Influential Books

[Jallen]

This thread may be about books that influenced you to do something, or books that you know are influential.

I'll start off with two, and those would be the Bible and The Catcher in the Rye. The Bible is pretty self explanatory as to how influential it is.

The Catcher in the Rye is an interesting book when it comes to the list of people that it influenced. Mark David Chapman, the man who assassinated John Lennon, had the book in his back pocket when he did the crime. John Hinckley Jr., the failed assassin of Ronald Reagan, was apparently obsessed with the book.

[timbot]

The Bible influenced my life back when I was a Christian.
Then I read The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand which changed my life. It influenced me to give up my Bible. It wasn't the only reason I gave up religion, but it did have a definite influence. It's also really affected the way I look at politics, economics, and morality. Because of The Fountainhead and later Atlas Shrugged, I turned from my socialist views towards more..."conservative" viewpoints.

[abbey]

The Bible influenced my life back when I was a Christian.
Then I read The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand which changed my life. It influenced me to give up my Bible. It wasn't the only reason I gave up religion, but it did have a definite influence. It's also really affected the way I look at politics, economics, and morality. Because of The Fountainhead and later Atlas Shrugged, I turned from my socialist views towards more..."conservative" viewpoints.
I'm getting into Ayn Rand right now, I wonder if it'll change my life too.

I'm going to have to say the Bible as well. It was kind of forced on me by my parents though. But it still had a big impact on the way I looked at life.

[Raxo]

The book that influenced me was My Bloody Life.

A book about gangs in Chicago (not the mafia gangsters) that influenced me to not go down the wrong path into violence and that sort of thing. It's the memories of a former gang member and how horrible his life is and the racism he experienced being Hispanic. At the time I saw this kind of thing everyday and being a kid I would be easily influenced into getting into this lifestyle. So this book taught me about it and it was life changing.

[green rubber bands]

I'm going to be quite honest and say that Ender's Game is the book that influenced me the most in my life, because when I read it back in 3rd grade, the concepts it covered and the feelings it portrayed blew my 9 year old mind. It's probably the reason I'm so empathetic and simultaneously cynical, as opposed to the rest of my family.

Also, The Traveling Vampire Show, which I read when I was 12, gave me the first taste of adolescence that I can clearly remember, and remains a good read to this day, so it gains honorable mention.

[Jiggz]

Well, in all honesty it was Freud's Beyond the Pleasure Principle (technically a collection of papers) that would eventually lead to me pursuing a degree in psychology. I've always been interested in personality theories, and reading his works was hugely beneficial to me personally.

[Ziggy St. Valentine]

The Heroin Diaries, by Nikki Sixx, the bass player from Motley Crue. It's his actual diaries from his time as a full blown heroin and cocaine junky. It made me wake up and realise I needed to get off the drugs, ditch the ex-girlfriend who was constantly messing with my head and generally start getting my life back in order. I finished reading it just over 2 months ago and it's already changed my life in a big way.

[whangadude]

When I was about 13 I first read The Starlight Crystal by Christopher Pike, it opened up my mind to the idea's of time travel adn made me think about the universe differnently, the very light philosophy in it i think may had contributed to my stoping being a Jehovah's Witness. My last year at school I asked the lybrian how many times I'd got it out and it was atleast 30. Love it.

[Profane Methane]

Noam Chomsky definitely influenced me heavily. He showed how America (and other countries) policies were killing innocent people, which helped me form my socialist beliefs.

[Oofie]

Shakespeare made me want to study English, and Flaubert's Madame Bovary made me want to be a writer.

[fabz]

The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

That along with watching "Pumping Iron" made me want to get off my couch.

[Dodger]

Catcher in The Rye definitely, I just related with Holden so much it was crazy. I just love that book. It really made me look at myself and self-reflect. I have this other friend who is just as crazy about it as I am. It just has a je ne sais pas that I love.

