Most influential book you've ever read?

[TJ Shoun]

Cosmos by Carl Sagan

It changed the way I thought about the world and radically influenced my opinions of science and religion.

It put my life and my world in perspective, both literally and figuratively.

You?

[Alex]

Kerouac-On The Road
Aside from making me love beatniks, this is the book that made me love books.
I've read much better since, but ill always have a little spot in my heart for that one. And Dharma Bums, loved that too.

[Jonathan Bogart]

The most influential book I've ever read is probably the Bible.

But the book that most influenced me is ... I dunno. Some combination of Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, and E. M. Forster's Howards End. Either that or the Narnia books.


JB

[Dreadstar]

Me? Personally?

I really can't say that any one (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1581600259/warpbreachcom/103-1176775-4199833) has been any more important than any other. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0873641868/warpbreachcom/103-1176775-4199833)

[tricksterpup]

Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. One of the best African American authors out there today.

[Jonathan Bogart]

Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. One of the best African American authors out there today.
Uh, she's been dead for almost fifty years.


JB

[jungle_jon]

the intelligent investor
-ben graham

& orwell, huxley, tolstoy, & dostoevsky

[Jade_GL]

Probably Watership Down.

It made me go on a book reading binge. I was maybe in the fifth or sixth grade when I first read it, and I literally burned through a ton of huge books after it. It just lit a fire under me.

Also, the Chronicles of Narnia did something similar, but I was a bit younger. Some of the only books I've read over 3-4 times each and still love as if it was that first time.

[Slam_Bradley]

Farenheit 451. It shows the ultimate extreme of political correctness.

[Paradox]

I have two.

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein taught me a great deal about my own spiritual feelings as well as giving me faith in my "outsider looking in" perspective that I've had since I was a child. It also taught me how to kiss like Michael Valentine Smith. ;)

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand gave me a lot of perspective on what's wrong with our American society and was instrumental in leading me to investigate philosophy.

[Karl J. Barnes]

Several books have influenced me from Orwell's Animal Farm to Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath . Each book that I read, good or bad, have influenced me in some way. I know that doesn't answer your question, but that's the best that I can come up with.

[clayholio]

I don't know about influential, but perhaps the most inspirational books I've ever read is "Our Band Could Be Your Life" by Michael Azzerad. It's a collection of interviews with different underground bands from 1981-1991 (like Black Flag, Fugazi, Sonic Youth, Mission of Burma, the Replacements, Husker Du...).

The reason I find it amazing is that a batch of musicians created an alternative system to get their music out. And by alternative, I mean the major labels wouldn't touch this stuff, there weren't any clubs that would book these bands, there was nothing. And from nothing, these bands created a network of labels, distribution, and venues to get their music out, a network entirely separated from the mainstream. Eventually it all got mixed back in with the mainstream way of doing things, but I find it tremendously inspiring that a bunch of artists could not only create great music, but also create a way to get it heard.

I'm going to have to read my copy again soon.

[Watzabuzz]

Elaine Morgan, The Descent of Woman.

[mgs]

The most influential book I've ever read is probably the Bible. yeah, the Bible.

[Lone Ranger]

Non-Fiction

Leviathan - Thomas Hobbes

Fiction

A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway

[The Australian]

Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. One of the best African American authors out there today.

Did some study on ZNH, one of the few times I actually enjoyed doing research for an essay, although her autobiography was pretty weak. Beloved is also supposed to be great book, can't remember who wrote it, but Opera loved it.

For me, Flowers for Algernon or Red Mars.

[Eliot Johnson]

Black Boy by Richard Wright
...or...
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Black Boy was just a really moving book that showed me that no matter how hard I think my life is...it's really nothing. It taught me a lot about will power and perseverance.

Things Fall Apart opened my eyes to a lot of things about our society past and present.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Oh yeahh...laugh people.But Foley's book spent countless weeks In the New York Times Best Seller List and stayed at 1# a few weeks.His Life story Is perhaps the funniest and most open Wrestling book a guy could write.

In the book Mick Foley detailed his life as a shy,big kid who loved wrestling.In fact he hitch hiked over a couple hundred miles to see Jimmy Snuka wrestle Bob Backlund In a Steel Cage In 1983!


Foley talks about his problems with Women , (one called him Frank at the end of a date!), and his problems with wanting to become a Wrestler.But he made It and the story unfolds as Foley makes his name.

He details his runs In WCW,ECW, the short rebirth of Herb Adams UWF, and finally his career In the WWF/E.The book details the backstage stuff with Ric Flair,Ole Anderson, and Bill Watts as well as when Foley met his wife.

You may read books about the Cosmos and hell, thats great.But Foley's Is a journey of a HARDCORE LEGEND who finally hit the Gold.Plus Its cool.



Other Books, "The Charles Shultz Story" , 'All-Madden".

[Athena Bast]

Did some study on ZNH, one of the few times I actually enjoyed doing research for an essay, although her autobiography was pretty weak. Beloved is also supposed to be great book, can't remember who wrote it, but Opera loved it.

For me, Flowers for Algernon or Red Mars.
Beloved was written by Toni Morrison.

Toni Morrison couldright a phone book and Oprah would love it.

[Athena Bast]

Pilgrim by Timothy Findley

[Core]

Man, some people have named some really great books in this thread.

I agree with TJ that Cosmos is sure to be an influential book to all who take the time to read it. Sagan's This Demon Haunted World is also great at providing a different perspective on religion and some superstitions, such as alien abductions, that have gotten media attention over the years.

'Dox's pick of Stranger In a Strange Land was also a big influence to me, and like Alex's choice of On the Road (another excellent read) Stranger was one of the first books that got me to love reading.

Of course, the people who named the Christian Bible are right about its influence. It's hard to be raised in the Western world and not be influenced by that one, regardless of your religious upbringing.

I'm hesitant to list this next one in fear of being labled a pretentious intellectual, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that there's quite a few plays by Shakespeare that have been profoundly influential to me. Richard II and King Lear for sure. After Whitman, Shakespeare was the first canonized author whom I found myself really loving, not only for the timeless dramatic situations he creates but also for his word craft.

Okay, I'll stop now.

