# Books that changed you



## ruksak (Mar 27, 2007)

Sorry if this one has been done before.  I've done a lot of reading in my time, but only a handful of books have really changed my perspective on life/thinking/being/etc.

I'd like to hear from others about books you've read and on finishing them you realised you, in some way, weren't the same person anymore - and tell why this is so if you can.

For me I have:
_Grapes of Wrath_ by John Steinbeck - a book with such horrendous, but real themes of poverty and human nature that it's impossible to be not touched by it.  One of the ultra-few that I cried to.

_Crime and Punishment_ by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - the main character Raskolnikov, by some scholars, has been directly aligned to some of the more fierce and menacing thinking of the 20th century.  This book contained themes and ideas that had never been apparent to me and since reading I have had a different view of the human race - I wouldn't necessarily say an improved one.  I'd go as far to call this one a 'dangerous' book.

Henry Miller (practically anything, but particularly _The Tropics_ and _The Rosy Crucifixion_) - I'm not sure any other writer has had such enthusiasm and eloquence and force in being poor, destitute and individual.  Possibly my favourite writer.

Well, that's my pretentious few.  Anyone?


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## stupid_dream (Mar 27, 2007)

*The Catcher in the Rye* by _J.D. Salinger_
No book has moved me as much as this one, and I never found a character I related to more than Holden Caulfield.

*Fight Club* by _Chuck Palahniuk_
My all time favorite book, inspired me to start writing again (I stopped for a while, lack of inspiration).

*Survivor* _Chuck Palahniuk_
Inspired a lot of my apocalyptic writing.


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## TinyMachines (Mar 28, 2007)

_Being Peace_ by *Thich Nhat Hanh* - It showed me why meditation can help anyone. It's not just a religious thing. It really helped me be less judgemental.
_The Violent Bear it Away_ by *Flannery O'Connor* - This book shows perfectly how raising a child in any kind of environment where they are forced to believe something can, and will most likely, have terrible consequences.


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## Uriah (Mar 28, 2007)

*Will to Power ~* Friedrich Nietzsche - I read it when I was 16 and it changed my view of the world.

*A Pilgrim at Tinker Creek* ~ Annie Dillard - the most beautifully written book I've ever read.

*Siddhartha* ~ Hermann Hesse - Truly inspirational.

*As I lay Dying* - William Faulkner - Faulkner was a master of the craft.

*Catch-22* ~ Joseph Heller - Wonderful and profound book about war and the human experience.

^Yeah, Miller is great!


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## Anarkos (Mar 28, 2007)

Zadig by Voltaire: Taught me that bad things happen to good people.


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## deviger (Mar 28, 2007)

There was one book that did moderately well on the bestseller list that I had read once.  I wont name names, but after I was finished I thought that I could do better.  Been writing ever since.


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## Der_Parvenu_Meister (Mar 28, 2007)

american psycho, it showed me that I can write like that, [ I was only reading people like tom clancy and thought my writing style was wrong]

fight club was so rubbish at the end, hardly lasted.


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## Kersme (Mar 28, 2007)

A song of ice and fire changed me for a while. The books kind of demoralisd me. I thought: why should i write anything? Its all crap compared to this. But then i continued writing a while later.


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## christinec1 (Mar 28, 2007)

ruksak said:
			
		

> For me I have:
> _Grapes of Wrath_ by John Steinbeck - a book with such horrendous, but real themes of poverty and human nature that it's impossible to be not touched by it.  One of the ultra-few that I cried to.



that one and mice and men...good film too


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## Storm Eagle (Mar 28, 2007)

The Communist Manifesto. It opened my eyes to what true communism was, not the stupid practices the Soviets called communism.


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## PEACEofaPOET (Mar 28, 2007)

They Can't Hide us Anymore, by Richie Havens,  part autobiography, part adventure of this man who has explored many parts of this world.  (for those of you who don't know who Richie Havens is, he is the dude who opened the Woodstock Festival in 1969).


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## salad days (Mar 29, 2007)

Mine would be the following book. I won't go as far as to say it "changed" me but rather it challenged my views on things. It was a wonderful, refreshing read.


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## Neo (Mar 29, 2007)

American Psycho.

Catcher did nothing for me, as a moral lesson by a dumb delinquent was disappointing. Psycho was a moral armageddon and suited me to a tee. It awoke in me the knowledge that I was not alone, not without a voice - it was there, in American Psycho.


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## Benjirama (Mar 29, 2007)

Spares by Michael Marshall Smith:  I have never been so deeply moved by a book, ever.  It deals with themes of poverty, war, and revenge of the most brutal kind.  I can't recommend it enough.

