A book that changed your life

[Nik]

Do you have one like this? Or at least one that left a strong unforgettable impression? And why?

[Bernard]

Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach was probably the book that meant the most for me back then.

[Belle]

Gone With the Wind, believe it or not. My mother drug my reluctant, 14-year-old self off to see the movie. There are all kinds of issues with this film (and this was the 1960s) but it was the first time I learned history through a story and my first introduction to historical fiction. Made me interested in history and the telling of it.

[Lupe]

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for sure. It got me out of my depression when my mom died and to this day, that series has gotten me through every death in my family and friends.

[Bernard]

This book most likely changed the life of many of our moms. LOL

[M.L.]

To Kill A Mockingbird made an impression about injustice.
Michener's Hawaii, The Source, passage of time and perspective.
Gone With The Wind was a great book. I think it's a thousand pages, but just flew by. Lots of books have made impressions.

[Kat]

As a child I had a brick of a book re-telling the story of Marco Polo for young readers.

As an adult I spent 14 years traveling the world, and I might have another go again.

[Thomas]

Sun Tzu's The Art of War. I even got so interested that I even wrote with my intellectual heroes a modern version book called "The Art of War -- Spirituality for Conflict."

[M.L.]

There are so many great books. The Lord of The Rings and Dune set the bar for worlds.

[GR]

Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski, changed the way I looked at stories. I read it out of curiosity (it was class assignment), and realized I could write the same story. It was my adventure into writing. I've been writing ever since.

[Quantum]

Lupe wrote: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for sure. It got me out of my depression when my mom died and to this day, that series has gotten me through every death in my family and friends."

On occasion, This series kept me up until 4am on a work night.

[Joanna]

One of the first books I read when I arrived to work and live in the U.S. was David Reuben M.D.'s "Everything You always Wanted to Know About Nutrition."
Way back then he blew out of the water all the myths that have since been debunked. For example, for years and years butter was bad. Reuben said back then that butter was better than margarine and other substitutes.
He wrote so much common sense in that book, I have followed his guidelines for almost 40 years, and have never been sick or sickly; perfect blood pressure and cholesterol level, too; and have never taken a pill or medication other than the occasional Advil. I attribute it all to that book.
As for fiction: "Where Are The Children?" by Mary Higgins Clark prompted my desire to write a thriller, and to be published a few years later.

[Scout]

There are two: Silent Spring by Rachel Carson and Emerson's Essays. The first because it made me aware of our impact on the environment; the second because it made me feel not so alone in my thinking.

[Groovy]

The first book is the Bible. I am who I am today because of it's great influence and message. Without it, I probably would be dead.

The second were the Harlequin Romance genres. When I read them, I realized what love was. I grew up in a very violent, abusive household, so reading about love was an eye-opener. And because of the influence of Harlequins, I am now an author.

[Quantum]

Joanna wrote: "One of the first books I read when I arrived to work and live in the U.S. was David Reuben M.D.'s "Everything You always Wanted to Know About Nutrition."
Way back then he blew out of the water all ..."

added to my science TBR list.

wow, you guys are inspired by so many great books. i'm still thinking about mine.

[Elizabeth ♛Smart Girls Love Trashy Books♛]

I'm probably in the minority in this, but Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Septeys really changed me. I originally read the book for a contest in a club I was in several years ago when the book first came out, and I was interested in the book but didn't really think anything major of it.

It was one of the few books I've read that's made me cry, and I've reread it three times now, an impressive feat since I don't like rereading books.

But more than that, that book is the reason why I write so much about the ex-Soviet countries. To know that they could have that much tragedy in their history that not a lot of people know about; I wanted to shed more light on those events. But I also wanted to know about the good times in those countries' histories. I wanted to know about their heydays, their culture, and how they went from being empires on everyone's minds to little tiny dusty boxes in the corner nobody cares about.

That book, despite its apparent flaws, means so much to me now than it ever did back then.

[Joanna]

Alex G wrote: "Joanna wrote: "One of the first books I read when I arrived to work and live in the U.S. was David Reuben M.D.'s "Everything You always Wanted to Know About Nutrition."
Way back then he blew out of..."

It's really so worth reading. There have been so many miracle diets since this book, and so many nutrition myths promulgated by charlatans and lobbyists. Sometimes it's really a good idea to go back to the basics we all knew intuitively were correct.