[Jonathan Bogart]

Of course, the people who named the Christian Bible are right about its influence. It's hard to be raised in the Western world and not be influenced by that one, regardless of your religious upbringing.
Just to be clear, I wasn't talking about its impact on me; just that it's probably been the most influential text in the history of mankind that I've read. It might possibly be tied with Homer's epics, come to think of it, although their influence was mostly confined to the literary wavelength.


JB

[Sir Tim Drake]

It's hard to choose, but I'll say Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

This book at the moments tearing up the New York Times list as well.Its selling pretty well and Its a testament to the Legend of Ric Flair!The NATURE BOY!


This book details the wild life Flair has led.Most happens outta the ring and Flair's got great details.At 14 he was having sex,getting drunk, and was sent to a military school as his Foster Parents couldn't control him!


Flair didn't set out to be a Wrestler and fell Into It.He tells us about meeting his wife at 21 and thier On again,Off again relationship.Then he lets the reader know that he f-cked up and his wife left him as he was too busy being "RIC FLAIR".

His book details that even In Wrestling , Flair's wild lifestyle never quit.His partying even killed a Limo driver!Flair & company kept the guy out partying 48 hours non-stop, the next day he dropped dead of a Heart attack!

You learn about his trips,problems with WCW and backstage personalities, and his WWF/E runs.As a fan Its a great book and hell at the end, wild Ric Flair has settled his ass down.But you'll like reading about the Wild sh-t he'd do.

[Jonathan Bogart]

I really love the idea that the Swedish Chef is a hyperactive wrestling fan who doesn't put spaces between his sentences and capitalizes at random. Never change your avatar.


JB

[SUPERECWFAN1]

I really love the idea that the Swedish Chef is a hyperactive wrestling fan who doesn't put spaces between his sentences and capitalizes at random. Never change your avatar.


JB


Swedish Chef? :confused: Ohhh the Muppet.Well I picked him out because he had a cool mustache.You shoulda been here 2 years ago.Lets just say my typin has Improved.

[SteelTownr]

The Lord of the Rings for me.

It really kindled a love for Fantasy for me.

Mark B.

[cmdrbond007]

Ian Fleming's Casino Royale. Bond at his best.

[Patient Boy]

I don't know about influential, but perhaps the most inspirational books I've ever read is "Our Band Could Be Your Life" by Michael Azzerad. It's a collection of interviews with different underground bands from 1981-1991 (like Black Flag, Fugazi, Sonic Youth, Mission of Burma, the Replacements, Husker Du...).

The reason I find it amazing is that a batch of musicians created an alternative system to get their music out. And by alternative, I mean the major labels wouldn't touch this stuff, there weren't any clubs that would book these bands, there was nothing. And from nothing, these bands created a network of labels, distribution, and venues to get their music out, a network entirely separated from the mainstream. Eventually it all got mixed back in with the mainstream way of doing things, but I find it tremendously inspiring that a bunch of artists could not only create great music, but also create a way to get it heard.

I'm going to have to read my copy again soon.

I saw that in the stores and I wasn't sure whether to buy it. Your recommendation is good enough for me to make a mental note to check it out next time I'm at a bookstore.

The Lord of the Rings for me.

It really kindled a love for Fantasy for me.

Mark B.

The fantasy book that did that for me was TH White's The Once and Future King.


I guess my own pick would be...hmm, the Autobiography of Malcolm X. No, I'm not black.

[cactusmaac]

A double bill of Parliament of Whores by PJ O'Rourke and Free to Choose by Milton Friedman which firmly shook me put of being a middle-of-the-road liberal and on the road to hardcore conservatism.

[Jayna]

3 books actually, Steppenwolf and Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse and Native Tongue by Suzette Hayden Elgin.

[Sanagi]

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I read it countless times when I was a kid.

[GrizzlyDude]

Split Infinity by Piers Anthony

that was the first sci-fi book I ever read and it impressed me enough to read more of his books and more sci-fi in general. :)

[Shades0077]

The Last Continent - Terry Pratchett

Seriously, this book pretty much gave me my outlook on life, that outlook being "No worries." No matter what happens, things will usually turn out alright in the end. Sage words of wisdom my friends.

Plus, it's got Rincewind. He's a Wizzard!

[TJ Shoun]

Thanks guys!

I love hearing about other works that've impacted others' lives.

I'm seriously gonna check out evey book that's mentioned here -- at least marginally. :)

Interesting stuff.

Keep'em coming!

[Memo]

The Razors Edge by W. Summerset Maugham (fiction)
Cosmic Trigger by Robert Anton Wilson (non-fiction...kinda)

[meethraa]

Different books inspired me in different ways, but I'll go with Bret Easton Ellis' Less Than Zero. It's probably not even my favorite book of his, but it was the one that helped me create the proper conditions to bring myself to seriously write fiction.

[Shellhead]

non-fiction: What Color Is Your Parachute? I read this book before starting my freshman year in college, and it helped me focus on my career choice before I even had one.

fiction: Nine Princes in Amber, by Roger Zelazny. While this book was loaded with fascinating ideas and cool characters, what really impressed me was how the clever, machiavellian main character bluffed his way around his amnesia for the first 50 pages or so, despite dealing with other clever characters. I have bluffed my way thru many challenging situations by emulating the verbal tactics used by Corwin of Amber.

[Voncaster]

The Story of B Daniel Quinn.
Made me question religion and ultimately change my views and beliefs. Very compelling arguments IMO that all organized religion is a human construct, and not divine in any way.

Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger.
An amazing book, everyone has read this one right? I probably identify with Holden more than any other fictional character I have read.

[Joe Rice]

Troutfishing in America by Richard Brautigan. Sometimes it takes me over. Also, of course, the Bible.

[Spastic Minnow]

At a young age: The Encyclopedia Brown Books, The Great Brain books.
Quite helpful for an unathletic awkward little kid to read about a kids who are popular because their smarts.

Young Adult: Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy
-I greatly owe my sense of humor to Douglas Adams and I really am nothing without my sense of humor.

College +: Saint Maybe (by Anne Tyler), Catcher in the Rye.

