What are some books you've read that that you consider life-changing?
I absolutely love reading to books, but the problem is I have no idea where to start looking. I figured it may be best to ask the Fluther community to give me suggestions. What do you guys think is an important book that changed your life?
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The Bible, The Conscious Universe, The Web of Life, Ideas Have Consequences, The Reason for God, Mere Christianity… etc
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.
Mutant Message Down Under written by Marlo Morgan.
The message- It is not too late to save our world from destruction if we realize all livings things are part of the same universal oneness. For me it confirmed my belief that in order to be happy, you don’t need to be materialistic.
The whole book was good, but Carl Sagan had a book called The Varieties of the Scientific Experiment (or something like that) where he explained and described his thoughts on nuclear war that I thought was excellent.
I grew up reading books. So I’d have to say all of the books I read before about the age of 15 influenced me heavily. Especially the Little House series. As a young adult, Sacajaweah helped me put my own life into perspective. No matter how hard my life gets, I think of Scajaweah—and am amazed again.
@Blackberry I absolutely love that book. Carl Sagan is one of my heroes.
The Bible, Wild at Heart by John Eldridge and Discovering the Mind of a Women by Ken Nair.
Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
Lamb by Christopher Moore
Hamlet by Wm. Shakespeare
The Iliad by Homer
The Republic by Plato
When I first entered public school then it was a very rough transition, I was in Jr. High. I read The Autobiography of Malcolm X and it had an incredible impact on me as far my outlook of my new city, new school, new types of kids, everything.
I’m OK, You’re OK by Dr. Thomas A Harris
Games People Play by Eric Berne
Toward a Psychology of Being by Abraham Maslow
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
—Gosh…I’m OK, You’re OK…that was a looooong time ago @YARNLADY! Although..I do remember when it came out. So I’ll just shet up now.
@Cruiser Do tell the details of you saving someone’s life!!
Grapes of Wrath…Yes!
@Season_of_Fall…so…what did they discover in “Discovering the Mind of a Women”? Were they right? I can tell you because I’m a woman and all…see
Illusions by Richard Bach.
Celestine Prophecy.
Animal Farm.
1984.
Cat’s Cradle.
Beloved.
The Republic by Plato is also mind-blowing once you decipher it.
@KatetheGreat I agree – I read the God Delusion and realised that all the thoughts about religion that had been floating around my head in a great amorphous cloud are now solidified into a coherence and logic argument. The man is a genius. A women at work who goes to a christian church read it and said she found it tough going
@Dutchess_III the book has to do with the great weight of strength in humility and non selfishness we have to operate from in the context of a marriage relationship. You don’t even have to take that it is Christian based to benefit. It is the most relevant relationship in our lives and easily reflects how selfish or non selfish we are. This book is one of the strongest most potent self examinations a man will ever make of himself.
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. I literally carried it with me everywhere until I finished reading it. It will make you re-examine the idea of human exceptionalism and how it effects the way we relate to the world.
@Dutchess_III I was a lifeguard in college and during a party some kids had one night, the lead guard pulled a kid off the the bottom of the deep end and it was then up to me to do mouth to mouth while he did chest compressions. After 10 minutes of non-stop work he came back to life. Mind blowing experience to say the least.
Thom Hartmann “Last Hours of Ancient Sumlight”
Ken Wilbur “One Taste”
@lonelydragon Ishmael is an eye-opener and really made me think too.
The Lorax
Catcher in the Rye
Brave New World
101 Hikes in the North Cascades
Into the Wild
On the Beaten Path: An Appalachian Pilgrimage
I am a big fan of Steinback, and two of his works have had quite an impact on my life.
The Grapes Of Wrath and Of Mice And Men
@queenie
Of Mice And Men was such a compellingly involving book for me.
I took it to bed thinking that it would put me to sleep in about 5 minutes, but I read the whole thing in one sitting instead.
@forestGeek “Catcher in the Rye” didn’t do a thang for me. It was so tame…..
Yes, “The Grapes of Wrath” and “Of Mice and Men”...incredible.
Hey..I’m almost finished with my 2nd go ‘round with “Roots.”....amazing!
@Dutchess_III – I also consider it tame today when compared to other books I’ve read, but back when I first read it I thought it was amazing.
Getting Things Done by David Allen
Who knew that writing down your goals and breaking them down into small, doable steps could make it so much easier to… get things done?
@forestGeek I know..it needed to be put in the context of the time. I just had a hard time doing that!
@drdoombot I knew that. When I decided to go back to school I never said, “OMG! I’m 30! I won’t be done till I’m 33!” No, I said, “OK, my classes meet on M, W and Sat morning. My first day of class is in two weeks.” And I didn’t think beyond that.
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