Do books really change your life? - Page 2

faithbw · 03-17-2014, 08:57 AM

For fiction, if I had to be honest, no, there is no fiction that really changed my life. There is some fiction that moved me when I was young and even made me a think a little differently about a certain topic. I thought back then it changed my life but honestly it didn't. Now as an adult, there is no fiction that changes my life. Again some good fiction can move me but really, I just see all novels as stories in the end. I read them for entertainment not for deep philosophical tracts about life.

BenG · 03-17-2014, 10:23 AM

There's no one book to point to, but being exposed to many different points of view and ways of looking at the world when you are young can help you realize that the way things are in your small part of the world is not necessarily the way things have to be.

Dngrsone · 03-17-2014, 05:24 PM

Every thing I read alters my mind. That is, a good piece of prose (or poetry), will change the way I think, the words I choose (even, at times, my accent), and the decisions I make on a daily basis.

Is that life-changing? I'd argue yes.

For example, say I read a book featuring a luncheon which caused me to decide that I would skip my salad and eat Mexican food instead. Having sampled the fare of the neighborhood taco truck I liked into a severe case of food poisoning.

That would indeed be life-altering, would it not?

So, perhaps that is a little extreme, though plausible (I know a guy who lost his lower GI to a taco truck), not extremely likely.

Fiction is a transmission of ideas. Those ideas become memes, tropes, and revolutions. They drive our cultures, define our generations and redefine language.

applesauce · 03-22-2014, 09:20 AM

Not in a way most would recognise. I read for enjoyment, which can mean lots of books people would consider trashi. I am currently working through the Alex Cross books. I do not read to better myself. I have read just about every book written about infertility written in the 80/90s. But i do not think of that as reading. That is research. I do tend to research anything I want to find out more about. Books are my choice.

applesauce

Sydney's Mom · 03-22-2014, 02:42 PM

I believe reading books, versus other forms of leisure activities, does have an enormous impact on people. Or do they read because they are different from those who do not? I can see both sides of the argument. I am the only member of a family of six who reads. Am I different because I read, or do I read because I am different? I cannot imagine not reading, and the rest of my family could not imagine reading for pleasure. I guess this is the old nature or nurture argument. Unsurprisingly, my husband is also a reader. But he comes from a family of readers. Surprising, to me, is that while my husband and I are readers, our daughter is not.

I am nature; my husband is nurture; and my daughter is nature. I always thought reading was nurture, and I was just strange (I am pretty contrary in the rest of my life). But, I believe now it is just nature. The fact that I read is part of my hard wiring, and was not caused by reading. So, ultimately, I believe all the books I have read, and all the time I have spent reading and not doing other things, has not changed my life. It is different because I did these things, but I could not have done anything any different.

Victoria · 03-23-2014, 05:00 PM

Yes- books have enriched my life immeasurably. I was raised in a small, poor, very rural village in the 50's and 60's. Books really were a window on the world - for me and many of my family as well. They nurtured my imagination hugely. They also introduced a range of human experiences I could never have known otherwise.

Many individual books stand out. Collectively, they probably influenced the path my life took. You can't reach for something when you don't know it exists.

Now that I'm older, 'profound' is pretty rare. I choose books for pleasure. But my life would certainly change if I didn't have them. I can't even imagine my life without books.

Victoria · 03-23-2014, 05:42 PM

This thread has left me musing about the power of books and their imprint on imagination.

I read Walden about 40 years ago. I'm now 57. I have a bad back. I enjoy all of my creature comforts. Twice I've embarrassed myself by freaking out when a rented cabin had a mouse. ......and yet I still find myself, semi-consciously, planning what books and sketching materials I'll take with me on my retreat to the woods.....I'm not pretending - at some level, I seem to think I really will do that some day.

I also catch myself looking forward to seeing Lothlórien

Andrew H. · 03-23-2014, 06:08 PM

When I was a teenager - and maybe on into my 20's - there were a lot of books that "changed my life" (for lack of a better word). But there's been nothing similar since then, and I think it has to be with, as noted upthread, being in the formative years. That is, being at an age where you are trying to figure out what kind of independent person you are going to become, and the answer isn't clear yet.

03-17-2014, 08:57 AM	#16
faithbw Guru Posts: 618 Karma: 1526148 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: A place where the sun always shines Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Mini 2	For fiction, if I had to be honest, no, there is no fiction that really changed my life. There is some fiction that moved me when I was young and even made me a think a little differently about a certain topic. I thought back then it changed my life but honestly it didn't. Now as an adult, there is no fiction that changes my life. Again some good fiction can move me but really, I just see all novels as stories in the end. I read them for entertainment not for deep philosophical tracts about life. Last edited by faithbw; 03-18-2014 at 05:47 PM.

