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.