The Bible because that more than anything convinced me there's no god. (don't shit up this thread with arguments against this, just PM me so I can ignore you in peace.)

A Clockwork Orange Again I don't know why but I found myself feeling attached to Alex. I know it's kinda weird because he's a sociopathic, psychotic killer, but I found myself admiring him none the less.

[SODA]

It's hard for me to name specific books, because as a kid I would pick up random novels at school or in the library and read them through once and bring them back/lose them.

One that really sticks out in my mind is The Good Earth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_Earth) I read it in school after picking it out of a box of free books. It really gave me some perspective on what is really important in life. Another one I can think of would be Lord of the Flies, I was forced against my will to read it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, what really struck me about it was how much it lined up with how I would expect an island full of boys to react. The further study of the book with my class was extremely interesting as well.

When I was younger I am sure I was influenced by lots of books I can't recall far enough back to really say for sure. More recently though my philosophy class really blew my mind. I read Plato's Republic which was such a great insight into the human psyche. I am currently reading The God Delusion, however since I am already an athiest it is more just to see what is in it. I am going to get The Origin of Species soon, that should be a great read.

[BartS]

I've read the book The Kiterunner, a few weeks ago. It didn't really influence me to do a certain thing, but it definitly changed my view on Afghanistan. I would certainly recommend this book.

[badumpbumpbump]

The Alphabet of Manliness, because it managed to entertain me for a couple days, and I think it's meant to make fun of "manliness" in general.

Hopefully.

[Pachycephelosaurus]

"Brave New World" and "After Many a Summer Dies the Swan" by Aldous Huxley blew my philosophical mind. Definitely had a huge affect on my views of psychology and society.

Also, I can't deny how much Kafka has affected my artistic views. Especially my writing.

[Audioslave]

The Communist Manifesto, anyone? It birthed Socialism from its wordy vag.

[Raxo]

The Communist Manifesto, anyone? It birthed Socialism from its wordy vag.

Well yeah that is easily on of the most influential ever and I have no idea how I forgot it.

If it's a book that changed the world then The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection by Darwin would have to be mentioned as well.

[Mr.Tea]

"The Age of Reason" by Thomas Paine, who is also the writer of "Common Sense", and mainly Nietzsche with his intensely interesting philosophical books over Christianity, mainly "The Antichrist". (nihilist anyone?)

Also, "The Prince" was quite an interesting read, especially since it was so short and easily discussed, it led me into a lot of new political and psychological philosophies.

[Jallen]

Quotations from Chairman Mao
Mao Zedong's idea of communism. Second most sold book in the world (only to the bible).

[Biguardo]

Lord of the Rings single-handedly gave birth to the whole fantasy genre. It might not have had a big social impact, but yet, it did affect our world big time.

[SODA]

Lord of the Rings single-handedly gave birth to the whole fantasy genre. It might not have had a big social impact, but yet, it did affect our world big time.

I totally disagree with that but to each his own.

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[timbot]

The Communist Manifesto, anyone? It birthed Socialism from its wordy vag.

The Communist Manifesto didn't give birth to Socialism. Such ideas had been around for a long time prior. Samuel Taylor Coleridge was espousing a lot of similar ideas 50 years earlier, and even back then he wasn't the only one.
Influential book, yes. Birth of Socialism, no.

[natalie137]

To Kill A Mockingbird influenced me to be more open-minded about people

[Audioslave]

The Communist Manifesto didn't give birth to Socialism. Such ideas had been around for a long time prior. Samuel Taylor Coleridge was espousing a lot of similar ideas 50 years earlier, and even back then he wasn't the only one.
Influential book, yes. Birth of Socialism, no.

Well that's like arguing over if Martin Luther started Protestantism. Of course he wasn't the first man to suggest abandoning the papacy and Catholic church, but he was the first with a substantial following. The same thing happened with Marx.

[INTUNEevolution]

Anthem, 1984 (a bit overdone I know), An Imperial Message by Kafka, Camus's the Stranger, these all changed my life. I read these and I stared at the wall for 15 minutes. I read 1984 in one sitting.