03-23-2014, 05:42 PM	#22
Victoria Wizard Posts: 1,017 Karma: 19767610 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Nova Scotia Canada Device: ipad, Kindle PW, Kobo Clara; iphone 7	This thread has left me musing about the power of books and their imprint on imagination. I read Walden about 40 years ago. I'm now 57. I have a bad back. I enjoy all of my creature comforts. Twice I've embarrassed myself by freaking out when a rented cabin had a mouse. ......and yet I still find myself, semi-consciously, planning what books and sketching materials I'll take with me on my retreat to the woods.....I'm not pretending - at some level, I seem to think I really will do that some day. I also catch myself looking forward to seeing Lothlórien Last edited by Victoria; 03-23-2014 at 05:48 PM.

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03-17-2014, 10:23 AM	#17
BenG Home Guard Posts: 4,730 Karma: 86721650 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Alpha Ralpha Boulevard Device: Kindle Oasis 3G, iPhone 6	There's no one book to point to, but being exposed to many different points of view and ways of looking at the world when you are young can help you realize that the way things are in your small part of the world is not necessarily the way things have to be.

03-17-2014, 05:24 PM	#18
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 thing I read alters my mind. That is, a good piece of prose (or poetry), will change the way I think, the words I choose (even, at times, my accent), and the decisions I make on a daily basis. Is that life-changing? I'd argue yes. For example, say I read a book featuring a luncheon which caused me to decide that I would skip my salad and eat Mexican food instead. Having sampled the fare of the neighborhood taco truck I liked into a severe case of food poisoning. That would indeed be life-altering, would it not? So, perhaps that is a little extreme, though plausible (I know a guy who lost his lower GI to a taco truck), not extremely likely. Fiction is a transmission of ideas. Those ideas become memes, tropes, and revolutions. They drive our cultures, define our generations and redefine language.

03-22-2014, 09:20 AM	#19
applesauce Addict Posts: 387 Karma: 3553492 Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Perth Western Australia Device: kindle oasis	Not in a way most would recognise. I read for enjoyment, which can mean lots of books people would consider trashi. I am currently working through the Alex Cross books. I do not read to better myself. I have read just about every book written about infertility written in the 80/90s. But i do not think of that as reading. That is research. I do tend to research anything I want to find out more about. Books are my choice. applesauce

03-22-2014, 02:42 PM	#20
Sydney's Mom Wizard Posts: 2,899 Karma: 6995721 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Idaho, on the side of a mountain Device: Kindle Oasis, Fire 3d Gen and 5th Gen and Samsung Tab S	I believe reading books, versus other forms of leisure activities, does have an enormous impact on people. Or do they read because they are different from those who do not? I can see both sides of the argument. I am the only member of a family of six who reads. Am I different because I read, or do I read because I am different? I cannot imagine not reading, and the rest of my family could not imagine reading for pleasure. I guess this is the old nature or nurture argument. Unsurprisingly, my husband is also a reader. But he comes from a family of readers. Surprising, to me, is that while my husband and I are readers, our daughter is not. I am nature; my husband is nurture; and my daughter is nature. I always thought reading was nurture, and I was just strange (I am pretty contrary in the rest of my life). But, I believe now it is just nature. The fact that I read is part of my hard wiring, and was not caused by reading. So, ultimately, I believe all the books I have read, and all the time I have spent reading and not doing other things, has not changed my life. It is different because I did these things, but I could not have done anything any different.

03-23-2014, 05:00 PM	#21
Victoria Wizard Posts: 1,017 Karma: 19767610 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Nova Scotia Canada Device: ipad, Kindle PW, Kobo Clara; iphone 7	Yes- books have enriched my life immeasurably. I was raised in a small, poor, very rural village in the 50's and 60's. Books really were a window on the world - for me and many of my family as well. They nurtured my imagination hugely. They also introduced a range of human experiences I could never have known otherwise. Many individual books stand out. Collectively, they probably influenced the path my life took. You can't reach for something when you don't know it exists. Now that I'm older, 'profound' is pretty rare. I choose books for pleasure. But my life would certainly change if I didn't have them. I can't even imagine my life without books.

03-23-2014, 06:08 PM	#23
Andrew H. Grand Master of Flowers Posts: 2,201 Karma: 8389072 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Naptown Device: Kindle PW, Kindle 3 (aka Keyboard), iPhone, iPad 3 (not for reading)	When I was a teenager - and maybe on into my 20's - there were a lot of books that "changed my life" (for lack of a better word). But there's been nothing similar since then, and I think it has to be with, as noted upthread, being in the formative years. That is, being at an age where you are trying to figure out what kind of independent person you are going to become, and the answer isn't clear yet.

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