[Ryan K]

Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

Fletch by Gregory McDonald

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

[The Gunslinger]

Harper Lee To Kill A Mockingbird

[Inkthinker]

Small Gods, by Pratchett.

He has a way of saying something very clever and insightful when you think he's just being funny.

[Tania del Rio]

There are 3 that stick out in my mind.

First, The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu. Something about that book really made an impression on me. It was slow but so beautiful.

In Sci-Fi, it was Dune by Frank Hebert - I think that's what got me into the genre.

Lastly, Aztec by Gary Jennings. I never could get into his other books, but this one fascinated me.

Tania

[Leroy/negromancer.com]

hard to say, but it's probably one of the following: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X, THE REDNECK MANIFESTO, or THE COLOR PURPLE.

[Roquefort Raider]

The Five Roses Cookbook

(Author unlisted).



Considering how many cookies, muffins and cakes I made from these recipes, I'd say it had quite an influence on my life.

The cheesecake recipe that melted the heart of my wife-to-be, though, came from the back of a gelatin box.

[Sparker]

Elaine Morgan, The Descent of Woman.

I read Morgan's Scars of Evolution and thought it was an incredible and ingeneous theory attempting to explain human evolution. Don't know what the scientific community thinks of it, but I was fascinated by it.

The books that most influenced me are non-fiction works that really changed how I perceive and interpret things:

True Believers by Eric Hoffer
The Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan
Reality Isn't What It Used to Be by Walter Truett Anderson

[Rabid Trekkie]

Well, I probably have to say the Bible. It is weird though because I have never read the whole thing. I just feel like I have because I went to christian schools and my parents and grandparents (mom's side) were really strong christians.

Some will probably think this is weird but I have to say The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Brian Boru: Emperor of the Irish, and Starship Troopers.

I read the Hobbit and Brian Boru in the fourth grade, from the Hobbit I realized that you don't have to be the strong and courageous guy to be the hero. With Brian Boru I learned that with studying and determination you can change the world, or at least the area you live in. You don't have to start out being great, you can work hard and achieve greatness.

I read the Lord of the Rings in 6th grade (I got made fun of a lot at school for reading) and Frodo and Aragorn influenced me. Frodo because I learned that life isn't easy, it's probably the hardest thing we'll ever do but if we try to do the right thing things will eventually work out. Aragorn because I learned that you can't back down, the biggest scene I'm talking about is when he goes and challenges the Uruk Hai at sunrise. I was disappointed that it wasn't in the movie.

Starship Troopers I read just last year. In one part where it is talking about kids and how they should be punished, that influenced me a lot. Also I think that the vote of those in the military should count for more as it is their butt on the line.

I know the others are obvious but I would suggest everyone read Brian Boru Emperor of the Irish by Morgan Llywelyn

[Doodle Bob]

A double bill of Parliament of Whores by PJ O'Rourke and Free to Choose by Milton Friedman which firmly shook me put of being a middle-of-the-road liberal and on the road to hardcore conservatism.

The icon of U.S. Grant (a great general but proof that a totally incompetent president can be re-elected) reminded me of the myriad of books I've read in high school that completely my thinking patterns:

Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol: a devastating attack from the late 60's about the inequity of our public school system, that still applies today

Black Elk Speaks: Little Big Horn from the other perspective

Harvey Wasserman's History of the United States: really just a history about the Progressive Era, but I enjoyed the chapter on the Grange Movement since at the time my dad's church was renting an old Grange for its services

The Politics of War by Walter Karp: detailing how the American public was manipulated by the political parties into entering the Spanish-American War and WWI. It also details how the Republican Party finally sold out to Wall Street and dumped what was left of its original, rather liberal integrationist roots, while letting the Democratic Party start its Jim Crow oppression policy in the South.

[Solaris]

I'll go with the first thing that popped into my head in answer to your question (they say the first answer is usually the right one):

"A Wrinkle in Time," by Madeline L'Engle

I tried to think of why that book jumped out as the answer... and I guess I'd have to say it infected me with (or maybe, reaffirmed) a kind of faith in goodness and the Light, gave me hope, made me feel like I wasn't alone in being the way I am... made me realize how important, and how powerful, love is...

A lot of my current philosophy has its roots in that book... or rather, the concepts it represented so very well.

:)

EDIT: I've read many of her other books since then (4th grade), after discovering in high school that she'd written MORE (oh joy! I was delirious w/happiness to learn that!)... including many of her adult novels and autobiographic books. The woman is a brilliant generalist, in many ways... in other words, a Renaissance Woman; and she puts some very human people into her books, with very human situations. Great reads, though some are (as usual w/authors) better than others... but they're *all* good books.

[jessecuster]

A Separate Peace by John Knowles - the book that introduced me into analysing art and critical thinking, it is a wonderful book, filled with a lot of the same themes as Lord Of the Flies and some other coming of age books.

Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe - the book that made me want to be a "Master of the Universe" and thus I have studied financial markets from all sides through the course of my life. However, the movie was the most atrocious piece of garbage I have ever seen, I only saw 20 minutes of it, before I rewound it and drove straight to Blockbuster to return it.

[cactusmaac]

The icon of U.S. Grant (a great general but proof that a totally incompetent president can be re-elected) reminded me of the myriad of books I've read in high school that completely my thinking patterns:
.

Grant was far from being totally incompetent. Read Soldier-President.

[FresnoXpatriate]

I think I can boil it down to 2; On The Road by Jack Kerouac. That was a book, that when I read it in High School, thoroughly shaped my outlook on the world for a number of years, and in some ways still does. It was the exact dose of anti-establishment, anti-family value that I needed at that time. The second is entirely obscure, yet easily one of the best I've ever read. It's Paper Bullets by Kip Fulbeck. I have never seen a book that could so completely encapsulate my feelings and thought processes, at their greatest and at their worst. I love it and re-read sections very frequently. I have never met Fulbeck, yet I think we would very much appear as reflections of ourselves.

[Mike Smash!]

A couple:

The Lord of the Rings, because it got me interested in reading in the first place and made me fall in love with fantasy. Also, if you look at it, there are strong themes of environmentalism and a belief that beyond soldiers, kings, wizards, a warriors, the bravest people of all are just regular people who refuse to give up, even when at first glance they don't stand a chance.

and 1984 by George Orwell and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, which both dramatically altered my sense of personal and societal freedom, my views on authority and individual dignity. Also brought to my attention the importance of dissent against oppression.

