What 5 works of literature have you read that are most influential to your way of thinking?

Question

What books have changed the way you think? Feel free to go beyond 5 if you must.

The Bible
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
1984 by George Orwell
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

I was reading something to day and saw a bit about Stranger in a Strange Land, and I realized what a great book it was. So I thought for a while and managed to come up with 5, and I included them in the question to spur other responses. Thanks a lot for not even managing to answer the question.

Answer 1

Hi!

1. "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom
2. "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown
3. "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho
4. "Make Her Dreams Come True" by Joey W. Hill
5. "Warlord" by Elizabeth Vaughan
6. "More than a Carpenter" by Josh McDowell

That was fun!!! Thanks... T.

Answer 2

1. The Bible
2. Vedic liturature, especially the Upanishads - although i am not a Hindu, the Vedas contain some very powerful teachings and philosophies that can be applied to anyones life.
3. Huckleberry Finn
4. When I Was a Slave: Memoirs from the Slave Narrative Collection
5. Bloodsworth: The True Story of the First Death Row Inmate Exonerated by DNA

Answer 3

1. The Bible
2. A Prayer For Owen Meany
3. Pride and Prejudice
4. To Kill a Mockingbird
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
(6. Othello)

Answer 4

1) The Giver
2) Luxury Fever, Robert Frank
3) The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell
4) She's Come Undone
5) The Rules [extremely sad, but true, yes this book has influenced me that much.]


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LOL at Cutechubbygirl. I'm thinkin' the same thing, hahahaha. I always wish I could be taken seriously as an intellectual. People like this make my life so much harder than necessary, cuz I have to prove to them that I'm stuck up, too.

Answer 5

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
Candide by Voltaire
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by TS Eliot

Answer 6

great lists, I'll add mine

1. My Name is Asher Lev -- Chaim Potok
2. The Illuminatus -- Shea and Wilson
3. Lestat -- Anne Rice
4. Stranger in a Strange Land -- Heinlein
5. King Rat -- Clavell
(6.) Manchild in the Promised Land -- Brown

I could name five more easily, they all changed the way I view the world around me!

Answer 7

"What 5 books....?"

superbooks.org ANSWERS:


The Holy Bible (King James Version)

Choices (Helmsteddter)

The Power of Positive Thinking - Norman Vincent Peale

Amazing Grace - Book by Judy Collins

The Sky's The Limit -- Wayne W. Dyer, Ph.D

Answer 8

"The Holy Bible"
Supplied me from infancy with the Judeo-Christain ethic, and later provided the greatest examples of compassion, corruption, and hope. And taught me that the wisest prophets will be radicals, not those in power.

"The Grapes Of Wrath", John Steinbeck
Rearranged my perception of American society's integrity. It angered me greatly, and put a fire under my skin to never ignore the voiceless. This was the book that most taught me empathy. I could see myself in any of the Joads, and now I try to see myself in others.

"Chronicle Of A Death Foretold", Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Altered my perception on fiction. Made me realize that there is no such thing as an omnipotent 3rd person. That all perspective is opinionated. This was one of the first books to be both adult literature and solid entertainment. I've been pursuing other such works since.

"1984", George Orwell
The most expertly written thing I've ever read, perhaps even more so than "Hamlet". I...can't say nearly enough about this book. But the philosphy within it, and the constancy of parellels reaching from its themes into my daily world keep it at the front of my mind.

"Breakfast Of Champions", Kurt Vonnegut
This was the first Vonnegut book I read, which set me about devouring all he's written. He did such silly things in this book, such as clumsy sketches of assholes and beavers, and introducing characters by their measurements, removing their humanity as a satire of people's arbitrary prejudices. He wrote of decaying places, people, and virtues; wrote them with love. Such contradictions are essential to his satirical view. He brings humor and intellect to the constructs of humanity, a view I've largely adopted since.

Answer 9

How to win friends and influence people
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Black Boy
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Green Lantern : Hero's Quest

Answer 10

I know compared to the others these may see, trivial, but I have a unique mind.
1. Angels and Demons/The Da Vinci Code
2. Elsewhere
3. The Diary of Anne Frank
4. Night
5. Pride and Prejudice

Just in random order... all touching in their own way!