Name the book that changed your life.

[Meeko]

SE Hinton's The Outsiders.

[Kia Zi Shiru]

lets see... I've been reading books ever since I've been able to read and my mum read them to me before that... so I gotta think hard....

when I was your I read "Het wereldje van Beer Ligthart" by Jaap ter Haar, about a kid that turns blind because of a car accident. Very sad but also empowering book. It's a book by a dutch writer and I've read almost everything he wrote back then.

 

I don't really have a book for my early teens, since I was too busy writing myself, plus my obsession was wicca, so it would mostly be books in the esoteric sphere...

 

For my mid and late teens I've got a couple of books.

Junkies by Melvin Burgess, The outside of the book spoke to me so I took it and read it. Title explains the book

When love comes to town by Tom Lennon, about a young gay kid in Dublin. http://www.obrien.ie/book127.cfm

M

[colinian]

When I was in the 7th grade in intermediate school, one Friday we were assigned Faulkner's short story A Rose for Emily to read. That story totally blew me away. I'd never read anything like it, and I couldn't wait to get to school on Monday and turn in my report and discuss the story in class. I still remember that story, and it remains one of my favorites both because it's a great story and because of the impact it had on me. It encouraged me to write, and that's something I want to continue doing once I have time which I don't have now because of school.

 

Colin

[glomph]

Let's hear it for Anshelm (or St. Anshelm)! Questioning leads to answers! Question everything.

 

I questioned at an early age also. Religion doesn't like questions. Or answers.

 

That's so contrary to my experience. Growing up, I had pastors who were rather well educated and who taught us kids to think for ourselves, to question easy answers, and some of the rudiments of critical biblical scholarship. When I was in high school I found a copy of J. B. Phillips' Your God Is Too Small in our church library. I'm not sure there is a "The Book That Changed" My Life, but that one certainly help inoculate me against a lot of the kind of simplistic thought that passes for religion these days. From the school library, there were Flatland and How to Lie with Statistics. I still recall that book when I read much of what passes for political discourse. My senior year a friend loaned me his copy of Cat's Cradle, and that had some impact on me as well as introducing me to Vonnegut.

 

As an adult: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Howard Roark is the man.

 

I never read that, but seeing the movie profoundly influenced my basic stance in a lot of things in life. Much later QAF came along at just the right time for me when I faced some challenges that could best be (or only be) met if I brought a good measure of detachment to the task. Brian Kenney became my hero in a way, perhaps ironically. Maybe I'm the only person who sees similarity in the two characters, but it worked for me at that time, so who cares if the similarity is really there.

 

 

at seventeen, catcher in the rye.

 

I need to reread that some day to understand. I read it when I was 16 and had the profound sense of reading my own autobiography. I have no idea why. I never had anything in common with Holden Caufield that I can think of. Generations of young men have had a similar reaction. I should reread it, and Franny and Zoey, too.

 

In ninth grade I checked out from the school library a volume of Hemmingway's (complete, I think) short stories. I read it in a relatively short time for such a think volume. It certainly got me interested in literature, and set the stage for all the great books I read in 11th grade.

 

And some time in junior high I got a book on physics from the public library. One chapter was on the physics of music, using organ pipes as examples. That helped develop my interest in music and led to my learning to play the organ and to my continuing interest in acoustics and later as adult to pursuing interests in synthesis and computer music, and thence computers in general. In terms of shaping my academic and professional pursuits, maybe that physics book would qualify as "The Book That Changed" My Life, more than any single other one.

[Former Member]

'Confessions of an English Opium-Eater' by Thomas De Quincey

[JamesSavik]

As an adult: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Howard Roark is the man.

 

 

I never read that, but seeing the movie profoundly influenced my basic stance in a lot of things in life. Much later QAF came along at just the right time for me when I faced some challenges that could best be (or only be) met if I brought a good measure of detachment to the task. Brian Kenney became my hero in a way, perhaps ironically. Maybe I'm the only person who sees similarity in the two characters, but it worked for me at that time, so who cares if the similarity is really there.

 

 

Funny you should mention that. I read a review of QAF some years ago that described Brian Kenny as a gay Howard Roark and another called him the love child of James Dean and Ayn Rand.

 

Before that, I wasn't really interested in QAF. My experience with gay society were screaming bar queens that I, like a wolf caught in a trap, would happily chew off a hand or foot to escape from.