[Lizzie]

When I was 12 I was reading mysteries my Mary Norton. Without looking I grabbed the next book on the shelf by Norton. It was Andre Norton's Star Man's Son. I read everything our library had by Andre Norton, at school and from the county library. I fell in love with science fiction because of being in a rush and grabbing what I thought was the next book in a mystery series.

When I was 17 I obtained a copy of Dune. I was fascinated by it. I read it 3x that summer. I obtained that copy because I had joined the science fiction book club and received a certain number of free books having to buy 4 within a year or something similar.

One of the free ones that came in the fall was Dragonriders of Pern. Eventually, I bought every Pern book. The first science fiction book my daughter read off my shelves was one of those other Pern books which turned her into a science fiction fan too. She is now a high school STEM teacher. She contacted Baen to obtain some posters for her classroom. They didn't have any posters but sent her boxes of books for her students, which included Dune and Dragonriders of Pern which have turned some of her students into fans.

Books affect our lives and the lives of those around us in amazing ways.

[Nik]

Elizabeth♛ Smart Girls Love Trashy Books♛ wrote: "Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Septeys ..."

Must've missed it, but looked it up on the web now to have a read at some opportunity. Some books are culture-openers for unaware readers...

[Jen Pattison]

The Go-Between, LP Hartley. I wasn't engaged with literature at school, but I saw the film of this book and decided to read the book when I was 17. That started my love of reading and I've never stopped since.

[Nik]

Have any book had such a sizable impact on you?

[Philip]

Catch-22

[Graeme]

Patrick wrote: ".Check/

The Luciferian Doctrine

.."

Hi Patrick, by providing links and explicit download instructions, and given your comment is identical to another in this group that promoted the enslavement of women. You just got yourself banned and your topic post deleted.

[Jason Wicky]

The three little pigs.

lol

I am not joking.

It teaches you that you have to build a strong foundation and structure in order to take care of others.

[Graeme]

Fair point Jason.

[Mike]

Jason wrote: "The three little pigs.

lol

I am not joking.

It teaches you that you have to build a strong foundation and structure in order to take care of others."

Actually that makes sense!

[Mike]

The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. Too long perhaps, but it crystallized my feeling that there are two approaches to life, the mystical/emotional and the logical/knowledge-based; and that a lot of European history is about the struggle between the two. I feel that's as much so as ever.

Also J.B. Priestley's Bright Day, which I first read about 25 years ago and still think is one of the best novels in English.

[Nik]

Philip wrote: "Catch-22"

Wonder whether being in the air force magnified the affinity.
I remember books that coincided with my own experiences at the time as especially memorable, like Grisham's 'The Rainmaker', for example

[Scout]

Were you in the air force, Nik?

[Nik]

Me - no, Philip

[Matthew]

This might sound like a cliche, but 1984 definitely changed my life. As advertised, that book changes how you look at the world, your understanding of language, and the dynamics of power.

Then there was Dune, which inspired me to write science fiction. I had been wanting to become a writer since I was about 19, but it was reading the series during my 20s that convinced me that sci-fi was a serious genre.

[Matthew]

Mike wrote: "The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. Too long perhaps, but it crystallized my feeling that there are two approaches to life, the mystical/emotional and the logical/knowledge-based; and t..."

No way, I also read that book, though it took a few years! I was turned onto it by studying modern intellectual history in university, it came up during the curriculum. It's rare I hear anyone else talk about it.

[Philip]

Nik wrote: "Philip wrote: "Catch-22"

Wonder whether being in the air force magnified the affinity.
I remember books that coincided with my own experiences at the time as especially memorable, like Grisham's '..."

I had read Catch-22 at least twice before I joined but I cannot deny there is an affinity, especially in the slightly cynical approach I witnessed in my colleagues.

I also agree with Matthew, 1984 was hugely influential. Throwing another one in the ring - One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich - probably influenced my view of Russia/SU long after the SU disappeared and still taints my view of current Russian leaders.

Then there is Shakespeare, not necessarily just the plays but the influence the re-telling of the stories has had on modern culture. "West Side Story" from "Romeo and Juliet" just as one example

In the end all these fantastic stories have an impact on our behaviour and view of the world. We are influenced by the literature sometimes without realising it.

[Scout]

I read 1984 way before the year 1984, and it has colored my perception and fear of government's gathering of personal data and how it could be used to control us. So I guess it did change my life, as I guard my privacy as much as possible.

