Books Changing Your Life

[gromit]

I got an invitation to a book-lover party in honor of a friend's birthday who loves reading. It says to "Please bring several books that have been the most influential in your life--that have really changed it." So this puts me in a little bit of a pickle. I like books, I really enjoy reading, I find it entertaining and sometimes educational, depending on the book. A nice way to get away from things for a little while. But I don't recall any books that have changed my life.

Any books changed your life? Is it common for books to have such an impact? Am I just reading the wrong type of story? I want to go, because I like the friend, but I honestly don’t know what to bring.

Type-C, tell me some life-changing books!

 

[Nicodemus]

http://www.typologycentral.com/forums/nf-idyllic/35727-books-changed-your-life.html
http://www.typologycentral.com/forums/arts-entertainment/302-books-changed-your-life.html

 

[Qlip]

I think it's more a matter of being at a certain place in your life when the right book comes along. The most life changing book for me just happens to be one of the most dissapointing works of science fiction of all times. I wouldn't recommend even my office nemesis read it.

I think one other life changing book for me was "Guns, Germs and Steel" by Jared Diamond. It basically explains how Europeans came to rule the world through just happening to live in a good geographical location.

 

[gromit]

What does it mean that a book is changing your life though?

 

[wolfy]

What does it mean that a book is changing your life though?

It just means it moved you. Moved your path in life somewhat.

 

[Qlip]

What does it mean that a book is changing your life though?

Yeah, what wolf said. The first book I was talking about opened my mind to a lot of ideas that I had never considered, and then changed my life course. That Jared Diamond book also did the same, It made me think of humans and humanity as whole in a completely different way.

 

[Randomnity]

I don't think my life course has ever (knowingly) been changed by reading a book, and I read a lot of books.

A book that really made me think is A Fine Balance. Reading in Tehran was also interesting for similar reasons. Ender's game was a little jaw-dropping, maybe because I could really understand the main character's motivations. Flowers for Algernon was really interesting partially because it suggests an attitude that "regular" people might have towards those who are much more intelligent than usual. I wouldn't really say a book has "changed my life", though.

 

[Lark]

Probably Eric Fromm's books, in particular Fear of Freedom have been life changing, they certainly form my outlook on life, and some of the authors he recommended, Karen Horney's books Our Inner Conflicts is probably important too, its basically how I've analysed myself or others since I've read it.

Although Tim Powers books, including The Drawing of The Dark, a book called The Compleat Enchanter, another obscure one called Morlock Night, Fevre Dream and most recently one called Beauty from the fantasy masterworks series have all been life changing too, they've permitted me to escape reality and break with stress which is life changing, positively so, Michael Swanwick's books The Iron Dragon's Daughter and The Dragons of Babel too but I've got to say that I'm ambivalent about them because there are major aspects of them which I believe are absolutely horrible and test the boundaries of good taste. Neverwhere by Neil Gaimen was life changing, it awakened powers of imagination and hope which hadnt entirely been quelled in me and I am grateful for that.

In other ways, a book called The Wasp Factory, was life changing to read, a girl I knew told me that a sinister/psychotic character in it reminded her of me and when I read it, the book itself is pretty warped and heart breaking in parts, I was determined to change myself entirely so I'd bare no resembalence to what I must have unconsciously become. This experience resonates with some of Fromm's theories about hardening your heart or when drives to reason, relate, love are blocked and channelled abnormally as a consequence, its a variety of soft determinism which I think governs life positively. From my mid to later teenage years I became the very things that I hate most about the world, it was a process of becoming what you fear in order to attempt to dispell those fears that I've seen repeated (and its getting worse). My early twenties where spent trying to shake all that off and I think I only succeeded in my late twenties and early thirties.

 

[INTP]

Rick strassmans 'DMT the spirit molecule', even tho i never finished the book