Do not read 1984 in one sitting.

Edit: by the way, is the gold star next to Jewish moderators?

Or all moderators?
Thanks!

[timbot]

Well that's like arguing over if Martin Luther started Protestantism. Of course he wasn't the first man to suggest abandoning the papacy and Catholic church, but he was the first with a substantial following. The same thing happened with Marx.

Well, that point would make more sense if you had used the term Communism instead of Socialism. Socialism not implying the same political and economic standards as Communism. Most of the people who were talking about socialist ideas prior to Marx were not talking about Communism.
Also, Luther didn't suggest abandoning the Catholic church, but more suggested reforming it. Hence The Reformation. But that's all off the topic of this thread, really.
The Communist Manifesto may have been the birth of Communism, but not the birth of socialism.

[Chocoholic]

Personally, it has to be Che a biography on Che Guevara. He's such a cool guy, one of the most selfless people in history in my opinion. He definitely doesn't have enough recognition.

The Jungle had a lot of influence when it came out. It played a huge part in changing the meat-packing industry for the better.

[Tweek]

Well, that point would make more sense if you had used the term Communism instead of Socialism. Socialism not implying the same political and economic standards as Communism. Most of the people who were talking about socialist ideas prior to Marx were not talking about Communism.
Also, Luther didn't suggest abandoning the Catholic church, but more suggested reforming it. Hence The Reformation. But that's all off the topic of this thread, really.
The Communist Manifesto may have been the birth of Communism, but not the birth of socialism.
You are arguing semantics.

Because Communism was borne from Socialist ideas, and Marx was the first Socialist to have his ideas widespread, it is fair to say that his Communist Manifesto was indeed the birth of socialism.

[timbot]

You're right, I am arguing semantics, because semantics matter.
Also, when you say that The Communist Manifesto was the birth of socialism, because he was the first socialist to have popular ideas, you're overlooking a lot of people. Coleridge for one had several socialist ideas. He and Robert Southey and others had a plan for Pantisocracy, which a utopian commune. Speaking of utopian communes. Don't forget where we get the term utopia. Utopia (the short form of the title), by Thomas More, put forth several socialist ideals, and was very popular. Also, it was written over 300 years before The Communist Manifesto

To stay more on the general topic. The Jungle was a very influential book. The thing is, it didn't have the influence that Upton Sinclair had in mind. To use his own words "I aimed at the public's heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach."

[Triple J]

The Burn Journals by Brent Runyun, the authors true story about how one day he drenched his bathrobe in gasoline and set himself on fire and burned (I think this was the number) 93% of his skin off. So the whole book is his recovery story. It really showed me how decisions can haunt your life.

Another one would be Crank by Ellen Hopkins, I read it last week while in Mexico in a day (I couldn't stop!) and I have to say this book really puts drugs into good words and it shows how drugs can turn your life to FUBAR.

[ZoolABum]

Lord of the Rings started it off, but reading the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan when I was 15 influenced me a lot. Catcher in the Rye was grand as was To Kill a Mocking Bird. The Things They Carried introduced me to my beloved writing style. A book called Plato Not Prozac introduced me to philosophy, a discipline which I love immensely now and have since read many philosophical texts. It also confirmed my belief that pharmaceutical drugs (and many other things) just compound problems. The book that is influencing me the most right now is either The Doors of Perception or Into the Wild. If all goes as planned I am going to be ditching civilization this summer!

[Audioslave]

Well, that point would make more sense if you had used the term Communism instead of Socialism. Socialism not implying the same political and economic standards as Communism. Most of the people who were talking about socialist ideas prior to Marx were not talking about Communism.
Also, Luther didn't suggest abandoning the Catholic church, but more suggested reforming it. Hence The Reformation. But that's all off the topic of this thread, really.
The Communist Manifesto may have been the birth of Communism, but not the birth of socialism.

