Name A Book (if any) that had a profound effect on you. - Page 3

xg4bx · 03-09-2014, 12:50 AM

Orwell's 1984. It kickstarted me politically and made me open my eyes. Every time I read it I find something new that sticks out. In his personal life Orwell's politics were a complete 180 from my own leanings but there's a lot of common ground to be found in the book.

Razi · 03-12-2014, 09:34 AM

Fyodor Dostoevsky: The Brothers Karamazov Mankind is diverse and human beings are complex. Life is a search for an answer to an unknown question.

W Somerset Maugham: Of Human Bondage Life is a search but we are where we are. Enjoy what is given to you. Make the best artwork with the colours available to you. We are where we are. We created this society where money is more important than air and water. An individual can not change this situation (Is 44 too old to realise this simple truth?)

crich70 · 03-12-2014, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razi

Fyodor Dostoevsky: The Brothers Karamazov Mankind is diverse and human beings are complex. Life is a search for an answer to an unknown question.

W Somerset Maugham: Of Human Bondage Life is a search but we are where we are. Enjoy what is given to you. Make the best artwork with the colours available to you. We are where we are. We created this society where money is more important than air and water. An individual can not change this situation (Is 44 too old to realise this simple truth?)

While one individual can't change a given situation even one grain of rice can tip the scale one way or the other I think.

Penforhire · 03-12-2014, 04:42 PM

A very yellowed copy of Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People." It was not that it changed me or my approach but it did make me realize some of what I could do differently.

Also Robert Moore's "King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine." It was one of the better books of its type I've read, giving some strategies for observing and modifying my behaviors. Robert Bly's "Iron John" was good but more obtuse. Joseph Campbell's mythology books do not connect the archetypes to male psychology in any practical way.

Dngrsone · 03-12-2014, 10:22 PM

Every book I read has an effect on me; some quite profoundly, others not quite so. To highlight one or two for their apparent profundity would be to diminish the remarkable qualities of the rest.

Dee Q · 03-12-2014, 11:55 PM

Animal Farm, perhaps?

eschwartz · 03-12-2014, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dee Q

Animal Farm, perhaps?

Profound effect, maybe, but of what kind?

I think I'd've been better off without it, honestly.

Prestidigitweeze · 03-13-2014, 01:33 AM

If I'm being honest, I'd have to say that the books which had the earliest effect on me were the first ones I read in grade school: Les Fleurs du Mal, by Baudelaire, the complete works of Edgar Allan Poe and Martin Gardner's three annotated editions of Lewis Carroll. For some odd reason, I read Poe's satirical stories before the classics and The Hunting of the Snark before Alice in Wonderland.

The first poems I ever wrote were acrostics (after Lewis Carrol's) and imitations of Baudelaire with a touch of Prufrock. I have vivid memories of writing a sonnet about a courtesan whose flesh turned out to be webwork concealing a living spider for a heart. It was pure Charles B. and probably still exists in my fifth grade notebook. I remember my home teacher arching one eyebrow and asking if I'd ever heard of Sade.

The thing that I seemed to take away from Baudelaire was a nihilistic and horror-ready outlook that was poetic, abrasive and polemical.

Also: People seem not to mention this often, but Baudelaire had a nihilistic view of mankind that was as misanthropic as Cioran's or Ligotti's.

Here's my free translation of an example of from Les Fleurs:

Quote:

On the black screen of evening, God sketches
A ceaseless nightmare: multiplicities of form.
I dread sleep's enormous hole, which brims
With shapeless horrors bound to nothingness.
I see the Infinite leer through every window
As vertigo haunts and stalks my plummeting spirit,
Which is itself too envious of the senseless. Ah, never,
Never to be free of the permutations of numbers and beings!

Froide · 03-13-2014, 02:45 AM

+1 for many of the books already noted. Additionally, here are a few more (ordered lexicographically), reflective of various points in my life, that immediately jump to mind:

A Night to Remember, by Walter Lord
Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape, by Susan Brownmiller
Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans, by Wallace Terry
Exodus, by Leon Uris
Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman, by Dorothy Sterling
Good News for Modern Man (my pastor gave everyone that book who was preparing for confirmation)
Hiroshima, by John Hersey
Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison
Johnny Tremaine, by Esther Forbes
Mandingo, by Kyle Onstott
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave; by Frederick Douglass
Old Yeller, by Fred Gipson
Roll Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made, by Eugene Genovese
Soul on Ice, by Eldridge Cleaver
Sounder, by William H. Armstrong
The Diary of Anne Frank, by Anne Frank
The Exorcist, by William Peter Blatty (I've never touched a ouija board since)
The Gift of Fear, by Gavin de Becker
The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe

mojos · 03-13-2014, 06:35 AM

I know it's a children's book series but I would have to say Goosebumps by R.L. Stine. I was around 7 or 8 when I first read the books and these books helped me love reading! Once in a while I would read back the older books in the series and I just love the nostalgia and realizing how many books I've read and adventures I've been on because of Goosebumps. Sorry it's a bit dramatic.

elemenoP · 03-13-2014, 09:19 AM

The one that stands out for me is The Handmaid's Tale. I'm sure it has as much to do with WHEN I read it (as a teenager) as the book itself. At that time in my life I hadn't really given any thought as to whether I was, was not, or wanted to be a feminist. This book made me think about it, and decide in the affirmative.