 

After seeing Brian Kenny described in that way, I went out and rented the entire DVD set up to season 3 and caught up. I also got to see a wider spectrum of gay culture and was more accepting and receptive to it.

[paya]

Funny you should mention that. I read a review of QAF some years ago that described Brian Kenny as a gay Howard Roark and another called him the love child of James Dean and Ayn Rand.

 

Before that, I wasn't really interested in QAF. My experience with gay society were screaming bar queens that I, like a wolf caught in a trap, would happily chew off a hand or foot to escape from.

 

After seeing Brian Kenny described in that way, I went out and rented the entire DVD set up to season 3 and caught up. I also got to see a wider spectrum of gay culture and was more accepting and receptive to it.

 

When I was a kid I read a lot so there weren't only one book that shaped my life. They were full of adventure either the boys experienced or the Men colonizing the Wild West...

[Toast]

That's so contrary to my experience. Growing up, I had pastors who were rather well educated and who taught us kids to think for ourselves, to question easy answers, and some of the rudiments of critical biblical scholarship. When I was in high school I found a copy of J. B. Phillips' Your God Is Too Small in our church library. I'm not sure there is a "The Book That Changed" My Life, but that one certainly help inoculate me against a lot of the kind of simplistic thought that passes for religion these days. From the school library, there were Flatland and How to Lie with Statistics. I still recall that book when I read much of what passes for political discourse. My senior year a friend loaned me his copy of Cat's Cradle, and that had some impact on me as well as introducing me to Vonnegut.

 

 

 

I never read that, but seeing the movie profoundly influenced my basic stance in a lot of things in life. Much later QAF came along at just the right time for me when I faced some challenges that could best be (or only be) met if I brought a good measure of detachment to the task. Brian Kenney became my hero in a way, perhaps ironically. Maybe I'm the only person who sees similarity in the two characters, but it worked for me at that time, so who cares if the similarity is really there.

 

 

 

 

I need to reread that some day to understand. I read it when I was 16 and had the profound sense of reading my own autobiography. I have no idea why. I never had anything in common with Holden Caufield that I can think of. Generations of young men have had a similar reaction. I should reread it, and Franny and Zoey, too.

 

In ninth grade I checked out from the school library a volume of Hemmingway's (complete, I think) short stories. I read it in a relatively short time for such a think volume. It certainly got me interested in literature, and set the stage for all the great books I read in 11th grade.

 

And some time in junior high I got a book on physics from the public library. One chapter was on the physics of music, using organ pipes as examples. That helped develop my interest in music and led to my learning to play the organ and to my continuing interest in acoustics and later as adult to pursuing interests in synthesis and computer music, and thence computers in general. In terms of shaping my academic and professional pursuits, maybe that physics book would qualify as "The Book That Changed" My Life, more than any single other one.

 

 

Oh, I loved Vonnegut in the early seventies. I read Cat's Cradle in 1969, I think. I drove people crazy wanting to talk about it. Very good post.

[Dolores Esteban]

The books written by Swiss author Hans-Dieter Leuenberger definitely changed my life.

 

 

[Lugh]

One by Richard Bach

 

maybe not "the book" but for sure "a book" that changed my life

[glomph]

Funny you should mention that. I read a review of QAF some years ago that described Brian Kenny as a gay Howard Roark and another called him the love child of James Dean and Ayn Rand.

 

 

I had never made the connection consciously myself until I was writing my post and thought about the impact that the two characters had upon my life. Interesting that others see it, too.

 

Oh, I loved Vonnegut in the early seventies. I read Cat's Cradle in 1969, I think. I drove people crazy wanting to talk about it. Very good post.

 

His novel Why We Are in Vietnam was a failure with the critics, and probably commercially, but I found it explained a lot much better than any political analysis I've read, and I still think of it when I try to make some sense of current events. And no, my interest in the book was not primarily because it was about horny teenage boys in Texas.

 

Many books have profoundly moved me and made me ponder really significant things in life, but I wouldn't say they changed my life, at least not directly. Two that come to mind are C. S. Lewis' Till We Have Faces and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

[KJames]

Something Wicked This Way Comes...

[irangel]

"Bullfinch's Mythology" when I was in 4th grade. At first the book hooked me with the illustrations they used, photos of classical statues and paintings; those gods were hot. I think it's what influences my art come to think of it. "A picture's worth..." as they say.