[Metal-Demon]

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury ... it really helped unleash my fledgling imagination and creativity.

[Buzz Dixon]

Another vote for the Bible.

[SleepWalker]

Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason

It completely changed the way I look at the Bible, Religion, and the world.

[JeffreyWKramer]

Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason

It completely changed the way I look at the Bible, Religion, and the world.

Very good book, and very good choice. This one certainly makes my own short list.

Mind you, the list is not that short. I've read too much, and there are too many great books, to narrow my list down to one or two.

Others on the list include The Future of an Illusion by Sigmund Freud (a pretty good companion piece to Paine, in fact), Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, Stephen Jay Gould's Ever Since Darwin , Heinlien's Stranger in a Strange Land and any number of works by Shakespeare and Harlan Ellison. I could probably think of another dozen or so if I took a few minutes, or on any given day.

[rac]

Lord of the Flies I can't believe this hasn't been mentioned yet. An awesome piece of writing.

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks. Disturbing and shockingly original, it is truely like nothing you have ever read before.

[Mia]

48 Laws of Power

--Robert Greene


I call this book my 2nd Bible. It's a wake up call for how the world really works. It gives you all the tools for how to survive in the "big bad corporate world."

Thick Face Black Heart by Ching-Ning Chu

Great book on how to survive in life. Also a great book on how to not get "screwed".

Selling for Dummies --By Tom Hopkins

I'm looking for a job right now, so I have to know how to sell myself to an employer. But really when you think about it life is a "sales pitch". Often when you want to persuade others you have to "sell to them". Very good book I'm in it all the time.

The Bible --I am not just saying this as a Christian. This book really has it all about the human condition and psychology of people. That Jesus was truly a great man. He knew exactly what he was talking about!

[Reptisaurus!]

Winnie the Pooh

The human condition dissected, analyzed, and recreated in seven archetypal characters.

I follow the teachings of Pooh like some people read the Bible.

[Shellhead]

non-fiction: What Color Is Your Parachute? I read this book before starting my freshman year in college, and it helped me focus on my career choice before I even had one.

fiction: Nine Princes in Amber, by Roger Zelazny. While this book was loaded with fascinating ideas and cool characters, what really impressed me was how the clever, machiavellian main character bluffed his way around his amnesia for the first 50 pages or so, despite dealing with other clever characters. I have bluffed my way thru many challenging situations by emulating the verbal tactics used by Corwin of Amber.

I'm adding another category to my own list.

reference: The Player's Handbook (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 1st. edition). I haven't played D&D in years, but I have spent many, many long entertaining hours playing rpgs with friends and acquaintences over the last 25 years. Rpgs have expanded my imagination, helped my social skills (a little), and improved my problem-solving skills. And after running adventures as a DM so many times over the skills, I have a real knack for answering difficult questions after making presentations at work.

[Hombre]

This is interesting. I don't read as much any more, I pretty much can only take comics, but, all told, I have read a fairly large number of books in my life. The last ones I could bring myself to read have been Jarhead and the Human Stain. Reading this thread I stumbled upon many old friends, but I always struggled with the idea that a book could change your life, and my own conclusion is that, no matter how profound, no single book holds the key to the big mysteries. Regardless of its politics or philosophy, the book I have come across that has been the most entertaining read is Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, whereas the most probing and revealing was Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

[discostu]

Farenheit 451- bradbury

Christine- Stephen King

The Hagakure- Yamamoto Tsunetomo

The Book of the Five Rings- Miyamoto Musashi

Aztec- Jennings

[KristyJo]

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand gave me a lot of perspective on what's wrong with our American society and was instrumental in leading me to investigate philosophy.

I've never come across anyone else who made it through the whole book!

I love Atlas Shrugged! Whenever I"m feeling down or don't have confidence in myself or people look at me like I'm a freak, I always quote this line from Atlas Shrugged to myself: "John Galt is a Prometheus who changed his mind. After centuries of being torn apart by vultures for having brought to men the fire of the gods, he withdrew his fire until the day that men withdraw their vultures."

I read it when I was a junior in high school and I really lacked confidence. And this book just made me feel like I had to stop doubting myself and just go for it. This story of this struggle as these brilliant people are being destroyed simply because they are brilliant... I just loved it. And every time I read over it, I get something new out of it.

But you know, it's not an easy book to read.

I also give honorable mention to Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card -- that's the only book I've ever read that actually shocked me. I had to reread this one page over and over, cuz I was just like, no, he didn't just do that... And then it really makes you think about the people in charge, and what they know and don't know, and it's just a great story.

Anyway, great thread! I have lots of books to check out -- Thanks!

[Azarael]

the hitch-hikers guide to the galaxy by douglas adams, it's really a series but you can get it all in "the hitch hiker's guide to the galaxy trilogy of 5" in one book, so it counts, this is my bible, i live my life by this book, douglas adams is god, although if that were true according to the book he wouldn't exist. i'll give you an example, there's a thing called a babble-fish, it's a small yellow fish that you put in your ear and it eats sound waves from other languages and it's excrimints are mental thoughts, that change those sound waves it ate into you language, being that this perfect creature exists proves that there is a god, it's coincidential evolution is so outlandish that this proves god's existence, and because proof denies faith, and without faith god is nothing, he literally disappears into a poof of nothingness. I love this series so much that i lent it to my teacher a little while ago and i actually had a dream where he gave it back to me but it had a scratch in the front hard cover, so i bludgened him with it, and hid his body in the science lab................................but that wouldn't really happen, he'd buy me a new one.......or at least he better

[SITHLORD]

The Art of War, by Sun Tzu.

In my opinion, there are no comparisons. For sheer simplicity of explanation, examples, and explanations, this books is a rather easy read. But when its tenets are applied to everything from normal life, business transactions, to plain old relationship management, this book may be the second most important book written after the bible. One of the few "must reads" in history.

[CaptMagellan]

Here's another for "The Age of Reason."

