What books have made a big impact on you?

[NJmaverick]

how have they affected you?

[taterguy]

1. Lost Highways by Peter Guralnick

Introduced me to James Talley and when I met James in person he showed me how to easily get the shrink wrap off CD cases.

[suninvited]

2. what is the trick?

I have a lot of trouble with the CD's. I don't think it is the shrink wrap so much as the sticky labels that you have to take off first.

[taterguy]

7. Fingernail down the hinge

[suninvited]

27. I will try that next time

but I dont have much in the way of fingernails.

[Tobin S.]

3. Cosmos by Carl Sagan

Two words, baby: Cosmic Consciousness. Let's do lunch sometime.

I'm so impressed with Sagan that I'm going to read everything he's ever written and buy all of his documentaries. I wish I would have discovered him when I was 20. It would have saved me a lot of time and money. But I was into supernatural stuff and I broke my brain in search of it. All is well now and I guess better late than never.

[_dynamicdems]

6. Oh yes! Cosmos. Brilliant book.

I've got a first edition of it, one of my prized books. Just wish it was signed.

[Ikonoklast]

4. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

It set the standard for every comedic writer.

I never laughed so hard in my life.

[mikeytherat]

10. In college, I worked with the English department grading students' short stories.

One "author," whom we dubbed "Ms. Rand," had a central character in all of her stories; a character who was unappreciated, clearly superior, and would "show 'em all" one day. This character might be a cheerleader, a bookish student, or even an architect (seriously), but the situation was always the same.

I often wonder how much damage could have been avoided if Ayn Rand had just been given a blankie, a juice box, and a pat on the head.

mikey_the_rat

[cemaphonic]

23. Have you read "Sewer, Gas and Electric?"

It's a pretty entertaining send-up of Randian themes and character types, one of which is a simulacrum of Rand herself that is forced to hang out with, and be totally dependent on a posse of liberals.

[Ikonoklast]

26. No, but it's on the list now. Thanks.

I despise Ayn Rand as both a human and an author, and anyone that believes in Objectivism.

She was a real piece of work.

[_dynamicdems]

5. Mostly non-fiction and poetry.

Poems of Keats, Shelley and Byron - old volume I had as a kid
This book made me love poetry. Keats, in particular, inspired me with both his complex poetry and the compelling story of his brief life. I've always had a secret (well not anymore) crush on this dead poet.

The Dancing Wu Li Masters by Gary Zukav
This started me on a life-long love affair with physics and opened my mind to new ways of thinking. Essentially, because of this book, my conception of both science and spirituality changed.

How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill
This book brought it all home for me. Being both of Irish descent and a lover of words, this book was a treat. Reading about the Irish scholars and scribes who worked to preserve written history, inspired me to embrace my heritage and take a trip to Ireland for which I'm extremely grateful. .

There have to be dozens of other books which have made an impact, some of which have probably been forgotten over the years, but these three come to mind off the top of my head.

[NJmaverick]

8. To answer my own question

the book 1984. I read it in my junior year and high school and it changed the way I looked at the world.

[mikeytherat]

9. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

A great book about the things in life which really matter.

mikey_the_rat

[NJmaverick]

12. I have heard of that before

what are some of the main points?

[HopeHoops]

11. Diet for a New America by John Robbins

We read it in 1989 and have been vegetarian ever since.

[livetohike]

13. A few which I re-read and remember why I loved them are:

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey - My first introduction to environmentalism (1968).

Walden by Thoreau - Living a dream, learning to be in touch with oneself and nature.

Seth Speaks by Jane Roberts - Putting metaphysics to work in your every day life. It is the first of the "Seth books" and a good introduction.

[Dogtown]

14. Cop hit me w/ the Yellow Pages oncet....

Made a hell of an impact!


:rofl:

[begin_within]

15. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but not the awful movie version

The book had a powerful impact on me, giving me a type of freedom of the mind that I didn't have before I read it. The progress of the narrator (Chief Broom) from paranoid schizophrenic at the beginning to fully sane and free individual at the end (completely lost in the movie version) had a huge impact on me. Also the allegory of the nurse and hospital representing the establishment and oppressivness of society, and the McMurphy character representing the individual in conflict with an oppressive society (also completely ignored by the movie) gave me a new perspective on society vs. individual freedom. The only good thing about the movie is that it might inspire people to read the book.

[SidneyCarton]

16. The Lord of the Rings...(cheesy I know, but so it goes)

Lord of the Flies (read it in High School, never looked at my peers in the same way again)

The Diary of Anne Frank

Dune

Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

[NJmaverick]

17. What impact did Lord of the Rings have?

[SidneyCarton]

18. It kindled my imagination.

Maybe it was the way Tolkien wrote, his fantasy world was old, it had a history, a past, a past that seemed as real as the characters who he peopled Middle-Earth with. It resonated with me.