 

I remember my elementary teacher asking if I had actually read it when I returned it to the school library. I checked out every mythology book they had including the christian mythologies. The stories were amazingly magical to me, it also sparked a lifelong interest in comparative religious studies. Joseph Campbell is a personal hero of mine.

 

 

 

The next memorable book was the "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding, rather disturbing that, since I saw that devolution of behavior in my everyday life in the barrio...life goes on

 

The truly transformative book and the one I would choose if limited to one book was that tiny ancient text, the "Tao Te Ching" by Lao Tzu, never been the same since; saved my life at the tender age of 16...

life goes on, indeed

 

fascinating thread here

-~~~-

[Toast]

"Bullfinch's Mythology" when I was in 4th grade. At first the book hooked me with the illustrations they used, photos of classical statues and paintings; those gods were hot. I think it's what influences my art come to think of it. "A picture's worth..." as they say.

 

I remember my elementary teacher asking if I had actually read it when I returned it to the school library. I checked out every mythology book they had including the christian mythologies. The stories were amazingly magical to me, it also sparked a lifelong interest in comparative religious studies. Joseph Campbell is a personal hero of mine.

 

 

 

The next memorable book was the "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding, rather disturbing that, since I saw that devolution of behavior in my everyday life in the barrio...life goes on

 

The truly transformative book and the one I would choose if limited to one book was that tiny ancient text, the "Tao Te Ching" by Lao Tzu, never been the same since; saved my life at the tender age of 16...

life goes on, indeed

 

fascinating thread here

-~~~-

 

Your post is fascinating. Do a sequel.

[Tiff]

The Giver... my all time favorite book...

The Giver was a great book. I remembered reading that in the 7th or 8th grade. Back then I wasn't much into reading, but now that I think about the book, it holds more meaning.

 

 

the catcher in the rye by Holden Caulfield duh

j.d salinger

When I read that, I remembered thinking "what is up with this dude?". But he was very messed up and the ending supported that in a way. Only now I would appreciate this book more and the problems of the character.

 

My life-changing book (I can't say a book has really changed or impacted me enough--yet) would be The Road. It's a good story about how people survive and step up to the challenge and horrors of what life becomes and somehow making it out alive. Or living another day. Great thing to read when you're feeling down and don't want to get out of bed, but know you have to because you have responsiblities and others rely on you.

[Daisy]

One book that stays with me. Or I think linked into my passion for social justice when I was younger. Noughts and Crosses I think it was called. by Malorie Blackman. It's reference is a game, I'm not sure whether it's british or whether you will all know it, and it's about reverse racism. Instead of whites being privileged it's the other way round.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Noughts-Crosses-Malorie-Blackman/dp/0552546321

Edited September 29, 2009 by Smarties

[Ashi]

One book that stays with me. Or I think linked into my passion for social justice when I was younger. Noughts and Crosses I think it was called. by Malorie Blackman. It's reference is a game, I'm not sure whether it's british or whether you will all know it, and it's about reverse racism. Instead of whites being privileged it's the other way round.

 

http://www.amazon.co...n/dp/0552546321

 

I clicked on the link and saw it generated lots of reactions among Amazon reviewers so that's good already. I'll see if I could find it in local library.

 

Now onto the book that changed my life. Short answer: I don't think I have one (yet).

 

Long answer:

I read Metamorphosis when I was in high school and that only made me confirmed I shouldn't self-pity too much (I was a headstrong kid). If that's life changing, I guess yeah, but not much. What it did do though was making me really interested in literature, but it isn't really one of my favorite books (but it's life-curbing).

 

I read The Catcher in the Rye on my own. Didn't change my life, but it fascinates me a great deal with how much teenagers' lives didn't seem to change much over the decades. High school life is still like that in a broad sense. It also made me more interested in literature.

 

Secret Sharer, now that's just a short story (a very difficult to read one though..., took me a long time). A guy and I were connected by that story. He hated it, and I liked it. And I think he noticed me more afterward, which would end up being a very dramatic episode of my life. Life changing? Yes. But not because of the content (it's borderline homoerotic by the way).

[viv]

I have a list up through the years...

 

As a kid, definitely Charlotte's Web.

 

The teenage years, The Outsiders.

 

Recently, Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom.

[Tom]

It's all Robert Asprin's fault

 

The 'myth' series he wrote got me hooked on reading. before I read 'another fine Myth' I couldn't stand to read more than a few pages of anything

 

Hugs,

Tom

[Daisy]

I clicked on the link and saw it generated lots of reactions among Amazon reviewers so that's good already. I'll see if I could find it in local library.