The great and secret show by Clive Barker:  I renember picking this one up second hand while I was on holiday when I was only fourteen. The whole book oozes sexuality and made me understand and finally realise what sex truely ment.

Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein:  The name of the book is so rediculious it really should be taken seriously, but none the less it is a classic.  It did the same for my views on politics as great and secret show did for my views on sexuality and sex.  Not that i agree in any way with what the author represents as an utopia, but rather it made me realise the extremities that political thought could reach.


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## ArcticJill (Mar 30, 2007)

*'Cotton Wool World' by Anna Westwood*

Hi All,
I have just finished reading the above title which I found on the off chance at Amazon. Had no idea what it would be like but was looking for a new author to read. It's an incredable book which made me open my eyes and look at my life! The story follows a woman, disillusioned with what society expects of her and is written in a really unusual way, it sort of has a plot but follows the disjointed thought patterns that occur to the central character during the course of a flight. It is engaging and funny and full of risky issues some writers would be unsure of tackling. It is a book I wouldn't recommend to the faint of heart or strictly religious as it may be taken a touch offensively but it is an honest and unparalled work in my opinion. A real refreshing chance but one which may make you sit up and take notice of your own situation!
Jill.


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## Rob (Mar 30, 2007)

It's a self-published book by an otherwise unknown author, which was published just over a fortnight ago. How did you come to find out about it? And at that price - it is _very _expensive - what made you think it would be value for money, given that there are no reviews on Amazon?

Thanks,
Rob


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## christinec1 (Mar 30, 2007)

there is one review 5star (oddly enough) 

is a bit expensive tho i agree


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## Rob (Mar 30, 2007)

christinec1 said:
			
		

> there is one review 5star (oddly enough)
> 
> is a bit expensive tho i agree


Thanks Christine. That's odd. When I view the page on Amazon it offers the chance to be first to review.

-- Ah, Amazon.co.uk rather than .com. Got it. Thanks.

Cheers,
Rob


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## christinec1 (Mar 30, 2007)

oh sorry. i keep forgetting there is a .com
lol


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## Octavian (Mar 30, 2007)

The World Is Flat by Thomas L Friedman has got to be the #1 book that changed my life.

As for a fiction work, probably Great Expectations or Heart of Darkness.


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## Due on Maple Street (Mar 30, 2007)

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close-Jonathan Safran Foers
A Heartbreaking work of Staggering Genius-Dave Eggers
The Diamond Throne-David Eddings
Ill Met in Lankhmar-Fritz Lieber
Said the Shotgun to the Head-Saul Williams
Lisey's Story-Stephen King
Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors-Kingfisher 
All are great reads and hard to put down. I hated finishing all of them cuz I was left wanting more.


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## silentmockery (Apr 2, 2007)

*White Noise* by Don DeLillo - not the _White Noise_ of movie fame, but rather a brilliant post-modern novel that deals with the pervasive levels of artifice evident in every aspect of our world...really opened my eyes, I highly recommend it

*Patchwork Girl* by Shelley Jackson - a fictional hypertext (writing in electronic form that links small paragraphical 'lexias' to others) that is a melange of many works - from Mary Shelley's _Frankenstein_ to L. Frank Baum's _Patchwork Girl_ - blurs the distinctions between author and text, and similarly deals with the mind/body problem and gender issues... its a little bit lofty and multidimensional - incorporating images, text, and electronic organization, but is really a destabilizing piece of fiction that i recommend

*Tropic of Orange* by Karen Tei Yamashita - a satirical work of fiction about the cultural melting pot that is L.A., combining elements of magical realism and issues of free-trade and border-crossing; also dealing with the level of artificiality and problems of cultural identity in the transforming globalized world

check them out and enjoy!


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## Magnum Opus (Apr 2, 2007)

Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck; this book showed me that no matter how foul the situation is, or how stupidly absurd the troubles are that they pulled you into, your true friends will be their not only for the ride, but for the long haul back to the top. 

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck; this was simply a brilliant work, imo. 

Man of the Century by James Thayer; though its a humerous book, with wonderful, yet completely fictious happpenings, the writing gave me a huge boost in ideas, and inspiriation, and really made it so much easier for the expression of my ideas.


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## Salad (Apr 3, 2007)

One Hundred Years of Solitude- by Gabriel Garcia Marquez; it gave me an entirely new way to look at the world. By far the best book I have ever read.

Candide- Voltaire; humourous, oddly thought provoking, quaint, story about a tireless optimist/ satire on our lifestyles and values.


