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- inactive, on 06/29/2008, -4/+43Only book that changed my life: The Prince by Machiavelli. Before reading that I was a benevolent angel, now I'm a malevolent satanist who sacrifices small children every night and corrupts the political process routinely. I strongly recommend it!
- inactive, on 06/29/2008, -9/+34The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Hobbit were ok books, but the weren't life changing.
- Branchex, on 06/29/2008, -4/+25No To Kill a Mocking Bird or Catcher in the Rye!
- southyp, on 06/29/2008, -10/+30Ayn Rand has some great works. Huxley's Brave New World isn't on the list though...
- Inflammo, on 06/29/2008, -3/+22Absolutely spot-on with George Orwell.
- gwhardyiv, on 06/29/2008, -13/+31The only thing I find more tedious and pedantic than Ayn Rand's books are the people who consider them to be sound, insightful works of profound philosophical import.
If you want a nice bit of comic irony, check out the Wikipedia discussion page on Ayn Rand's "philosophy" of Objectivism. - cinder, on 06/29/2008, -3/+19Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
- toddsayshi, on 06/29/2008, -4/+19No Kerouac...not even On the Road?
- xGuerrillaRadio, on 06/29/2008, -3/+18Fahrenheit 451 changed my life.
- gammamike, on 06/29/2008, -2/+15What...no Little Prince?
- Aikidi, on 06/29/2008, -1/+13its a coming of age tale that you are forced to read when you're coming of age. by definition its supposed to be "life changing"
- BitKid, on 06/29/2008, -8/+17The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, and PiHKal & TiHKaL.
- Chant, on 06/29/2008, -3/+12Perhaps it's due to their understanding of the English language.
- LucerinRed, on 06/29/2008, -2/+11A Brave New World was the biggest thing to hit me in my high school life.
- cfuse, on 06/30/2008, -0/+8I was greatly disappointed to see that the list was so Rand-heavy. I find her ideas to be weak at best, and the slavish devotion of her followers to be frighteningly cult like.
- binorgog, on 08/07/2008, -4/+12Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
- lazerus9, on 06/29/2008, -7/+15..............Siddhartha...........
- gllopc, on 06/29/2008, -1/+8Because a couple billion people are pretty heavily influenced by it doesn't mean it's the truth, or that it's good for us all in the long run.
- kingcam, on 06/29/2008, -7/+14I swear, Ayn Rand has so many fanboys her heirs should consider developing a video-game platform.
- MercFox1, on 06/29/2008, -0/+7Just finished Brave New World today, actually. It's very memorable and enlightening, and it left me pissed at the end.
- Uiaccsk, on 06/29/2008, -0/+7thats the idea
- fuze44, on 06/29/2008, -2/+9To Kill a Mockingbird
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Brothers Karamazov
Brave New World
1984
They all taught me to love good literature. - tony0012, on 06/29/2008, -7/+14What a ***** list
- aladrin, on 06/29/2008, -2/+9And yet HHGTG is quoted constantly, not just on the internet. It has books, tv shows, radio shows, movies... And it's still popular and going strong. Anything that pervasive DOES change your life, even if only a little.
Most books don't have an impact at all. - jrtcs, on 06/29/2008, -1/+7AOL for Dummies. I was never quite the same after reading it.
- Aikidi, on 06/29/2008, -4/+10like it or not, its the holy doctrine of the biggest religion in the world, and half of it is the holy doctrnie to judeaism. sorry, but a couplpe billion people are pretty heavily influenced by it. Get over it?
- MadHarvey, on 06/29/2008, -0/+6There are a handful of books that truly changed my life. Catcher in the Rye is one that is not on the list.
- FiveAlive, on 06/29/2008, -3/+9The Confessions of Saint Augustine.
- lazerus9, on 06/29/2008, -0/+6I had the same reaction.
- stockdam, on 06/29/2008, -1/+7How is this interesting when the top book got 28 votes. I've nearly as many friends as that (ok not quite).
- kinghajj, on 06/29/2008, -0/+6Just off the top of my head,
1984
Catch-22
Catcher in the Rye
Slaughterhouse 5 - inactive, on 06/29/2008, -10/+16Ayn Rand's FountainHead and Atlas Shrugged are simply masterpieces. Those books are very influential. Howard Roark and John Galt taught me how to be a man more than my dad or society has.