Also, to add to the 'heresy' the various translations of the gnostic scrolls that were found at Nag Hammadi, Egypt approx 60 years ago. A good source for critical thinking over accepted and rejected scripture that went into the formation of the 'official' bible is "The Other Bible" by Willis Barnstone. It reprints, in one source, Jewish psudepigraphia, kabbalah, haggadah, midrash, Christian apocrypha, and gnostic scriptures.

For non-judeo/christian influencial texts, for me, the Vedas, Upanishads, Mahabharata, and the Poetic Edda.

For fiction, "The Magus" by John Fowles; "The Brothers Karamozov" by Dostoeyevsky; and the fiction of Robert E. Howard.

[Jagatai_Khan]

Definitely the Bible. Whether or not I actually do what it says, always believe what it says, and regardless of my level of faith or hypocrisy, the fact is that said text has done more to form how I view the world than any other document I've ever laid eyes on.

The same could be said for western civilization, as well. Can you think of a single book that's been more influential?

[tcv]

There were two books that I think about long after I've read this:

1. Man's Search For Meaning - Viktor Frankl
2. Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig

I rank MSFM as #1. It talks about how a person can really shape their reality and it frames this simple truth by following the author into Germany's concentration camps. This is a book that can give me new meaning each time I read it.

[Karl J. Barnes]

Definitely the Bible. Whether or not I actually do what it says, always believe what it says, and regardless of my level of faith or hypocrisy, the fact is that said text has done more to form how I view the world than any other document I've ever laid eyes on.

The same could be said for western civilization, as well. Can you think of a single book that's been more influential?

Marx's The Communist Manifesto , Plato's The Republic and Darwin's on evolution(can't for the life of me remember the whole title).

[Rabid Trekkie]

Marx's The Communist Manifesto , Plato's The Republic and Darwin's on evolution(can't for the life of me remember the whole title).

Origin of the Species

[Headhunter]

Honestly, Calvin and Hobbes. I'm so much like Calvin, and credit the books for getting me through a lot of personal troubles.

[Jagatai_Khan]

Marx's The Communist Manifesto , Plato's The Republic and Darwin's on evolution(can't for the life of me remember the whole title).

Darwin's and Marx's work have only been around to influence the 20th century, so they're out.

The Republic, I could see being influential. But not to the degree that the Bible was. It was the book that completely overhauled the theo/politco/moral system of europe

[Nate C.]

The Bible
The King and His Six Friends (children's book)
The King's Stilts (Dr. Seuss)
Homer Price Stories (Robert McClowskey)
The Hobbit (Tolkein)
The Lord of the Rings (Tolkein)
The Narnia Series (Lewis)
Mere Christianity (Lewis)
The Screwtape Letters (Lewis)
The Pursuit of God (A W Tozer)
Practicing the Presence of God (Brother Lawrence)
The Martian Chronicles (Bradbury)
Farenheit 451 (Bradbury)
Magic Kingdom for Sale-Sold (Brooks)
The Sword of Shannara (Brooks)
The Myth Series (Aspirn)
Hitchiker's Series (Adams)
The Sound and the Fury (Faulkner)
1984 (Orwell)
Brave New World (Orwell)
Institues. (John Calvin)
Commentary on Romans. (Martin Luther)
God is Here and He is Not Silent (Shaeffer)
The Cost of Discipleship (Bonhoeffer)
Orthodoxy (Chesterton)
Basic Christianity (Stott)
The Hiding Place (Corrie Ten Boom)
Through Gates of Splendor (Elizabeth Elliot)
The Stars My Destination (Bester)
Crime and Punishment (Doestevsky)

I've read thousands and thousands of books, but those made a difference in my life.

[Rabid Trekkie]

I read it awhile ago but I find myself agreeing with it more and more, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Heinlein's really changed some of my views on politics.

[Doodle Bob]

The best books are those that once you start reading, you say to yourself, "I didn't know you could do that with a book." It's that delightful click in the head, when you realize you're reading a book that not only feels completely new and surprising but also vaguely familiar, as if you've been waiting for it to come. Everyone has this reaction to different books. Over the years, these were mine:

The Lord of the Rings
Harvey Wasserman's History of the United States
As I Lay Dying by Faulkner
The Illuminatus Trilogy by RAW and Robert Shea
Gravity's Rainbow by T. Pynchon
A Hero of Our Times by M. Lermontov

[The Mirrorball Man]

For me, it's "Zen in the Art of Archery" by Eugen Herrigel.

[Karl J. Barnes]

Darwin's and Marx's work have only been around to influence the 20th century, so they're out.

The Republic, I could see being influential. But not to the degree that the Bible was. It was the book that completely overhauled the theo/politco/moral system of europe

That's not what you asked, you asked for influence on the western civilization and those are some that have changed the thought patterns of billions in both western and eastern civilizations. Sure the Bible has massive influence, but it is only part of the whole. Philosophies from Mills to Locke and studies by Jung and Frued have had as much an impact on our societies.

[Doodle Bob]

Darwin's and Marx's work have only been around to influence the 20th century, so they're out.

The Republic, I could see being influential. But not to the degree that the Bible was. It was the book that completely overhauled the theo/politco/moral system of europe

I think you're confusing Christianity with the Bible here. The Church was changing (and being changed by) the "European" system while the Bible as we know it now was being compiled. During the first few hundred years of Church history Christianity in every regard was mostly an oral tradition with a few gospels and letters. During this time, as the Church formed into a coherent orthodoxy, the Bible was compiled -- various gospels and letters being both accepted and rejected. This emergent orthodoxy influenced both what the Bible looked like (well, just the new testament part of it) and how it was subsequently interpreted (after all, the doctrine of the Trinity was decided by a *very* close vote).

There is no doubting the tremendous influence that this all had on the Western World. But I don't think the actual book influenced quite as much as the eventual orthodox interpretation of Christianity.

[kalabine]

well not a book but,

http://www.infoshop.org/faq/index.html has massively influenced me...

along with anything by thomas pynchon or robert anton wilson, and 'a world to win' by tony cliff

[Tobias March]

Cosmic Trigger I R.A.W.

Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man Joyce

Dhalgren Samuel R. Delaney

Herzog Saul Bellow

The Principle of Hope Ernst Bloch

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams (made me laugh when I most needed to :) )

.....and LOTR. Obviously ;)

[kalabine]

ooh forgot about james joyce, and swift, and chuck flann o'brien in as well

:cool:

[Jasper]

Lord of the Rings. It opened my eyes to a lot.

Also To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

[MushMouth]

There are so many great books out there that it is difficult for me to say which are the most influential - every book I read influences me in some way. So I will instead give the books that had the biggest impact on me.

1984 - This is the book that made me take notice of what goes on in politics.
The Paradox of God by Cliff Pickover - It was through Pickover's liberal use of quotes that I became aware of the rich skeptical and humanist literature that is out there. Skepticism and humanism had always been central values for me but I wasn't aware that there were entire movements centered around them.
Demon Haunted Wold by Carl Sagan - Woke me up to the need to defend science against the forces of anti-reason.
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erik Remarque - I think this book (read in the 6th grade) helped butress me against the tendency to demonize entire groups of people. Not to mention it demolishing any notion of the nobleness of war.

And honorable mention to The Great Brain and Black Stallion series for helping to cultivate in me a love for reading.

[Paul McEnery]

Where can you start (not to mention that Lee-Kirby-Ditko and early Justice League comics probably hit hardest)? But here goes:

Graham Greene: broke me of my habit of only reading genre fiction.
Borges: stealth attack; I hated him when I first read him -- where's the story? -- but find the scent of his ideas coming back up all the time, like a good whisky.
Kingsley Amis: at times, the subtlest of writers, who reminds you you don't have to be flashy to write good.
Joyce: introduced me to the idea of art as a perfect fractal structure, where even the placement of each syllable reflects the whole.
Dick: felt like a friend as I wandered through difficult metaphysics (and introduced me to Joyce)
Moorcock: same as with Dick, except with better sex, drugs and violence scenes.
Burroughs: finished off the last of my inhibitions in re: sex, drugs, violence and the inevitability of linear narrative.

But at the end of the day, it's Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed (just like Ken Livingstone). After reading that, I was a dyed-in-the-wool anarchist for life.

I think KSR's Mars Trilogy may do this for the current generation.

[kalabine]

But at the end of the day, it's Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed (just like Ken Livingstone). After reading that, I was a dyed-in-the-wool anarchist for life.


good choice ;)

[Karl J. Barnes]

But at the end of the day, it's Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed (just like Ken Livingstone). After reading that, I was a dyed-in-the-wool anarchist for life.

I think KSR's Mars Trilogy may do this for the current generation.

I would have thought that after reading The Left Hand of Darkness that anyone inhibitions and stuffiness about sexual mores would have vanished.

As to KSR's Mars Trilogy...hopefully, because the 'older' generation sure do hate him.

[kalabine]

hmm, i'm not too sure about the mars trilogy, so far i've only read 'red mars' and 'icehenge' and as much as i want to like them, i've found it hard going...

i think i'm going to borrow 'green mars' before i buy it

[Devon C.]

The Manchurian Candidate. Condin's satirical, sarcastic, cynical style of writing has truly influenced the way I write and perform speeches.

[Deathstroke]

John Sandford's Rules of Prey.

If I ever become a serial killer, I know the rules....

(Yes I'm kidding...)

[Rachel Grey]

The Joy of Sex.

Daughter of the Empire by Raymond E. Feist & Janny Wurts.

Memory & Dream by Charles DeLint

[Grant]

Atlas Shrugged taught me how to be a self centered jerk.

[Karl J. Barnes]

Atlas Shrugged taught me how to be a self centered jerk.

Oh, you know what book influenced you the most... See Spot Run, Run Spot Run....

[Grant]

Oh, you know what book influenced you the most... See Spot Run, Run Spot Run....

Dude... Green Eggs and Ham all the way.

[Karl J. Barnes]

Dude... Green Eggs and Ham all the way.

I think that's all us. I know that I totally ..like...indentified with Sam.

[Nate C.]

I think that's all us. I know that I totally ..like...indentified with Sam.

Don't laugh too hard. I've actually preached a sermon using Green Eggs and Ham as the text.

[GozertheGozarian]

The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce. Very good parody and satire with mythology thrown in.

[CaptMagellan]

The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce. Very good parody and satire with mythology thrown in.

Bierce rocks.

[grendel824]

John Gardener's "Grendel" inspired me to become a writer.

[leigh_ann1982]

Brave New World (Orwell)


Brave New World was actually written by Aldous Huxley. It is a great work of ficition and one of my personal favorites. :)

[leigh_ann1982]

So many good books, I can't possibly pick just one! When I was little, my dad read The Hobbit to me and that's what really started my love affair with reading.

Politically, I'd say the most influential have been 1984 by Orwell (loved Animal Farm too), Brave New World by Huxley (almost forgot about that one until I read Nate's post), and Behold a Pale Horse by William Cooper.

Philosophically . . . I have read the Bible in its entirety (the Catholic Bible is even an entire book longer than any other version) and while I do uphold that it contains some good ideas and has had a significant impact on Western thought/culture, I found that some of its ideas (and Christianity in general) were also directly contradictory, were antiquated (especially its portrayals and ideas about women), and left me with many unanswered question about the nature of God.

(NOTE: I know many of you are going to disagree with my above statements, but my intention wasn't to offend or to start a flame war within the thread. I was merely stating my own opinion about a book. I'm not arguing the merit of its teachings; two people can read the same book and walk away with vastly different interpretations, nor am I arguing its societal impact. I hope we can just agree to disagree.)

I guess it still influenced me insofar that it really made me question my own beliefs and led me to one of my favorite hobbies which is studying different philosophical and belief systems. My current beliefs are more influenced by Eastern thought, and some of my favorite works on the subject are:

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse (also loved Steppenwolf).

The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra. This book really shaped my ideas about the nature of God and the universe (or rather gave form to ideas that I already held). It always bothered me that science and spirituality were seen as being mutually exclusive. In high school I read Origin of Species and my Biology II teacher found it necessary to teach Creationism at the same time. I found evolutionary theory to be a sound theory except I don't think Darwin effectively explained why life would just spontaneously generate. I guess it could be said that Creationism tries to explain the why, but gets the how part wrong. So it was refreshing for me to read Capra, a physicist, draw parallels between modern physics and Eastern mysticism.