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## strangedaze (Apr 6, 2007)

The World According to Garp by John Irving

Barney's Version by Mordecai Richler

Night by Elie Wiesel


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## CircusFolk (Apr 6, 2007)

All We Know of Love by Katie Schneider did something to me. I can't describe it exactly, I just know that something shifted in me while reading that book. My views on love and relationships transformed, whether for better or for worse.


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## Lyonidus (Apr 8, 2007)

Im not really sure what books have changed me, i suppose that the farseer trilogy and the tawny man series are the only ones i can think of, the ending of the tawny man series is truly amazing and fitz and the fool are two of the greatest characters ever, congratulations robin hobb.

also ive just remembered that i would haven to say that the riftwar series by raymond e feist changed me, lol for the better i hope, but the characters of pug, thomas, arutha and martin really hit me in a profound kind of way and the story was so good.


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## nineteen (Apr 8, 2007)

i want to put in a mention for The Black Magician's Trilogy. i know it's just like most other fantasy books but it really got to me. i'm not sure why but it changed me at a very strange time of my life. i think it's more a personal thing than the book being brilliant.


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## OncePossesed (Apr 8, 2007)

*The Little Prince*, by _Antoine de Saint-Exupery, _I read that book like six years ago, and still can't get over it. It really hit me, and was the first book that ever changed me.
*The Catcher in the Rye*, by _J.D. Salinger,_ I connected with Holden as soon as I cracked the book open, he's so real and being able to relate to him made the book so incredibly awesome.
*Enemy Combatant: My Imprisonment at Guantanamo, Bagram, and Kandahar*, by_ Moazzam Begg,_ this book is without doubt the most incredible non-fiction piece I've ever read. I was always against Guantanamo, but this book taught me so much more, and opened up my eyes so much. The author is also a great guy who really knows his stuff.


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## wittyusernamehere (Apr 10, 2007)

I've only read one book that's ever changed me, but it made me do a complete one-eighty. 

"The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver.


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## Short Tooth (Apr 10, 2007)

I would like to think I had changed my life because of a book or a film but I never really have dramatically changed my life. But I certainly aspire to live up the message of some books.

Perhaps the biggest influence on my life has been Danny Wallace's YES MAN.

A hilarious and often moving story it is an uplifting and optimistic tale of what our lives would be like if we all said yes to things a bit more instead of wimping out due to laziness or embarassment.

Only he says YES to everything over the course of a year as an experiment. A great read.


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## theemeraldskull (Apr 10, 2007)

Books that changed me???  As a writer...

*Redwall* series by Brian Jacques

*The Squire's Tales* by Gerald Morris

*Writing the Breakout Novel* by Donald Maass, although I'm not sure if the question in this thread meant only Fiction....

The Bible


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## ruksak (Apr 10, 2007)

theemeraldskull said:
			
		

> *Writing the Breakout Novel* by Donald Maass, although I'm not sure if the question in this thread meant only Fiction....


 
I mean any book on any level - thanks.  I'm looking this one up right now.  What made it better than other 'how to write' books?


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## theemeraldskull (Apr 10, 2007)

Oooh, what made it better?  First it had awesome information, second it was funny, very well written, also it really challenged you to DO.  It was just VERY inspiring, and it never gets old, I've read it 10 or 15 times now, still find it helpful and amusing.  Don't know if it's *better* per say than any other writing book, but I found it very helpful in keeping me wanting to write my book.  also, it was written by someone who was an editor, and know has his own literary agency, so he does know the business very well.


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## VinrAlfakyn (Apr 12, 2007)

*Twilight* and *New Moon* by Stephenie Meyer. I don't know why, but as I read these I found that my heart rate quickened, even when I wasn't reading, and I couldn't breathe very well. Considering I just finished *New Moon* today, I suppose I should mention that I feel this way at this very moment. This has _never_ happened to me before. Besides the strange, physical change in me, it changed something inside me. I'm still not sure exactly what it's done to me. But tonight I was able to do something that I've never been able to do before, and I give the credit to the books. They were absolutely amazing, and I'm so glad I read them!


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## gÃ¼lÃ¼mse (Apr 20, 2007)

Chicken Soup for the College Soul...
gave too much lesson about life and my character


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## Mike (Apr 21, 2007)

Books that changed me? How about The Metamorphasis by Kafka.....okay, just kidding.

Ten years ago, I read Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. It changed me, then. But having read it within the last year, it's not as insightful. I don't agree with as much of the philosophy as I did then.


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## Hawke (Apr 21, 2007)

ruksak said:
			
		

> I mean any book on any level


 
_*Hellfire*_
By John Saul

I already know what you’re thinking (_Oh come on! It’s no _The Catcher In The Rye _or _War And Peace _or _A Clockwork Orange_, lady. Heck, _Hellfire _wasn’t even Saul’s best work), _but bear with me.