[JonLP24]

19. Diary of Ann Frank

It was English class in Junior High and it was one of the many books we read as a class. It is hard to describe the feelings I got from reading it but it's one of those kind of books that make you think and helps you understand from a first person perspective what it was like to live in Europe during that time. I must say and I'm no expert but she was a wonderful writer for someone at such a young age.

[dixiegrrrrl]

20. Several.

Catch 22.
The insanity of War, cleverly written.
Read it, saw the movie, read it again.

Zen and the Art of, etc...noted above. check Amazon for reviews.
Life changing.

Rick Bragg's 2 memoirs/bios of his parents: Ava's Man and All Over But the Shouting.
His writing is magic, lyrical. He makes the human heart sing.

Anything Joe Bageant writes, his book is "Deer Hunting With Jesus"
his web site is joebageant dot com.

For plain English insight into money issues, Michael Lewis.

[Parche]

21. this

i went to pearl harbor to the memorial and met the sons and daughters of the crew
:patriot: :hi:

[NJmaverick]

24. That must have been an emotional experience

I have read quite a bit on this topic myself. I have the greastest admiration for those that served in the Silent Service in the WW2 Pacific theater. Especially in the early years were they were sent out with those defective torpedeos. It was a miracle any of them got back alive or accomplished their mission.

[Parche]

25. i met the famous

dick okane's son, and grandson
one of the highlights
along with Jim Allen, who went on the first 2patrols, and was transferred to the Uss Silversides
and a lady who's brother was on the sub when it sunk, who lives near me

I was even in the Honolulu advertiser paper, on that day





On Eternal Patrol - Memorial Ceremony for the Men of
USS Wahoo (SS-238)

























To all families, friends, and former crew members
of USS Wahoo - Lost at Sea, October 11, 1943

This page provides information on the Wahoo Memorial Ceremony and related activities. The date of the Ceremony was Thursday, October 11, 2007, the sixty-fourth anniversary of the loss of the boat, and the event was hosted by USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park, on the shores of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Activities began on Tuesday, October 9, 2007, and concluded with the Ceremony on Thursday, October 11.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paul Crozier has set up a blog site which enabled him to post daily about the activities while he was in Hawaii, and to put up images of the events, as well. He wants to enable those who couldn't attend the ceremony to participate, at least virtually, via his postings and guest feedback.

Please visit The War Fish Blog (http://war-fish.blogspot.com/).

[KansDem]

22. Jack London's "Martin Eden"

I saw a lot of myself in that book. I just hope I don't end up like Martin did...

[Hell Hath No Fury]

28. To Kill a Mockingbird

I was a little girl very, very much like Scout, growing up in San Francisco at the height of the civil rights movement.

I learned what integrity was, and how not to judge people until "you have walked in their shoes" from that book.

I still read it at least once a year.

[JitterbugPerfume]

29. A Canticle for Leibowitz , by Miller

the folly of war

Last Time to See--Douglas Adams

disappearing species and the humanity of Adams himself


Cosmos by Sagan

the vastness of the universe and the wonder of it all


I am sure there is more but that is the best of it

[AllenVanAllen]

30. H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds

It was the first adult book I read as a child that opened my eyes to the world of Science Fiction.

[AllenVanAllen]

31. Two books I'll mention

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells


It was the first adult book I read as a child that opened my eyes to the world of Science Fiction.





and Cosmos by Carl Sagan. It introduced me to the wondrous universe.

[WinkyDink]

32. "A Child's History of the World" in Grade 3 began my Anglophilia and eventual teaching of Brit Lit,

plus visiting Merry Olde about ten times.
Just loved those monarchs!

"Iberia" in grade nine led to Spain 10 years later.

"Witness for the Prosecution" (okay, a short story) began my continued love of Agatha Christie (and a "Mousetrap" on one of those afore-mentioned England visits).

"Kon-Tiki" as a child made me search it out in Oslo as an adult.

"Edith Hamilton's Mythology" had probably the most profound effect, for it showed me the universal nature of concepts and events I had thought were the sole province of the Bible. I haven't stopped searching for the truths behind them.

Basically, books I read as a youngster led to life-long curiosity and travel.

[Xipe Totec]

33. Miracle Drugs

A history of the development of antibiotics.

[ismnotwasm]

34. "East of Eden"

By John Steinbeck Is one. My son's middle name is Cain because of that book.

There are tons of books that have affected my life because of the way they present a reality. Just about everything from Isaac Asimov and several by Robert Heinlein. Many by C.J. Cherryh. The sci-fi list is too long.