The Grimoire of Lady Sheba. She's a Wiccan so this really isn't a book on Easterm thought, but I guess they both fall under the umbrella term of being "New Age" (even though the ideas behind both aren't new). Probably not the best book I've read on the subject, but it was the first, and it opened me up to a world of esoteric reading.

Tantra: Cult of the Feminine (http://www.tantra.co.nz/tantra.htm) by Andre Van Lysbeth. I cannot recommend this book enough! A good read not just for its information on sexual technique, but for the ideas behind Tantra. Must read!

[Roquefort Raider]

(NOTE: I know many of you are going to disagree with my above statements, but my intention wasn't to offend or to start a flame war within the thread. I was merely stating my own opinion about a book. I'm not arguing the merit of its teachings; two people can read the same book and walk away with vastly different interpretations, nor am I arguing its societal impact. I hope we can just agree to disagree.)

BURN THE HERETIC !!!!

Heh.

The bible should really be read by everyone. In fact, so should any book that has had a major impact on the development of our civilization, if only so we can all know how the world's cultures were influenced by this or that interpretation of ancient texts.

[Reggie Swats]

"Edwin Mullhouse: The Life and Death of an American Writer 1943-1954, By Jeffrey Cartwright" - by Steven Millhauser
One of the more brilliant narrative styles ever. Fiction book about a child prodigy novelist written in the form of a biography by the child's equally brilliant neighbor/friend. Changes the way you think about biography as a stylistic form, and the way you look at youth and brilliance. Millhauser won the pulitzer Prize 25 years later for another work, but probably just because this book was so criminally underrated at the time of publication and has since become a classic.

"City" by Clifford D. Simac, "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury and "Sirens of Titan" by Kurt Vonnegut get honorable mention.

[Reggie Swats]

Also, if we are calling the bible a single "book" rather than a set of books by different authors changed and rewritten over the centuries by countless other "authors", I suppose I can add every DC comic book ever published to my list, as they have turned me into the hopeless nerd I am today :)

[Slam_Bradley]

"City" by Clifford D. Simac, "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury and "Sirens of Titan" by Kurt Vonnegut get honorable mention.


Very good tastes in honorable mentions. Simak is terribly underappreciated nowadays.

[Nate C.]

Brave New World was actually written by Aldous Huxley. It is a great work of ficition and one of my personal favorites. :)

Doot! (Homer Simpson.)

I so knew that. Promise.

I'm one of four people whose read Crome Yellow. :D

[grendel824]

The bible should really be read by everyone. In fact, so should any book that has had a major impact on the development of our civilization, if only so we can all know how the world's cultures were influenced by this or that interpretation of ancient texts.

I agree - despite my mildly-Catholic upbrining (more traditionalism than religious belief), I ended up reading the Bible mostly because I was interested in its impact on culture and literature, and I wasn't disappointed (especially with the Old Testament). Countless books and movies are influenced in some way, directly or indirectly, by the Bible in at least one of its forms. At the very least, room numbers in movies are almost without fail used as references to passages in the Bible. Interesting stuff. I've tried to read a good number of religious texts, but the Bible won out by a large margin in terms of entertainment value and in increasing my understanding of literature in general.

[jwmojo]

Like a lot of the people here, I find it pretty difficult to narrow it down to just one book that influenced me more than any others. I did my best to whittle the list down, though, and here's 3:

1. Streams of Silver, R.A. Salvatore. For one reason, and one reason only. This book awakened in me a serious love of fantasy fiction. I'd always loved to read, but after picking this book up in the 7th grade, I read close to a book a day for the rest of my high school career (for 7th, 8th, and 9th grades, all of those books were fantasy). As a side note, Streams was the second book in a trilogy. For some reason I picked it up in the middle and didn't finally go back and read the first book until several years later.

2. The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger. And no, I don't have a predilection for authors who use their initials in their bylines. I'm not sure I'd say that this book had a particularly good influence on me, but it was definitely profound. I picked this up in, I don't know, 10th grade, I guess. Thus began my moody, whiny, depressed teenager phase. It would last until I was about 20.

3. The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand. I saw that a couple of people had mentioned Atlas Shrugged, and I really did enjoy that book as well. Fountainhead always had a much more personal, and even more realistic, feel, for me, though. Howard Roark might have been self-centered, but he certainly wasn't a jerk. The thing is, there's a big difference between being self-centered and being selfish that most people don't seem to see. Eh, I don't really want to write a dissertation. Suffice it to say that while I'm not a fan of everything that Ayn Rand preached (for instance, her rape-sex fantasies were not particularly to my liking), Objectivism definitely strikes a chord with me.

[leigh_ann1982]

1. Streams of Silver, R.A. Salvatore.

I'm glad someone brought R.A. Salvatore. I read his Dark Elf Trilogy, and I wouldn't say it had a profound effect on me, but I could certainly relate to the main character, Drizzt D'Urden's, struggle to find his place in the world.

[Jamescush]

Fahrenheit 451
1984
The Diary of Anne Frank
The Bible
The Lord of the Flies

[RickThunderclees]

On the Beach - by Nevil Shute

[Jack Flash]

The Stranger by Camus
Siddhartha by Hesse

Those two really knocked my socks off and taught me that books had something to say.

[Karl J. Barnes]

The Stranger by Camus
Siddhartha by Hesse

Those two really knocked my socks off and taught me that books had something to say.

The Stranger and The Plague are two incredible novels, when I have the time, I want to hunt down, The Rebel: a collection of his essays.

[Xero]

The Spook Who Sat by the Door, by Sam Greenlee, and Black Empire by George S. Schulyer helped to shape my adult perceptions. Too many books as a child to even begin listing.

