Please NOT THE BIBLE here...I am talking about READING a real book or a series that has avenued you to where you are today and made you have the job that you have or are on your way to having it.
2006-07-01 08:32:19 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Entertainment & Music ➔ Polls & Surveys
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
It's set at either Phillips Andover Academy in Andover, MA or Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH during the period of pre-WWII America. There are several issues that the author addresses, from being a student at a private New England boarding school, to the drafting and recruitment of the military, to just being a teenager at an awkward time in history.
It's a captivating story of a small group of boys that grow up there, and how they deal with the stresses of pre-war and wartime United States, the ethnic hatreds that epitomized WWII both here and abroad, the issues of whether to enlist (and if so, when--leave school early or wait until after graduation) or wait to be drafted, the loss of friends due to war (both the external world war and the internal war of growing up and accepting life on life's terms) and the bittersweetness of going back afterwards, if I recall the plotline clearly.
2006-07-01 09:11:17 · answer #1 · answered by werevampyra 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Clearly one of the most influential books of all time is 'Atlas Shrugged' by Ayn Rand. This is certainly true for myself, and I recall seeing numerous references that in various surveys over the last few decades this book has repeatedly landed at the second most influential book to, you guessed it - the Bible. While a fictional novel, it is rooted in the objectivist philosophy promoted by Rand. If you are interested in reading, I would suggest starting with We The Living, then The Fountainhead;two of Rand's earlier writings that introduce many facets of the objectivist philosophy - then reading Atlas Shrugged. They are not a 'series' that depend on each other, but they do provide a more gradual revelation of the philosophy coming to a resounding finish in Atlas. It's the only book that I've had to buy additional copies because the pages began to fall out and the highlighter pen bled through to the other side too much.
2006-07-01 15:51:57 · answer #2 · answered by ezdude 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He's just not that into you by Greg Behrendt, this book taught me that even though it is a cliche, there are other fish in the sea. It made me realize I was pursuing a dead end relationship, and I should just move on. Less than two months after reading the book, I met my current boyfriend of over a year. It has been the happiest year of my life, and I owe it all to Greg, bless his heart.
2006-07-01 15:42:46 · answer #3 · answered by SB 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When I was wee, my class at school had to read books called
Simon and Elizabeth.
They were like 4pages long with massive fonts and used to start with something like this.
'Today Simon and Elizabeth are having cake for tea'
the teacher had to explain that 'tea' meant dinner, but I can honestly say I have never had cake for my dinner.
Even at 6 year old I knew that cake as a meal just isnt right! Ha!
2006-07-01 15:40:36 · answer #4 · answered by Jonathan T 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hm I've read so many books it's hard to tell...My brother used to read a big book of Horror stories to me and I guess that influenced me quite a lot, I grew up believing in ghosts, I'm paranoid, anti-socail, and I'm Gothic...wow.
2006-07-01 15:39:41 · answer #5 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I've had to buy that book several times now after lending it to people who can't bear to part with it after they've read it.
2006-07-01 16:51:44 · answer #6 · answered by pure caffeinated evil 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pilgrim's Progress!! Whe the going gets rough, I always remember the journey of Christian and my situation becomes bearable and I can learn from whatever I'm going through!
2006-07-01 15:36:42 · answer #7 · answered by happymom 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"The Stranger" by Camus is an earth-shattering book. "The Hobbit" was an early instigator of my creativity and love of fantasy. Rand's "The Fountainhead" is also a big mover for me.
2006-07-01 15:37:58 · answer #8 · answered by Adam T 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
dumbing down by mr cotie and da fuckwitts big enfluance on me ive never been the same since
2006-07-02 22:23:27 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