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Question What book changed your life?

Hunter S. Thompson's first volume of Letters --The Proud Highway

Jack Kerouac's Selected Letters '40-'56.

I've read a ton of books, but these two have stuck in my mind because they are the life stories of two idealistic ambitious nonconformist writers who are living life as it should be lived.
 
A number of them:

1. The Bible (TaNaKh and Christian writings) - Aside from it being a collection of profound stories, the fact that my life for a time revolved around my role as Pastor...it was definitely a life-changing moment when I bought my first Bible and decided to see what all the hoopla was about when I was 15.

2. The Master of Ballantrae (R.L. Stevenson) - For one, it got me hooked on epic stories. But more importantly it taught me at an early age to face the reality that you simply cannot make the people you love love you back in exactly the way you would like them too. Sometimes you have to accept the love that people are able to show...and sometimes you have to walk away knowing that your love for them is the only beautiful thing your relationship with that person will ever produce. Very painful read, but liberating at the same time.

3. The Wheel of Time series (Robert Jordan) - Aside from taking up more of my waking hours than any other single leisure activity, this series drove me to find an internet community (much like this one) of people fanatical about the books. That was 1997 and several of the friendships from that place have truly enriched and altered the course of my life.

4. An untitled work by my Great-Aunt concerning the lives of her two sons - My grandfather gave me this book when I was interested in exploring my extended family (most of whom I have never met). His sister wrote the book chronicling the lives of her two sons, Dale and Robert. Both were gay, and one died of AIDS in the early days of the pandemic. The other has been living in Minneapolis with his partner for the past 20 years. Reading this story touched something deep inside me that I now think was the beginning of my own inner journey that allowed me to face the reality that I was gay...perhaps it was the subconscious realization that I could be honest with myself and no matter what, I would still have family somewhere with whom I would always be connected.

5. A Manchild in the Promised Land (Claude Brown) - This is the autobiography of a guy who grew up in Harlem in the early days of Heroin hitting that community and utterly devastating it. From his pre-teen years he lived as a pimp, a dealer, an addict, a thief. But he tells how somehow he found the inner sense of dignity to want something more for and from himself...he pulled himself out of the ghetto, educated himself and became a successful writer. Reading this book for the first time as a 12 year old taught me that I was the master of my own destiny and my success depended not on my life circumstances, but rather my reaction to them. I credit this book with a great deal of my success in life.
 
Introspective_Johnny said:
lol, I just remembered a time in my high school advanced composition class when everyone gave me a blank stare when I'd just finished reading my paper on the subject. :) And my teacher always argued with me about it.

Have you ever watched any documentaries about Ayn? I saw one on t.v. not too long ago. It talked about her husband Frank, her love affair with Nathaniel Branden, her experiences in Hollywood, etc. Pretty interesting.

No, I haven't seen any documentaries on her:( . I remember a long time ago I started a thread about
that's the extent of what I've seen of Rand on bL.Ayn
 
1984-by George Orwell.

Made me see the society in a whole other way,for the better i think.Altough i do realize more then ever that this is certainly not the way to life,1984 made me understand it could be much worse then it is:)
 
although the book didn't necessarily 'change my life', I thought I would mention it because it had an effect on me. I just finished reading Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, it's a book about the fast food industry in America, from the beginnings of a small Carl Jr's in California to the worldwide 'Americanization' due to McDonald's spreading across the globe. This book was informative, yet horrifying...from the advertising techniques used to sell food to kids to the chapter on slaughterhouses, it keeps you interested the whole time. I swear, you will think twice about eating a Big Mac after you read this. A strong recommendation to individuals interested in sociological/popular culture books...
 
political ideals, by bertrand russell.

it's a collection of essays inspired by the developments in post-WWI europe, and focuses on the role of individual freedom, the emptiness of consumer society, and the possibility for change. interestingly, it was banned in britain for 20 years, and russell himself was prevented from giving the lectures from which it was composed; however, they were delivered in surrogate in 1944.

i found it in a book sale when i was 10. not really knowing (or indeed, caring) about the intricacies of political philosophy, i picked it up as an afterthought. nonetheless the effect it had - even though some of the terminology was baffling - was profound.

i began to realise that inequity & injustice are still features of the world we live in, and that they are unacceptable. it was like reading something i had known my whole life without thinking about; a confirmation of unspoken beliefs.

i thoroughly recommend it to y'all. it's a bit dry sometimes, & some of the more socialist ideology sounds a bit waffly, but it still carries enormous impact.
 
defintely Celestine Prophecy! It had alot of meaning and was so relevant to me. :D

The Beauty Myth - Naomi Wolf

grrrrrr :)
 
The Alchemist and every other book by Paulo Coelho(sp?)!!

The Alchemist made me resign from my job in Malawi (a decision I made in a couple of minutes) and decide to move to England...took me a couple of months but I did it! It was the best thing I've ever done!! =D

The Celestine Prophecy and the Tenth Insight (the follow on to the C.P.)

They totally changed the way I look at life and the way I live it!! They've made me a lot more positive!! =D

xxx
 
just a few offhand:

Anthem

On The Road

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Siddartha
 
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Catcher in the Rye
Wasted : A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia
Less Than Zero

I guess I'm sort of a combination of the main characters of those books. i could really relate to them. i would be reading them and thinking omg thats me.
 
Victor Frankl "mans search for meaning"

Almost finished it now. And after wondering for years what I would do with my life, in terms of career, I am now planning on returning to Uni in a couple of years and studying psychology - as well as a couple of related fields (sociology, anthropology).

All because of this book.
 
A great thread for a bump.

I've read many classics both old and new that have moved me. None of which have changed my life thus far.

Share with us your books!
 
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. One of my favorite books
 
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance definitely had an effect on me when I read it, in my early 20s
 
Trainspotting
Speed and kentucky ham by william s burroughs jr
Valley of the dolls
 
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