[EZMOHR]

The Lord of the Rings
Childhood's End
The Stand
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Legend of Bagger Vance
Hearts in Atlantis
Frankenstein
Good Omens
American Gods
Jurassic Park
and of course...The Bible

[rolande]

Wow.. this is a pretty interesting thread... The most influential book I read was Hope for the Flowers... I read it when I was like 10. It had a simple story but I learned a lot of lessons... :D

[discostu]

Origins - I think the last name of one of the writers is DeGrasse Tyson, an excellent book on cosmology.
and
Guns, Germs, and Steel- by Jared Diamond, about the evolution of the worlds societies.

Two books that will change the way you look at the world and the universe.

[cactusmaac]

I read and liked GGS well enough to buy it after borrowing it from the library.

Good book although it's best read in combination with Trimph Of the West by JM Roberts and The Company: A Short History Of A Revolutionary Idea by Adrian Micklethwait and Ian Woolridge in order to get a more complete picture of how the world got to its' current state.

[discostu]

Cool, I'll check those out.

[stealthwise]

I should probably say something profound, like Gatsby, or 1984, or the Bible.

But damn it all, nothing beats Mick Foley's "Have a Nice Day!: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks." An excellent memoir from a determined man.

[Vesper]

Walden, by a long shot.

Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new.

...

While civilization has been improving our houses, it has not equally improved the men who are to inhabit them. It has created palaces, but it was not so easy to create noblemen and kings.

...

But lo! men have become the tools of their tools. The man who independently plucked the fruits when he was hungry is become a farmer; and he who stood under a tree for shelter, a housekeeper. We now no longer camp as for a night, but have settled down on earth and forgotten heaven.

...

The heroic books, even if printed in the character of our mother tongue, will always be in a language dead to degenerate times; and we must laboriously seek the meaning of each word and line, conjecturing a larger sense than common use permits out of what wisdom and valor and generosity we have.

An honorable mention goes out to The Prince of Tides, by Pat Conroy. A critic once wrote of him: "Reading Pat Conroy is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel." Every time I pick up that book, I fall in love with it all over again. (Unfortunately, Conroy also writes many derivatives of his early work. Avoid Beach Music at all costs!)

[Vesper]

I should probably say something profound, like Gatsby, or 1984, or the Bible.

I've been reading Hemingway's letters recently, and he loves to make crass remarks about his early friends. Petty, but amusing! In one letter he writes of Fitzgerald: "If I mis-spell please do not think I am basically illiterate as Scott was."

[Gilda Dent]

Nonfiction:

True Selves: Reading this book helped me move a long way towards accepting myself for who I truly am, and leaving a lot of the self-hatred and inner turmoil regarding who I was behind.

Fiction:

To Kill a Mockingbird: No book I know of better communicates the idea of doing the right thing in the face of oppression, the idea that being a hero can be quietly doing what's right even when it's the more difficult choice.

Gilda

[Adric]

L. F. Celine 'Journey to the End of the Night', fiction

Anne Sexton, the collected Anne Sexton, poetry

F. Nietzsche 'Beyond Good and Evil', philosophy

Georges Perec 'Species of Spaces and other pieces', essays

The Holy Bible, guilt-ridden lore and mythology

[wonderwoman4432]

jd salinger's the catcher in the rye...if you havent read it...read it now...go...read it...stop reading this go get the book!

[Unknown_Jun Kazama]

White Oleander by Janet Fitch and The Bible

[Ed Cunard]

I've been reading Hemingway's letters recently, and he loves to make crass remarks about his early friends. Petty, but amusing! In one letter he writes of Fitzgerald: "If I mis-spell please do not think I am basically illiterate as Scott was."

Have you read A Moveable Feast? In it, he makes fun of Fitzgerald's anxiety about having too small a penis.

[hoffmandu]

Undoubtedly Che, autobiography of the South American Revolutionary.
Close second, Case Closed, a factual book studying what really happened involving the JFK assassination and the answer is as simple as it gets. Very credible source, that debuncts virtually all the conspiracy theories out there. Made me realize how a major motion picture can completely influence the opinions of the mass uneducated.
Tied for Third: All Quiet of the Western front, and To Kill A Mockingbird (Atticus Finch is the only role model I have)

[DubipR]

A few of them stick out in certain periods of my life:

Leaves of Grass- After watching Dead Poet's Society, I went on a American Romanticism binge and devoured Whitman's work bigtime. Sure its longwinded and pompous, but there's genuine love in his words when speaking about his world.

Cather On the Rye- What teenager didn't want to be Holden for a year?

Works by Throeau, Hawthorne, and Cooper- Along with Whitman, the American ideal was set in my eyes.

[Murdok]

Cosmos by Carl Sagan

It changed the way I thought about the world and radically influenced my opinions of science and religion.

It put my life and my world in perspective, both literally and figuratively.

You?

I have Demon Haunted World by Mr. Sagan which was very good. For those who don't know it is about the negative effects of pseudo science such as psychics, Christian science, new age stuff, etc. However, the most influential book I have read was Catcher in the Rye (because I can relate to Holden Caulfield).

[Merey]

Arcadia by Tom Stoppard

Well, it's a play, but that still counts, right?

Some of my top influential novels include:

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

The Great Gatsby

Oh, I'm glad someone mentioned The Prince of Tides. That was the first adult novel I ever read. I read it back in junior high and its influence my taste in literature ever since.

[Reptisaurus!]

Arcadia by Tom Stoppard

Well, it's a play, but that still counts, right?


Huh. I've seen Arcadia done a couple times, but I've never sat down and read it. That's going on my Too Read list for sure.

[DWEarhart]

Tesla: Man Out of Time.
It's a biography about Nikola Tesla, my favorite inventor, and all around eccentric oddity. The dude was brilliant, and honorable.

Elric of Melnibone by Michael Moorcock
This book turned me on to all things by this writer. He made me want to become a writer.

Shooting at Midnight by Greg Rucka
This book is just storytellling at its best, and makes me realize why I love writing.

The Complete Peanuts sereis by Charles M. Schulz
Classic icons whose quality never ages. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Schulz shortly before he passed away. Truly, the nicest man on the planet.

[Serik]

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.

It's a difficult book to explain, but in short a talking ape educates a guy about humanity and the dangers of our current civilization. Even if you disagree with some of Quinn's arguments, it's still very thought-provoking novel.

[Flawless P]

I enjoyed

What they Carried.