I can remember a particularly boring period of my life during a particularly boring teenage summer, and having nothing to do because my friends were on vacation coupled with my dad postponing our own out of the blue (Dad was very much a spur-of-the-moment type of man). I purchased _Hellfire_, by John Saul, and for a space of about a week (I read it more than once) I wasn’t even having a relationship with that novel; I was utterly engrossed by it (my favorite part was when Beth actually became Amy for a little while, saw what Amy saw, felt what she felt—an eleven-year-old, paid-by-the-piece leather cutter in a mill in 1886, and how Amy would purposely shut herself down, letting herself be hypnotized by the dull routine of the work to get through the hours one at a time... and the fire). Needless to say, I spent the rest of that summer devouring anything and everything John Saul, and by the end of it I began to write my own stories. And that’s why _Hellfire_ is a book that changed my life.


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## heatherlouise (Apr 21, 2007)

a book that changed me.

The silence of the Lambs. by Thomas Harris.  it made me think i want to work for the FBI, so it has sort of shaped my future career.  although whether i stick with that career choice is unseen.
Heather


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## Kusumita (Apr 21, 2007)

*Flowers in the Attic-* _V.C Andrews._
Yes, I know it's rather old but to me it's one of the greatest books about human nature I have ever read. It shows that touches on so many subjects with mere symbolism =] I love symbolism in stories and movies therefore this book, not really the entire series, changed me to write the kind of stories I write now.

*Counterfeit Son-*_Elaine Marie Alphin
_I read this following FITA and I enjoyed it. I had borrow it from my library a year or so back but this book really has brought out my interest in serial killers and their mental state so much that it has me considering writing on serial killers one day.

*Lolita-* _Vladimir Nabokov
_My dad had this novel and soon after noticing the types of books I read he gave it to me for my birthday. One of the most amazing insight to the twisted, self justified minds of a pedohpile and a girl who tries to make her own sense of freedom and control. It's pretty twisted, I agree, but also another book and inspired me to write stories like I do today.


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## Lunatic (Apr 22, 2007)

*Bridge To Terabithia - Katherine Paterson and Donna Diamond*

Was supposed to read this in 3rd grade for an advanced reading group...  Still remember and feel the same emotions I felt then about the ending to this day.


*Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card*

Not really sure why, exactly, but this story, and all of the stories after it really struck a chord in me.


*House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski*

Good lord, this book still gives me nightmares and I read it several years ago.  It's just so... strange... consuming... innovative...  I still cant go into pitch black rooms without hearing strange horrible roars and imagining the walls changing, my exit no longer existing.

/shiver...


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## novu (Apr 30, 2007)

Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov 

It totally changed the way I write.


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## J.S.S (May 1, 2007)

Fight Club, but not at first it was a few months later when something happened, some one said something and I read it all again. After reading Dante's Inferno I couldn't help but reference it to people and I was definitely inspired by the circles of hell. American Psycho also affected me.


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## Short Tooth (May 2, 2007)

Anyone else read Yes Man? It's so uplifting, makes you wanna be optimisic abou every single thing in the world.


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## Mike C (May 2, 2007)

I couldn't even come up with a short-list. 

We are all the sum of all we have seen and all we have read; therefore all books change us. Some help us grow, some diminish us.


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## Der_Parvenu_Meister (May 2, 2007)

unlike Survivor, the end of fight club fucking bored me, i just skimmed the pages and yes he was in a mental home olr something but i just didnt care, it felt utterly drawn out, I can clearly see why if there was no film of fight club, palahniuk would be very unknown, he just has such a boring writing style at times. You can stop reading his book for months and pick it up and you havent missed anytrhing because each chapter reads the same on its own.


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## Short Tooth (May 2, 2007)

What do you think pf Pahlanuik's 'Haunted'? My girlfriend bought the book and offered it to me with the words 'Just read it'. By the end we were both so fucking angry we'd wasted our time. What's his deal, he just went all out sick in the book, with twisted logic and a disregard for everything? Women raping a transexual at a rape crisis meeting out of revenge? Police Officers fucking the toy dummy used at the Police station?

Awful...


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## Serpentine (May 5, 2007)

_What Happened to Lani Garver?_ by *Carol Plum-Ucci*.
It made me think about how badly society treats people it doesn't understand. 

We can be quite awful, really.


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## velo (May 5, 2007)

The Marine Corps Manual

They didn't have any Dickens on Parris Island, lol


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