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the books that changed your life!

BeerWench13 said:
The basic insatiability of humans really stood out to me when I read this book. I read it in school many, many years ago and it's on my reread list so I can see if I will glean the same meanings from it at my current age.
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That wouldn't be my first thing to come to mind when thinking about Faust, but you are quite right, that is definitely there: the urge to experience everything, even if it costs you your eternal soul.

Of course, I read it in the 70s, when expanding one's mind was all the rage. Most of my high-school friends took the short-cut (drugs), while I read Faust in its entirety...
 
J.D. Salinger's Raise High the Roofbeams, Carpenters and Seymour: an Introduction changed my life. It really made me realize the possibilities of intellect and the depth that the mind can really have. It helped me realize that ther really are other people out there that have the ability to think like I do.

Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities helped me enjoy literature as something to be played with. Much like most things by James Joyce.
 
When I young and innocent I let the Bible change my life. Today I do not believe in that bullshit. I am now an agnostic (and proud of it too!).
 
Mature discussions?

I am a still am in some ways agnostic,but if i learned something when traveling is that religion is not only beliefs,it deeply rooted in education and the place you grew up in.
I remenber trying to explain to a Indian guy that i was agnostic,he just could not understand,like if ask what was my country i said "i'm citizen of the world!"-he keep saying "but was't your religion"
I just realize that i was a born christian and even if i don't belong to the Chistian culte,it was a good enough term to stick to the fact the i belive in a something bigger than me.Whatever you call it .
I am french,but i'm an humain being.Does it make sense?
(PS i apologize for the spelling,grammar,cheap quality of writing,you name it)
 
AquaBlue said:
When I young and innocent I let the Bible change my life. Today I do not believe in that bullshit. I am now an agnostic (and proud of it too!).
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I have two problems with organized religion:
  • The versions of all religious books that we have are completely different from the originals. They have been modified by man in order to rule the masses.
  • I have a hard time putting all of my eggs in one basket. Meaning, I have a hard time believing that only one religion is right and all of the others are wrong. There are too many that are all based on belief and not fact for me to trust that any are truly correct.
 
While a person may not agree with the theological viewpionts of the Bible, I don't believe that we can say strictly from a literature perspective, that the book is worthless or just a contrivance. The Psalms is beautifully written, ditto Proverbs. If you are a trouble-making progressive or have a hang-up about justice, then you would love the book of Ecclesiastes. If you are a feminist, the book of Ruth would well be worth your time. I'm not a literalist, nor do I belong to a particular denomination. I do however, respect the beliefs of others and don't mind studying the Bible on my own to learn new things and perspectives.
 
BeerWench13 said:
I have two problems with organized religion:
The versions of all religious books that we have are completely different from the originals. They have been modified by man in order to rule the masses.
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Weren't the originals written by men as well?
 
Mature discussions?

SFG75 said:
While a person may not agree with the theological viewpionts of the Bible, I don't believe that we can say strictly from a literature perspective, that the book is worthless or just a contrivance. The Psalms is beautifully written, ditto Proverbs. If you are a trouble-making progressive or have a hang-up about justice, then you would love the book of Ecclesiastes. If you are a feminist, the book of Ruth would well be worth your time. I'm not a literalist, nor do I belong to a particular denomination. I do however, respect the beliefs of others and don't mind studying the Bible on my own to learn new things and perspectives.
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Agreed allheartedly,the book that changed your life except the bible,Coran,Tora,...
 
FourTonMantis said:
Wow. That is an incredibly sweeping generalization. I'd like to see you even start to prove that.
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Google the following:
The Septuagint
The Bible in Hebrew and Greek (the literal translations are vastly different from the KJV that is so widely accepted) with literal translations.
The Council of Nicaea (I know this was mentioned in The Da Vinci Code, but I got my information from 3+ years of religious studies classes in college, long before Dan Brown was even writing about it).
The Dead Sea Scrolls

I'm not touting that The Bible is not a good book, nor am I saying that anyone should change their faith based on a poster in a book forum (that would be ludicrous!). I'm simply saying that, having studied The Bible for 33 years, I have noticed many differences between the original manuscripts (though I cannot read Hebrew or Greek, I have a literal translation of the OT and the NT, which are tough reads, mind you) and the ones that have been modified by those in the Church who wished to modify the "Supreme Power" to suit their causes a bit more. The Qur'an (Koran) has also been modified along the way.

Personally, I find it impossible to believe that any text could be passed down for more than a millenium and translated into so many different languages without having been modified in some way, whether intentional or not.

SFG75 said:
While a person may not agree with the theological viewpionts of the Bible, I don't believe that we can say strictly from a literature perspective, that the book is worthless or just a contrivance.
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I never said that. I've read it more times than I can count. I'm simply lacking the ability to believe it to be the true word of the Almighty when man has had his hand in it.
 
From a writing point of view:

1) Choose your own Adventure - Book 5 - The Mystery of Chimney Rock
2) Khare: Cityport of Traps - Sorcery! - Book 2.

The first one got me interested in reading gamebooks (at about age 8)
The second one got me interested in writing gamebooks (at age 12/13)
 
Here is my list

Here are the books that helped me change my life:

1) The power of your subconscious mind
2) Who moved my cheese
3) The Present
4) The monk who sold his ferrari
 
Well, here goes.....

Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse. Twenty years have passed since I read it, but I still feel its effects. It was one of those moments where I first felt an author personally talking to me.

A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man by James Joyce. Ooh, that last sentence! Here was the excuse I needed to live a life of artiness.

Le Grande Meaulnes by Alain-Fournier. The defining novel of youth and the remorse of leaving it behind. I love The Catcher In The Rye, but LGM is a vastly superior book.

When The Tree Sings by Stratis Haviaras. Such a simple and lyrical story.

That's just four off the top of my head.....
 
The Book That Changed your Life?

You will often find on the back cover of a novel the words "This book could change our life!".
But did it?
A book that changed my life was "The Encylopedia of Card Magic,"
The reason was an article in it called "The Nicola Card System." and it was a memory system.
My normal memory is pretty poor, but by studying this I was able to train my memory to the extent that is made it possible for me to pursue a career that made me a reasonable good living for over 45 years.
I won't say what that career was, that can remain a mystery for you to solve.
But this book changed the direction of my life.

Has any book done the same for you? If so, let's hear of it.
 
The Demon Haunted World - Science As A Candle In The Dark by Carl Sagan

The first book I read that really made me question what I believed and why I believed it.
 
I'm sort of embarrassed to say this, but The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. It was one of the first books that really made me think about who I am, what I want out of life, and how to go about getting it.
 
Sam Page said:
I'm sort of embarrassed to say this, but The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. It was one of the first books that really made me think about who I am, what I want out of life, and how to go about getting it.
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Why are you embarrassed? I have heard many people say that this book changed their lives. I am just curious why you are hesitating to admit it?
 
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