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What book has most inspired you — and why?
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ModCloth
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May 07, 2010 07:36AM
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I must say, the B-I-B-L-E... yes that's the book for me!
Ironically, I think that would be 'Cleopatra' by Margaret George. Her descriptions of the city, the clothes, the decadence is amazing; but, more importantly, the vignette of a woman in power making some of the most difficult decisions between love and building her county back up from the ashes. Even though you know how the story ends, I still cried.
The book that most inspired me is Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner. In it, the protagonist writes a letter which says she may never be thin, but her body can do so many incredible things and that, after her new born baby's medical crisis, there are so many important things to worry about.Whenever I start to obsess about something I consider a flaw, whether it's stress, someone's unwanted judgment, or the muffin top over my waist band, I re-read this letter. It clearly and succinctly puts everything into perspective. I can move and speak and laugh and learn and love. That is SO much more amazing!
Not For Sale by David Batstone.It was the first human trafficking book I read (read over a dozen since). I had just learned about the fact that 27 million people are enslaved every year, and forced into the most awful things all around us. In it, he talked about people who were child soldiers, forced into prostitution at very young ages, made to work in brick kilns for generations, etc. It opened up my eyes to what is happening in our own neighborhoods, as 150,000-300,000 people are in slavery in the U.S. alone. Since I read this book I also have been giving presentations about modern day slavery/human trafficking. It inspired me so much that I want to live my life helping people out of these awful situations. I want to fight such oppression going on around us.
(I was originally going to say The Bible too because my life has changed the most through that book, but to many it is a generic answer that people don't want to hear about)
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. It's a good story of love and companionship!
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.It had several words of wisdom in it. "Don't panic." "Always know where your towel is." In fact, when I wrote my speech for my high school graduation, I started and ended it with Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy quotes. Plus, it's a humorous book.
"The House on Mango Street" changed my life as an activist and a writer. It reads like poetry but speaks like a novel.
Tales from Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffet. It sounds kooky but it was a really great read. It's all about travel and living your dream. VERY inspirational for me at the perfect time in my life.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. I love this book because Jane is such a strong character at heart. Even though she has the chance to be with the love of her life but she stays true to her morals and leaves.
The Giver by Lois Lowry. I first read it when I was 12. That was almost 18 years ago! I read it every year. It inspired me to cherish life--every single aspect. Take nothing for granted. What a great little book!!
I would have to say Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I read it my junior year in high school and it has definitely impacted my life and thought processes. Reading her works has helped me investigate what I personally believe and what my personal convictions are, without them being spoon fed to me by anyone else.
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I first read this novel way back in the summer before 9th grade. I was an angsty 13 year old who was mad at the world all too often and used books to escape into other worlds...really anywhere but where I was. On the hot streets of Maycomb however, I found more than just an escape. I found right and wrong, justice and in justice, courage and cowardice. I laughed, I cried (and isn't that the measure of how good a book truly is? How it makes you feel?) and I fell in love. I certainly changed my outlook on life and was inspired. Through Atticus' lessons I learned and thorough Scout's eyes I saw my world in an entirely different way. I've read and re-read this poignant novel too many times to count and it consistantly amazes me. I can't sing its praises enough.
It's not about the bike. The book written abour Lance Armstrongs come back from cancer.
The Great Gatbsy...it is the most beautifully written book of all time!
Atlas of the Human Heart by Ariel Gore - It's amazing how adventurous she is and I was inspired by her willingness to go out explore the world on her own.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel. It is a story about adventure, faith, and survival. It shows just how desperate humans can get, and just how resilient they are.
The book that has most inspired me recently is "Nickel and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich. Ehrenreich's honest, devastating account of trying to live on minimum wage gave me a new perspective on the plight of the working poor in America.I've really enjoyed reading all of the posts before mine! I haven't read many of these books and am adding them to my 'to do' list!
The book that most inspired me was Little Women. It taught me that you can follow your dreams and become whatever you want as long as you have determination and true love for what you are seeking. It doesn't matter what your family circumstances are or your gender, you just go after what you want!
Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir. Eleanor is such a bad ass. She created a legacy of a strong, smart, powerful woman in a time where most where made to shut up and stay unnoticed. I have recommended this book to many and am very excited to know that my dear friend is pregnant with a girl and they have decided on Eleanor.
On the Road by Jack Kerouac.It's based on his spontaneous road trips across America and is a good motivation to get out of our comfort zones and travel.
All books have inspired me, but a lot of the Patricia Cornwell stories have had influence the most.
The Red Tent has inspired me. It reflects upon the un-breakable bond of women and family during biblical times.
The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For? by Rick Warren. To have someone give an honest, unbiased assesment of true faith and what that looks like- completely life-changing. The book is divided up into forty 5-10 pg installments walking you through not how to be a 'good' Christian, but how to stop watching your beliefs from the sidelines, as things someone else dictated to you. I read one a day, and it completely restructured the way I thought about my own place in this mess of the universe and the way I thought about other people. An amazing book- I'd recommend it to anyone, 'religious lifestyle' notwithstanding.
Donald Miller's books are a huge inspiration for me. My favorites are A Million Miles in a Thousand Years and Blue Like Jazz. The Little Prince is a huge inspiration too. It reminds me that what adults often think is important, really isn't that important after all- it inspires me to look at life with a new perspective. :)
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers really inspired me to be myself. With the intense character study and watching the four main characters interact, I saw how things are meant to be between people and how all of them were being themselves. They were all interesting individuals and in a way, I could relate to all of them, for example, being a good listener and also being someone who needs a good listener. I was also inspired to go out there and meet people, not changing a thing about myself.
The giving tree by Shell Silverstein because I remember no matter how small or sad or unhappy or big or even ugly/beautiful you are that it id always right to share what you can and have with others.
I would have to say The Blind Side by Micheal Lewis and yes i read the book because it is a great story and really moves you
Maus: A Survivor's Tale Not because theres a old man that went throw something so horrific but because he seem so much like my mother. I always tought my mother was excentric but I didn't know there could be someone out there so much alike in character. It made me reallize my family was "normal" at the age of 15. That made me open up to my families excentricities and not be embarrass to be seen with them in public, which by that time made my life hell.Oh! to be a teenager
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte because there's this one quote that I can't remember exactly off the top of my head but basically Jane shows amazing moral courage and self control. It ends with "there I plant my foot". You go girl!
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. The book inspired me to keep following my dreams, as silly as those dreams may be.
I don't know if any one book has most inspired me and (considering the question is a little vague) in what ways... But I can definitely say Jerry Spinelli's books (Loser, if I had to pick just one), are great little books with huge resonance for me. Although the protagonist is always a child, the message is just as important and pertinent to adults. Do the right thing; be wary of labels and social pressures; be yourself; love freely; do not blindly follow; ask questions. These are the most important things to remember in life.
I think the book "blue like jazz" has inspired me the most. it pushes me to think of my faith in more relatable terms that are understandable to those who do not beleive the same things as me.
I was really inspired by Jodi Picoult's newest novel, House Rules. It really opened my eyes to the difficulties of living with someone on the Autism Spectrum and how it is a completely life changing condition.
Looking For Alaska inspired me the most because it made me look at the world differently.
The first book that inspired me was The Three Musketeers, I was probably 9 or 10 years old at that time and I fell for the friendship story in it. I thought that being brave, courageous, smart, was the best. I've read the book many times after that first time, each time I fall for a different character: each of them have something good, each one of them has flaws as human beings, but they conquered them or fall for them. Every time I feel life has become difficult, or plain wrong, I go back to those four men and after following on their adventures, and enjoying their company I have the idea that the world is so much better because there are things that will ever exist like friendship, love, courage, bravery, truth. And even the worst in men can't finish them.
Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn -- because it helped me to look at ecological and environmental concerns in a way that altered my own relationship with the Earth. It also gave me vocabulary and metaphors that are useful in having constructive conversations with others about environmental politics.
Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. "I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race." One of the most inspiring quotes from a book that I have ever read.