"I swear by my life, and my love of it, that I will never live for another man nor ask a man to live for mine" - Yondelldude, on 06/30/2008, -0/+5The river is everywhere
- Bunnybutt, on 06/29/2008, -0/+5These books and many more great works of literature can be found on banned book lists. Catcher in the Rye, Fahrenheit 451,Lord of the Flies etc....
- Iwantawii, on 06/30/2008, -0/+5Namaste
- suminona, on 06/29/2008, -3/+8I've talked to many people who have read Rand's books, particularly Fountainhead. They tend to go through the following arc of -revelation --> agreement --> gung-ho objectivists --> second revelation --> partial objectivists --> sobriety.
Fountainhead has to be one of the most pessimistic books I've ever read. I like how she presents her message about the heroics of individual man and the universal beauty of reason, but her portrayal of all non-Randian characters as inept leeches is a bit simple. I like Howard Roark the character the same way that I like Superman. Despite their philosophical disparity, they represent the ideal man in their creator's eyes; however, her message is just too Western. Take for instance her glorification of individual man versus the lack of an individual identity in Eastern religions such as zen buddhism and taoism.
For example, think of the role of a father. Does a good father behave in an altruistic way, putting the future and safety of his children above his own, or does he buy a motorcycle? Of course, you could argue that the propagation of his genes could be a selfish interest, but then the argument devolves into dissenting situational interpretations. - adml_shake, on 06/29/2008, -7/+12Enders Game....
- DNABeast, on 06/30/2008, -0/+5You're denying that it changed people's lives? Even if you disagree that this is a good thing you can't disagree that it's true.
- darthzaphod, on 06/29/2008, -0/+5The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is largely responsible for my present personality. I read it at the impressionable age of fifteen, and ever since then it has--either directly or tangentially--influenced most facets of my life. That may sound like an exaggeration, but it's true. I have an English degree because of Douglas Adams. It made me want to watch Monty Python (which is now very important to me), and very heavily influenced my taste in comedy and humor.
Therefore I'd be willing to bet that WHEN you read a book has a lot to do with how strongly it affects your life. Whether it be because you read it at a young, easily influenced age, or because you read it at a time in your life when you're open to expanding and learning, almost any book could be a life-changing book if you read it at the right time. - brie987, on 06/30/2008, -0/+4One here for Brave New World.
- drpaidout, on 06/29/2008, -4/+8The joy of sex?
- gwhardyiv, on 06/29/2008, -0/+4Replies of a Young Kettle
- schnikies79, on 06/29/2008, -0/+4I've read the essay version of Zen in the Art of Archery, is the book that much better?
I don't care for sci-fi or fantasy, so the Zen book was one of the few from the list that stuck out. - Aikidi, on 06/29/2008, -0/+4that book changed my young life. seriously. I read it in about two days (though its really short) and when i was done with it, well, i've never felt more peaceful
- LexisNexis, on 06/29/2008, -0/+4Are you kidding with "The Secret"?
Let me sum up the ENTIRE secret: Optimism and wishful thinking.
The universe will NOT give you ***** just because you wish for it. - KublaKhan, on 06/29/2008, -4/+7I'm pretty sure the Bible is the most accurate fit to the title of the article.
Also... all writers should read Orwell's essays on writing.... after reading 1984.
I saw a quote by from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle maintenance in "The Genesee Diary" by Henri Nouwen. I'm going to go ahead and affirm that book cause I liked the quote. I'm thinking of reading it sometime in the future.
Also a good play to wrap your head around is "The Last Day's of Judas Iscariot". It raises good questions. - Uiaccsk, on 06/29/2008, -0/+3Are you people kidding me? No mention of Crime and Punishment? Raskolnikov is one of the most expertly developed characters in all of literature. Changed my perspective on a lot of things.
- elizabethb221, on 06/30/2008, -1/+4Can I buy some commas?
- Eric3k, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3That would be like saying any list full of woman's fiction is sub par which is ridiculous. A good novel is a good novel. Some ideas can only exist in the realm of science.
- MikeFallopian, on 06/29/2008, -0/+3Also by Jim Marrs:
Rule by Secrecy:
What secrets connect Egypt‘s Great Pyramids, the Freemasons, and the Council on Foreign Relations?
and
Alien Agenda:
The Truth Begins Here Award-winning journalist Jim Marrs has uncovered compelling new evidence to suggest that alien life forms have not only visited our planet in the past, but are among us right now
hahahahahahaha yeah, he seems like a reliable source. So is it the Aliens, the Ancient Egyptian Freemasons, or the Nazis who are really controlling us? Seems like this Marrs fellow likes to hedge his bets... -
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