 

 

I'm glad. Now that I've refreshed my memory of it. I think it was powerful still because of the power within society I thought of. It wasn't just about black versus white. But station, opportunity and class that I thought of. At least I think that was how I saw it in relation to it making sense to my life. and my class was 'middle class'. so I had opportunities. and the 'noughts' of course made it sound more like that in my head.

 

I think I read Catcher in the Rye years ago. I forget what i read all that long ago .

[gardentuber]

Great question and fascinating answers.

 

The book that created the bend in the road of my life was "The Fountainhead". But unlike James Savik, I no longer accept the "Objectivist" philosophy. (James and I have very different political philosophies.) What did it do for me? It freed my from the crippling self-consciousness from which I suffered in my high school years.

 

The Bible. I'm an atheist, but a christian one. Just like there are secular Jews and atheist Buddhists, my basic world view is formed by my Christian upbringing. So the Bible has got to be in the mix.

 

Seeing "Catcher in the Rye" included makes sense, though I never understood the book, myself. I didn't get it as a teenager and I've never read it since. I suppose I need to give it a try once again.

 

"Stranger in a Strange Land", Yeah, that had a big effect on me as well. I still have the word "grok" in my active vocabulary. (and I notice the word is included in this spellcheck... interesting!)

 

"Beloved"? I'm glad I read it, but can't say it had a huge effect on me. It's funny what resonates with different folks.

 

It's interesting: my life changing books are not necessarily books in which I still believe. I don't accept the central precepts of "The Fountainhead", the Bible or "Stranger in a Strange Land", but I'm very glad I read each of them and glad for the effect they've had on my life.

 

It's exciting to think that some of the stories included on this site have changed people's lives (for the better, it's understood). That is a huge kudo for the site and the authors who wrote the stories!

[glomph]

I can't say that any of the stories on this site changed my life, but I've spent a significant part of the last few years fretting over when Dom would post another chapter and a significant part of the last 2 weeks reading the 197 chapters (so far) of "Billy Chase." I was not going to start reading it, because there were so many chapters, but I got a little curious and tried reading the first chapter.

[Rizan]

death be not proud was a huge one, but for odd reasons it affected me...also, a story i read on nifty, Drummer Boys, that one changed my life quite a bit, was the first gay fiction(technically it's non-fiction, but you know what i mean) that i had ever read.

[W_L]

The book that changed my life:

Of Arms and Men: A History of War, Weapons, and Aggression

 

This is the book that got me interested in reading at age 9. I've always been interested in military tactics and technology. I found it in the Boston public library and started reading. I still remember the developmental history of Heat seeking missiles to this day and the advent of mechanized infantry. This book began my lifelong love of history.

 

What got me into imagination and thinking came a year later at age 10 with this book:

The Physics of Star Trek

 

The book inspired me to learn more about mathematics and science. I wanted to be the one to prove you can go to Warp or make transporters possible, it was kind of childhood wish. Some of what I write today that involves complex scientific and engineering knowledge can be attributed to this book.

 

When I became a Teenager, I started internalizing and began my exploration of religious and philosophical studies. Consider it soul searching. I've read the Bible before, but I realized there was so much more out there. I wanted to understand why people believe the way they do and I learned more about my own background along the way. I've grown to love proto-Daoism as an extension of my interest in natural sciences; the idea of universal relativity and continuous order and chaos working in a system interest me the most.

 

I also understood the differences between how Buddhist belief and Confucian beliefs truly came about rather than accept a twisted dogma. There are many people in the West that would turn their back on these two philosophies if they knew the totality of what the philosophies mean rather than what some want them to mean. Let's just say there's less freedom and equality in Buddhist and Confucianism than people get from siding with either the "Free Tibet" crowd for Buddhism or the "Pro China" crowd for Confucianism. The entire philosophical debate has become a political farce rather than a true questioning of human nature. Both operate on certain principles that I cannot agree to, but it is a tragedy most people do not understand these two religious/philosophical standpoints other than purely surface interpretation.

 

I also enjoy Judaism and Islam as counterparts to Christianity with so many areas that can be bridge if not for the doctrinal ideology.

[Toast]

death be not proud was a huge one, but for odd reasons it affected me...

 

 

The poem by John Donne and the book by John Gunther? I read the book around sixteen. It could affect anyone for a multitude of reasons. I still remember it.