I'm curious: is it possible for a book to have a profound effect on you, when you're an adult? I read "profound effect" as "change how you view the world."

eP

missimpossible · 03-13-2014, 09:27 AM

There are different answers from different parts of my life. The first book that really changed my life was probably Harry Potter. This might seem a bit cliched, but the first book came out when I was seven, and it was the first time I'd experienced a book series in that sense as a sort of life-consuming phenomenon. Everything I'd read before then had been just an individual story or a set of loosely connected books in a series. As much as I enjoyed reading, I don't think I realised up until that point just how captivating fiction could be.

Later, Lord of the Rings resulted in me conducting a thirty page project for school on it when I was eleven. Sophie's World really encouraged me to think about the world around me during my gap year while I was stuck in my (miserable) home town. More recently, reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close lifted me out of a deep depression. There are plenty of others that have had a profound effect on my life, but these are some of the most important ones!

bshar489 · 03-13-2014, 09:54 AM

Maybe nobody else will think of this book as profound, but when I was 12 I found a book in my library called "Lucky Starr and the Oceans of Venus" by Paul French. It started my love of Science Fiction, Astronomy, etc. While other girls my age were trying out makeup and playing with Barbies, I was dreaming of being an astronaut

Then when I was a little older I started reading books by Asimov and it wasn't until much later that I found out that he was Paul French.

Another book that had an impact on me was "Roots" by Alex Haley. It led me to learn more about that part of American History.

Bergette

BelleZora · 03-13-2014, 12:26 PM

Billy Mink by Thornton W. Burgess. It was possibly the first novel I read (and re-read) in early childhood. It was where I got the idea that reading was a joyful activity.

Travels with Charley: in Search of America by John Steinbeck. Now I know that a good deal of this book was fictionalized, but I don't care. It introduced me to the joy of road trips. Steinbeck was the first author whose books I searched out because he wrote so enchantingly.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I learned to think about tolerance, ethics, and "you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view .. until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

Walden by Henry David Thoreau. It caused me to examine my values and the way I wanted to live my life.

The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles. I learned about fascinating concepts such as existentialism, that endings aren't fixed by fate and can often be chosen, and that "...life...is not one riddle and one failure to guess it, is not to inhabit one face alone or to be given up after one losing throw of the dice...." At the time, that last quote was something I needed to hear.

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard. This book made me think about how much of daily life I might be missing and how to see.

03-09-2014, 12:50 AM	#31
xg4bx Are you gonna eat that? Posts: 1,633 Karma: 23215128 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Phillipsburg, NJ Device: Kindle 3, Nook STG	Orwell's 1984. It kickstarted me politically and made me open my eyes. Every time I read it I find something new that sticks out. In his personal life Orwell's politics were a complete 180 from my own leanings but there's a lot of common ground to be found in the book. Last edited by xg4bx; 03-09-2014 at 12:55 AM.

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03-12-2014, 09:34 AM	#32
Razi Zealot Posts: 109 Karma: 494242 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: London, UK Device: Toshiba E740, Cassiopeia, iLiad, iPad, Kobo Touch, Kobo Aura HD	Fyodor Dostoevsky: The Brothers Karamazov Mankind is diverse and human beings are complex. Life is a search for an answer to an unknown question. W Somerset Maugham: Of Human Bondage Life is a search but we are where we are. Enjoy what is given to you. Make the best artwork with the colours available to you. We are where we are. We created this society where money is more important than air and water. An individual can not change this situation (Is 44 too old to realise this simple truth?)

03-12-2014, 04:42 PM	#34
Penforhire Wizard Posts: 2,230 Karma: 7145404 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern California Device: Kindle Voyage & iPhone 7+	A very yellowed copy of Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People." It was not that it changed me or my approach but it did make me realize some of what I could do differently. Also Robert Moore's "King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine." It was one of the better books of its type I've read, giving some strategies for observing and modifying my behaviors. Robert Bly's "Iron John" was good but more obtuse. Joseph Campbell's mythology books do not connect the archetypes to male psychology in any practical way.

03-12-2014, 10:22 PM	#35
Dngrsone Almost legible Posts: 1,457 Karma: 4611110 Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: In a high desert, CA Device: Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy Tab A (2017), Likebook P78	Every book I read has an effect on me; some quite profoundly, others not quite so. To highlight one or two for their apparent profundity would be to diminish the remarkable qualities of the rest.