The word Communism was invented by Marx, but it is essentially socialism with a more structured definition.

True that Luther didn't want to completely abandon the Roman Catholic Church, but at the time, when it refused to admit change, he saw no other way than branch off. True that he didn't like how radical the Protestant sect became, his ideals structured the new religion.

Which leads to another book/writing that changed the world;

Luther's 95 Theses could easily be ranked among the most influential writings of all time.

[Ventric]

I would have to say Fight Club by Scott Palahniuk.

It game me reason to react against the mass corporations and the law abiding mass consumers.

That and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. The reason behind that book was that it was proving that we are being conditioned to buy and buy and buy some more and whatever seems out of the ordinary, we tend to shun it or ignore it completely.

[timbot]

The word Communism was invented by Marx, but it is essentially socialism with a more structured definition.
Actually, Marx didn't invent the word. The roots of it are actually French, not German. The first to use the terms in print was John Goodwyn Barmby whose letters from Paris using the words were printed in a journal called The New Moral World back in 1840. Bamby had already founded the London Communist Propaganda Society before Marx had even used the word Communism in print.

Luther's 95 Theses could easily be ranked among the most influential writings of all time.

I will second that point, though.

[Riddlebox]

Night by Elie Wiesel anyone? If you haven't had to read it in school yet, I suggest you pick it up.

Really made me look at the Holocaust from an inside view, and influenced me to think differently about racism. Before, I was kind of apathetic to the whole thing. Seemed like ancient history.

[Audioslave]

Actually, Marx didn't invent the word. The roots of it are actually French, not German. The first to use the terms in print was John Goodwyn Barmby whose letters from Paris using the words were printed in a journal called The New Moral World back in 1840. Bamby had already founded the London Communist Propaganda Society before Marx had even used the word Communism in print.

But you have to admit that, regardless of the syntax, Marx created socialism as we know it today.

[WerrWaaa]

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn had the most recent impact on me. It really makes one reexamine the capitalist economic system. It also carries with it great critiques of treatment of the homeless and the education system. It was greatly expanded upon in the books that followed it: The Story of B, My Ishmael, and Beyond Civilization. Good Times.

[Oodge]

To continue the recurring commie theme; Stalin's biography was a big one for me. Puts everything in to perspective when you can still admire a man who proactively put to death thousands of (relatively innocent) people.

[timbot]

Hmmm...a Stalin supporter, eh? Don't hear that one much. He probably would be interesting to read about, though.

[TangerineOrange]

Hmm, this is a tough decision for me.

Fiction:
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
The Stranger by Albert Camus
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Non-Fiction:
The Death and Life of Dith Pran by Sydney Schanberg
Papillon by Henri Charriere
An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina
Shake Hands with the Devil by Romeo Daillaire
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

Humor:
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max

[Barista]

Anthem, 1984 (a bit overdone I know), An Imperial Message by Kafka, Camus's the Stranger, these all changed my life. I read these and I stared at the wall for 15 minutes. I read 1984 in one sitting.

Do not read 1984 in one sitting.

Edit: by the way, is the gold star next to Jewish moderators?

Or all moderators?
Thanks!

I read 1984 in one sitting. I would say it was influential in the way that it made me a lot more paranoid about the current government regime and the way things are going. It got me interest a lot more in politics.

One sitting makes you numb though. Put me in a strange mood for days

[Jammin]

I would have to say Fight Club by Scott Palahniuk.

It game me reason to react against the mass corporations and the law abiding mass consumers.

First time poster long time reader, I have always wanted to say that. I agree with you that this book is very influential, but it’s Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk. I would like to add that it has supposedly affected a lot of school drop outs to reenter school, I will try and find the link but I doubt I will.

Another book that hasn’t been posted I believe that influenced me was the Screw Tape Letters, by CS Lewis. It is about a minor demon sending letters to an elder demon about his affect on the human he is supposed to corrupt.