"The Female Eunuch" By Germaine Greer and "The Second Sex" by Simone de Beauvoir both read when I was quite young, helped shape a life-long feminist philosophy and taught me to never lose my selfhood or give in to any type of unhealthy and/or self-destructive status quo.

Perhaps the book with the biggest impact was "Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee" by Dee Brown, I remember reading it in the seventh grade and it forever taught me to question what passes for history.

[YankeyMCC]

51. Robot and Foundation Novels

by Asimov and "Stranger in a Strange Land" - inspired my imagination and started me thinking about the way the world works

I'll say the Iliad and Odyssey but it really is more generally the ancient Greek mythology

"The Metaphysical Club" by Louis Menand

"East of Eden" and "Grapes of Wrath"

"The Snow Leopard" by Peter Matthiessen

"The Practice of the Wild" by Gary Snyder

and very recently "Pavement" by Lin Jensen

I'll also give a mention to The Four Lords of the Diamond series by Jack L. Chalker, these were my first SF books and really started my love of reading.

[av8rdave]

57. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is a book I have never been able to forget

Have read it twice.

East of Eden also had a great impact on me. Also Sirens of Titan by Vonnegut....taught me a lot about images/prejudices we form in our mind and how they rarely are accurate.

[Mendocino]

35. A Sand County Alamnac-Aldo Leopold

Should be required reading for every resident of this earth.

[travelingtypist]

36. Time Enough For Love by Robert Heinlein

Contains the Notebooks of Lazarus Long, my favorite collection of witticisms and truisms.

[pokerfan]

37. The Catcher in the Rye

taught me to embrace my inner cynicism.

[kwassa]

38. Many had a big impact, when the bookcase fell over.

[ShenandoahAspen]

39. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series

I read all five books while on vacation in 2006, and it really got me to thinking about life, and my (at the time) moderately conservative religious views. Funny how a set of fiction books can do that.

[NJmaverick]

46. Sometimes fiction is the best way

as it easily slips past people's defenses

[MilesColtrane]

40. Starting early:

"Are You My Mother" -Dr. Seuss (first book I learned to read)

"A Wrinkle in Time" -Madeleine L'Engel

"Dune" series -Frank Herbert

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" -Robert Pirsig

"The Inner Chapters" -Chuang Tzu (Zhuangz)

"The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious" -C.G. Jung

"The Varieties of Religious Experience:A Study in Human Nature" -William James

"Dear Theo:The Autobiography of Vincent Van Gogh" -ed. Irving Stone

"The Music of Life" -Hazrat Inayat Khan

"Structural Functions of Harmony" -Arnold Schoenberg

[enigmatic]

41. "The Razor's Edge"- Somerset Maugham

[w8liftinglady]

42. several

"That was then'This is Now" -coming of age story(link is a real spoiler
http://www.answers.com/topic/that-was-then-this-is-now-plot-summary

"J.T." by Jane Wagner really showed me about ghetto living and true love for an animal
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/JT/Jane-Wagner/e/9780440442752

"The Kitchen Madonna" by Rumer Godden
http://www.lunaea.com/words/rumer/emotional.html

[TokenQueer]

43. 'And The Band Played On' by Randy Shilts

[dembotoz]

44. the poor pay more--forgot who the author was

old book-ignited my social awareness.

Theory of conspicuous consumption
by thorsten veblin
fanned the awareness into a flame

[raccoon]

45. When Bad Things Happen to Good People. It really helped me a lot

to understand why, well, why bad things happen to good people.

[Odin2005]

47. "Demon-Haunted World" by Carl Sagan

Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet

Thinking in Pictures: My life With Autism by Temple Grandin

The Open Society and It's Enemies by Karl Popper

Why I am not a Christian by Bertrand Russel

The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins

[LostInAnomie]

48. Human, All Too Human by Friedrich Nietzsche

Really good place to start for evaluating common conventions of morality and how the world should be.

[EFerrari]

49. The White Album, Joan Didion. And the books written by black women

that the academy didn't know what to do with, lol, Hurston, Walker, Morrison. And the same in poetry, too, Clifton, Alta, so many. They almost shut down literary criticism altogether. :)

[mdmc]

50. on the road

[mitchum]

52. Candide...

because people are silly and cruel

[hippywife]

53. Lots of them but the first two that come to mind are

A People's History of the United States: 1492 to present by Howard Zinn and the other is The Covenant by James Michener.


Mankind can be so inhumane.

[Auggie]

54. The Shock Doctrine

It's made me angrier than ever.

[Puglover]

55. "To Kill a Mockingbird"

"Horton Hatches the Egg" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G5g1H08EhY

[slay]

56. Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72"

I never looked at politics, or republicans, the same way after. Absolutely wonderful book - collection of Rolling Stone articles actually where they paid Hunter to follow the McGovern campaign around during the 72 election - the description of his car ride with Nixon is classic.