03-12-2014, 11:55 PM	#36
Dee Q Born Yesterday Posts: 128 Karma: 1197084 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Vietnam Device: Kobo Libra 2 & Kindle Scribe	Animal Farm, perhaps?

03-13-2014, 02:45 AM	#39
Froide Wizard Posts: 1,898 Karma: 9851695 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Noo Yawk Device: Samsung Galaxy and Windows devices. RIP: Palm & Nook devices.	+1 for many of the books already noted. Additionally, here are a few more (ordered lexicographically), reflective of various points in my life, that immediately jump to mind: A Night to Remember, by Walter Lord Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape, by Susan Brownmiller Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans, by Wallace Terry Exodus, by Leon Uris Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman, by Dorothy Sterling Good News for Modern Man (my pastor gave everyone that book who was preparing for confirmation) Hiroshima, by John Hersey Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison Johnny Tremaine, by Esther Forbes Mandingo, by Kyle Onstott Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave; by Frederick Douglass Old Yeller, by Fred Gipson Roll Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made, by Eugene Genovese Soul on Ice, by Eldridge Cleaver Sounder, by William H. Armstrong The Diary of Anne Frank, by Anne Frank The Exorcist, by William Peter Blatty (I've never touched a ouija board since) The Gift of Fear, by Gavin de Becker The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe

03-13-2014, 06:35 AM	#40
mojos Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 77596 Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Godric's Hollow Device: iPad 2	I know it's a children's book series but I would have to say Goosebumps by R.L. Stine. I was around 7 or 8 when I first read the books and these books helped me love reading! Once in a while I would read back the older books in the series and I just love the nostalgia and realizing how many books I've read and adventures I've been on because of Goosebumps. Sorry it's a bit dramatic.

03-13-2014, 09:19 AM	#41
elemenoP Wizard Posts: 1,717 Karma: 3790058 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: NYC Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Sony 650	The one that stands out for me is The Handmaid's Tale. I'm sure it has as much to do with WHEN I read it (as a teenager) as the book itself. At that time in my life I hadn't really given any thought as to whether I was, was not, or wanted to be a feminist. This book made me think about it, and decide in the affirmative. I'm curious: is it possible for a book to have a profound effect on you, when you're an adult? I read "profound effect" as "change how you view the world." eP

03-13-2014, 09:27 AM	#42
missimpossible Groupie Posts: 165 Karma: 491236 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Glasgow Device: Libra 2, Clara 2e, Oasis 3	There are different answers from different parts of my life. The first book that really changed my life was probably Harry Potter. This might seem a bit cliched, but the first book came out when I was seven, and it was the first time I'd experienced a book series in that sense as a sort of life-consuming phenomenon. Everything I'd read before then had been just an individual story or a set of loosely connected books in a series. As much as I enjoyed reading, I don't think I realised up until that point just how captivating fiction could be. Later, Lord of the Rings resulted in me conducting a thirty page project for school on it when I was eleven. Sophie's World really encouraged me to think about the world around me during my gap year while I was stuck in my (miserable) home town. More recently, reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close lifted me out of a deep depression. There are plenty of others that have had a profound effect on my life, but these are some of the most important ones!

03-13-2014, 09:54 AM	#43
bshar489 Addict Posts: 337 Karma: 1082346 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Michigan Device: Kindle Voyage, Fire HD8	Maybe nobody else will think of this book as profound, but when I was 12 I found a book in my library called "Lucky Starr and the Oceans of Venus" by Paul French. It started my love of Science Fiction, Astronomy, etc. While other girls my age were trying out makeup and playing with Barbies, I was dreaming of being an astronaut Then when I was a little older I started reading books by Asimov and it wasn't until much later that I found out that he was Paul French. Another book that had an impact on me was "Roots" by Alex Haley. It led me to learn more about that part of American History. Bergette

03-13-2014, 12:26 PM	#44
BelleZora Wizard Posts: 1,432 Karma: 25151986 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Seattle, US Device: Kindle Oasis 3, Kobo Libra 2	Billy Mink by Thornton W. Burgess. It was possibly the first novel I read (and re-read) in early childhood. It was where I got the idea that reading was a joyful activity. Travels with Charley: in Search of America by John Steinbeck. Now I know that a good deal of this book was fictionalized, but I don't care. It introduced me to the joy of road trips. Steinbeck was the first author whose books I searched out because he wrote so enchantingly. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I learned to think about tolerance, ethics, and "you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view .. until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." Walden by Henry David Thoreau. It caused me to examine my values and the way I wanted to live my life. The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles. I learned about fascinating concepts such as existentialism, that endings aren't fixed by fate and can often be chosen, and that "...life...is not one riddle and one failure to guess it, is not to inhabit one face alone or to be given up after one losing throw of the dice...." At the time, that last quote was something I needed to hear. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard. This book made me think about how much of daily life I might be missing and how to see.

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