[Graeme]

I agree with Scout. Privacy is essential for freedom for one very important reason. Without privacy, you will be bullied by others to conform, or be punished for lack of conformity.

What you have to conform with will be defined by those with power.

A lack of privacy encourages a snitch culture, where he who snitches first, snitches best.

The above are very good reasons why 'privacy,' was so hard to attain in Orwell's '1984.'

Effective and easy access to personal privacy for everyone is part of any strategy to thwart the advance of tyranny.

[Holly]

Graeme wrote: "I agree with Scout. Privacy is essential for freedom for one very important reason. Without privacy, you will be bullied by others to conform, or be punished for lack of conformity.

What you have ..."

After a while you get used to being punished for not conforming and with time you cease to even notice it.

[Graeme]

Hi Holly, depends on the punishment. There have been plenty of human societies where lack of visible adherence to the local superstitions would get people tortured to death.

Virtue signalling in social media is like Winston's participation in the two-minute 'hate.' He is fully aware that it is a conditioning system, but he dare not participate for fear of censure and punishment.

[Scout]

I read Emerson's Essays in high school, and they encouraged my bent toward independent thought, which endures to this day. A quote: "“Whoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore it if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind."

[Graeme]

Scout wrote: "...Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind." ..."

That's resonates for me.

[Lizzie]

If I wanted to be really basic - Dick and Jane in Kindergarten really influenced my life. I discovered I could read! I went home and made my dad listen to me read a bunch of my fairytale books.

While it sounds funny, it is true. I didn't know I could read. My dad read to me at night. Even as a little kid I had insomnia so whatever time he got home he would find me wondering around somewhere. In that process of him reading to me as a bribe to stay in bed for at least the prior 2 years that I recall, I somehow picked up on the process and didn't know it.

[Lizzie]

Scout wrote: "I read 1984 way before the year 1984, and it has colored my perception and fear of government's gathering of personal data and how it could be used to control us. So I guess it did change my life, ..."

I read 1984 years before too. I was more careful of my privacy, but mostly once computers came around, by 2005, I figured the battle was over, anything the government wants to know about me it will, and now my smart TV is listening to me while Homeland Security is checking this comment for certain words.

[Scout]

My dad and I discuss current events on the phone, and sometimes one of us will make a comment with some key word that might be picked up by whoever. We joke that the black SUVs will be pulling up to the curb any time now.

[Dave]

Raise the Titanic! by Clive Cussler. As a young child, I loved to read. Then in middle school (it was called Jr. high school in my day) I was assigned "the classics"--Tale of Two Cities and other literary masterpieces. This didn't work for me, and I learned to hate reading for pleasure, eventually giving it up completely. Then, during my undergraduate years, a friend gave me a worn paperback copy of said novel. Boom! I was hooked on this genre. But it was far more than that. Motions were set into play that eventually (4 decades later) caused me to begin my own writing career. Thank you Mr. Cussler!

[Mark]

Ulysses Joyce
Don Quixote Cervantes
The Brothers Karamazov Dostoyevsky
Remembrance of Things Past Proust
The Peloponnesian War Thucydides
Walden Thoreau
Wise Blood O'Connor
Hedda Gabler Ibsen
Waiting for Godot Beckett
King Lear Shakespeare

[W]

Still waiting for a book that could change my life.

[Scout]

I don't know what's important to you, but if it's anything to do with the natural world, maybe reading The Overstory by Richard Powers might at least change your outlook on trees.

[James]

Nik wrote: "Do you have one like this? Or at least one that left a strong unforgettable impression? And why?"
That is a great and very interesting question! For me, the book would be STARSHIP TROOPERS, by Robert A. Heinlein, published in book form in December 1959.
I have always been a fan of action-adventure in both fantasy and sci-fi. This was the first book which postulated ideas which actually made me stop and think about them. Perhaps it was my age when I read it, perhaps so many other factors, but that is the one that made me realize novels are for FAR more than just entertainment.
In particular, the single idea which led to all the others was the realization, as Heinlein pointed out, that we, as human beings, do not have any "rights" other than the right to attempt to live and thrive after being born.
This realization truly opened my mind to begin thinking at a new level.

[Nik]

Hi James & welcome to the group!
Triggers capable to bring our perception to a new level are a rare thing indeed

[Scout]

Heinlein is a favorite of mine.

[Papaphilly]

I think it might have been The Hobbit, or There and Back Again. It was the first step to reading adult novels. I also think that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Slaughterhouse-Five were real game changers for me.