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

[Apache]

Two are Citizen Soldier and Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest. Both are by Stephen E. Ambrose.
Apache

[Marcus365]

To whom it may concern: A blog (a truncation of the expression web log)[1] is a discussion or informational site published on the World Wide Web and consisting of discrete entries ("posts") typically displayed in reverse chronological order (the most recent post appears first).

forum (ˈfɔːrəm) —n, pl-rums, -ra: 1. a meeting or assembly for the open discussion of subjects of public interest:

You say potato (tay) I Say potato (Tot)...still one in the same

[DiapDealer]

The Secret of Terror Castle by Robert Arthur.

Jupe and the gang made me want to read everything I could get my hands on.

[crich70]

The KJV of the Bible (not to turn it into a P&R thread).

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by crich70

The KJV of the Bible (not to turn it into a P&R thread).

Why not just go with the Bible in general? Then you could be in agreement with a lot more people. Even us Jews; I wouldn't agree that the KJV has any validity for me, but the original text which I quite naturally prefer, definitely has what I feel is a profound impact on me.

I think the critical message is the same with all versions of the Christian Bible, and the Jewish Bible is similar enough to the first part that the same underlying message is there as well....

Maybe I'm getting too technical?

[crich70]

The KJV was the version that I was given when I was a young child (about 35-36 yrs ago). Back then I attended a church run school and it was part of the needed school supplies. I still have it in fact though it's a bit worn.

As far as fiction books I'd guess that that would have to be "The Hound of The Baskervilles," as it was the 1st novel length book I can remember reading as a kid.
I got it through one of those book flyers that schools gave out back in the 1970's.

[Grace Elliot]

Margaret George's 'The Autobiography of Henry VIII' .
This book awakened an interest in history - which was a subject I detested at school. The story was so extraordinary, and yet based on real events, that it whetted my appetite to find out about the Tudors. This opened a new world to me, where truth was stranger than fiction and I feel head over heels in love with history.
Now I'm a fully paid up history addict - and all because of Ms George's book.

Franz Kafka's The Trial. Gave me a very useful perspective on the meaning and reality of life.



Introduction to Physical Sciences (or something like that which was a text book for a course of similar name when I was in the 7th grade). In a sense saved my life. Before I was an oddball loner, terrible at sports, not doing that well in school, and basically wondering what was ever going to become of me. After I found something I was good in school and that I could be useful at in the future.


The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Opened my eyes to the racist history of the US and helped me shed whatever vestiges remained of a youth spent living in white trash neighborhoods in Texas.

Shakespeare's complete set of plays. Taught me to love great literature for its own sake.


The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. The first clear instruction as to why a society based on pure capitalism and plutocratic rule only serves well for a minority.


There are probably a few more I should include, but that would require more thought than I care to devote to this.

[Grace Elliot]

Originally Posted by crich70

The KJV was the version that I was given when I was a young child (about 35-36 yrs ago). Back then I attended a church run school and it was part of the needed school supplies. I still have it in fact though it's a bit worn.

As far as fiction books I'd guess that that would have to be "The Hound of The Baskervilles," as it was the 1st novel length book I can remember reading as a kid.
I got it through one of those book flyers that schools gave out back in the 1970's.

It's funny how books evoke memories, isn't it?
Your mention of KJV bible immediately made me think of my late grandma by marriage - who gave me an illustrated version as a birthday present.
As for The Hound of the Baskerville's - I remember reading this on a long coach journey as a teenager, and being utterly captivated despite feeling terribly travel sick.

[Marcus365]

Great reply Hamlet53...I really liked your response, very interesting.

[Rizla]

The City and the Stars, Childhoods End and Hamlet.

[OddCosine]

The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt. Whether or not I buy all of it, it's changed the way I view/consider viewpoints that differ from my own, and the people that have them.

[RDaneel54]

Thomas Hardy's the Return of the Native.. It was assigned in my high school literature class. It was the first book I had to read that I ended up liking. I was a ravenous reader since I was little, but had never really enjoyed reading outside of my own interests until then.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Grace Elliot

It's funny how books evoke memories, isn't it?
Your mention of KJV bible immediately made me think of my late grandma by marriage - who gave me an illustrated version as a birthday present.
As for The Hound of the Baskerville's - I remember reading this on a long coach journey as a teenager, and being utterly captivated despite feeling terribly travel sick.

True. Books can bring back memories just like things like a scent or a sound can. My copy of the KJV has some color illustrations of different events as well as illustrations of things on the end pages. Even the cover had a color illustration (of the feeding of the 5000) though the cover is so worn now that it's hard to see what the picture was of. It's a full copy of the text too. Just sized for a child's hands. The 1st time I read "Hound of the Baskervilles" I was staying with my paternal grandmother for a week or two during the summer. Grandma turned 70 the year I was born so she wasn't up to a lot of childhood excitement and there were no other kids near by, nor did grandma have cable TV so I read the book. It was hard going at first since I'd never read something so long as it was before but I went on to read a good many other classic books after that like Treasure Island, 20,000 leagues under the sea and The Time Machine.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by RDaneel54

Thomas Hardy's the Return of the Native.. It was assigned in my high school literature class. It was the first book I had to read that I ended up liking. I was a ravenous reader since I was little, but had never really enjoyed reading outside of my own interests until then.

I got started with books at a young age too. My mom put a library card in my hands when I was 3 and though I couldn't yet read at that age that got me started on the way to a life long love of books. Mom paid the price for getting me started on books too. I developed a love of anything Dr. Seuss and she ended up with the job of reading them to me til I learned how to read them myself.