Looking forward to more on this -- I'd be curious

[Cammy]

The Bible ...it inspired me all my life, made me laugh cry, given me inspiration a sense of justice and morality. Showed me how we are all human and flawed.

To Kill A Mockingbird I fell in love with the character Scout , daughter of a lawyer defending a black man who was being tried for the raped of a young women in the American South.
Don't Sweat The Small Stuff , taught me not to let little things bother me. Stop worrying and start enjoying life.
Runaway Diary Of A Street Kid. It was very sad. A story about an Asian girl who was pressured so much that she ran away from home and became a prostitute and drug addict . It was very dark, and gritty.

[concertina226]

Books that changed my life...

I've read many books in my life (my mother calculates I must have read about 1000) and all of them have meant something to me.

However, if you asked me to choose, I'd have to say Harry Potter. I first read the Harry Potter books when I was 14 years old. I had read about them in a book guide before but I had felt it was no big deal - just because it was popular, that didn't mean I'd like it. I finally borrowed it from a friend, who said it was really good. I borrowed it but I was reading other stuff at the time, so I just let the book sit on my desk for days.

When I finally finished all the books I had, I picked up the book, started to read, and was hooked instantly. So many things about Harry's life paralleled my own - even the way Harry thought. The books were funny, entertaining, magical, intriguing, mysterious and had so many lessons and parallels with real life.

Reading the Harry Potter books helped me get through my miserable school days in my awful secondary school days. While Harry escaped to Hogwarts, I escaped with him. I got to experience a bit of the England that I was missing (since I'm now living in Asia). And when the movie and the toys came out, I liked them, so I thought I'd collect them. It soon progressed into a full-blown obsession, and now I have a HUGE collection of all things Harry Potter, worth probably about $1500

So yay Harry Potter! 36 days till Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is released!

[ana]

yes! only one more month! Half Blood Prince... I'm very excited.

Harry Potter is definantly a favorite for me and has added some well needed joy to my life...

I'm not sure it's really changed my life though.

a really thought provoking book that's like no other I've read is Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man.

I also like the 50's beat writers, who I've imitated in style even before I ever read them (somewhat)

[Joshua]

byrdhouse, on Jan 17 2005, 08:39 PM, said:

Well, I would have to say the Bible.  It not only has changed my life but it continues to offer good wisdom about how to be a better Christian.  And lately I've been reading books about Jesus and his personality...how he handled events, relationships, his role, etc.  I just finished a book titled The Traveler's Gift, Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success by Andy Andrews.  Andrews has the main character go back in time and talks to famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Anne Frank, and so on who impart one of the seven principles of success.  If you think that you can't change the world this book will convince you otherwise.  Anyway, I really enjoyed it.

...on to my next book,

Ciao,

A librarian's worst nightmare 

Awesome, glad to see you and Cammy are fellow Bible-lovers

No book in history could've changed my life more then the Bible, because of it I'm no longer dead, if not for it, I'd never have born.

I've made it the rule for my life, knowing it the Word of God Himself, I've genuinely faced it up to every question everyone's ever asked of it, and if I didn't understand something I'd keep looking and asking God for guidance. I've never been disappointed. Everything I've ever found that's worth anything has been because of it.

Let's see... Josh McDowell's "More Then A Carpenter" is a great book, easy read and jam-packed with info. C.S. Lewis writes some good stuff, I like "The Cure of Souls" by Oswald Chambers. "Sinners In the Hands of an Angry God" is an awesome book despite being written so long ago. I've seen some decent stuff from charles Ryrie before as well. I like Martin Luther's writings on the priesthood of a believer but I disagree on a lot of his stuff as well.

I like Scofield's notes, Strong's Concordance, Halley's Bible Handbook, and Explore the Book all as reference materials.

[htmlmaster]

The Harry Potter series. I started reading them in 2nd grade, they took me from an OK reader to an avid one. I think that without them my acedemic success would not have been possible, so most likely, I wouldn't design websites.

[sparnp.fm]

The Da Vinci Code... it made me think a lot. I know its fiction but everything seems so real that it confuses me. Hehe, I can't differentiate between the fact and fiction. I respect my religion but that book has really made me doubt everything I believe in...

[anne23]

Tuesdays With Morrie is a GREAT book!! It's about a man who finds out that he has a disease and is going to die within a few months, and his friend, Mitch, who comes and sees him every Tuesday. Mitch writes down and records all the lessons that Morrie teaches him and puts it into a book. Morrie was a great man, and reading this book changed my whole outlook on life

[anima]

For me such books were from Nick Perumov. After I read all of his books I've become more helpfull for my parents and friends and I realised that friendship is the best gift in the world...
I think that everyone must realize himself after reading books. Because books are telling us the truth of our world. Everyone can recognize him self in some book.

[cigarettehips]

Speak and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I was fourteen and I didn't have any friends. As sappy as it sounds, both helped me cope with lonliness.

[glassCAt]

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa
Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky

Books like The Book of Disquiet and Crime and Punishment changed my view of thinking and of humanity. House of Leaves pretty much changed my view of seeing the world between reality and imagination; what's real and what's not and how both are connected.


These are also my favorite books.

[sm00nie]

As a practical person I tend to see solutions and problems as constantly being fogged up by political or social rhetoric, and thus reading a very practical true social experiment in the book "Black like Me", by Robert Bonazzi, was really a breath of fresh air. The book documents a white male who masks himself as an African American male and records how he is treated by the white community, as well as the black community.

Another enlightening set of books I read this month were called "Glitter & Greed" by Janine Roberts, "Blood Diamonds" by Greg Campbell, "The Last Empire" by Stefan Kanfer. These books document how workers in the diamond mines are treated and what kind of living conditions they must endure with little to no safety measures, health plans, corrupt physicians, murders, etc..

Now I'm reading --
"The Natashas : Inside the New Global Sex Trade" by Victor Malarek
"Woman, Child for Sale: The New Slave Trade in the 21st Century" by Gilbert King, "Human Traffic_Sex, Slaves and Immigration" by Craig McGill. I must say this is the most shocking set of books I've had the pleasure of reading. They truely go in deep to tell the tales how women and children are being smuggled out of their homes, orphanages, or the streets and being forced into the sex trade.

It's quite a scary world when you can't even begin to imagine how many more human rights horror stories there are out there. Luckily with fact finding books like these you can try and get a grasp around some of these issues and try to help as well as open your eyes to what may be happening in your own backyard.

[trekken]

[quote name='byrdhouse' date='Jan 17 2005, 08:39 PM' post='41784']
Well, I would have to say the Bible. It not only has changed my life but it continues to offer good wisdom

I would have to agree that the bible is the best book, life changing book. It constantly offers wisdom. My favorite places to read are psalms and proverbs. I can usually
find something soothing and wise. I also like the book "The Light of Inner Reflection" esp since I wrote it. It's a collection of poems and prayers about life. Other
books that I like are "The Secret Life of Bee's" by Sue Monk Kidd and anything by Mr. Kiyosaki (I hope I spelled his name right).

Edited by trekken, 03 March 2006 - 11:24 AM.