What is the most influential book you've ever read and why?

Question

I've been on a bit of a personal renaissance lately and am thirsty for knowledge. Also, not to be mean, please don't respond with a religious text as your answer. Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Esperanza Rising.

Answer 2

There have been many books I've loved, but only a few which have changed my outlook towards life.

Probably the most influential book has been "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert Heinlen. This sci fi book uses the concept of a man from mars returning home to earth, learning about the culture of the planet, as a means of expressing socio-political-religous ideologies of Heinlen. I have read this book many times, and as I grow older, I walk away with a slightly changed perspective every time I read it. Although there have been many others, which over the years have influenced me, this one was the greatest.

Another is "The Art of Happiness" - by the Dalai lama, not really a religous text, just a means of living a better life. Another great influence was the "Apology" (of Socrates), by Plato. Another couple of books which had a huge influence on me were "The Glass Bead Game" and "Siddhartha" by Herman Hesse.

However, if you are just looking for some good books to read, I would recommend any of the following.

1. Any other Heinlen book
2. The Dune series, Frank (and later Brian) Herbert
3. Shogun - James Clavell
4. 1984 - Orwell
5. The Art of War
6. Any Kurt Vonnegut book
7. Mutiny on the Bounty, Pitcairn's island, Men against the sea (sorry, can't remember the author's name)
8. The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
9. Any book by Chuck Pahalniuk (I'll warn you, they're a bit warped)
10. The Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison

Answer 3

The most influential book that has helped me survive in the wilderness and the jungles of the world was a two volume set at the time and I carried it everywhere. It was entitled THE WAY THINGS WORK. Today, I think you can find it updated in a single volume, but it isn't the same because it doesn't show a lot of the earlier stuff. Like how to make a simple lathe. It still does tell how to make soap and vinegar. But the books' main attraction; and I should add be kept by everyone; is that if the world ever goes down in flames and you survive, this is the book you want to have to rebuild part of civilization.

Answer 4

Gosh Kermit, since you so succinctly put it "thirsty for knowledge", I best pour something for you to mull over then!
Going on a "personal renaissance" is a damn fine thing to do, I think more folks here ought to do the same. No, you won't get any quotes, or passages, from any of those religious texts from me, I get just as turned off by them as you do. You're welcome.

Ulysses S. Grant Personal Memoirs --begun in 1884, and completed a few days before his death in 1885. It is an epic, and I read it due to my interest in the U.S. Civil War (I am not an American), and after reading it, it inspired me to keep digging into this period of history deeper than the entrenchments in front of Richmond or Petersburg in 1865.

Answer 5

Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong. The book is about the struggle for power in 2 A.D. China after the collapse of the Han dynasty. The book demonstrates how people will do anything for power. It is over 1000 pages long and there are hundreds of characters and hundreds of battles with strategies and tactics painstakingly described. It is very difficult to read, but it is worth it. (The whole text is available online by the way - see my source.) It is about friendship, loyalty, honour, war, duty, family, betrayal, and treachery. Reading it can be a life changing experience! I think it is one of the best books ever written.

Answer 6

All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.

It gives a taste of what war is really like, versus what you see in the movies,and gave me a sense of camaraderie when I came home from the Gulf War, and a knowledge that even though my family didn't' understand someone else clearly would. I've never known the man, but I felt we knew each other. I highly recommend it for those coming home form Iraq.

Answer 7

Most influential ever??? Hard to say. However, I recently finished reading "Billions and Billions" by Carl Sagan which I highly recommend. You will look at the world, society, religion, and life much differently after reading it. He explained very complex concepts in simple terms. The book is a series of essays on scientific, cultural, socio-economic, and geopolitical topics. It is as much a book of questions as it is answers. Much more than a scientist, he clearly was a student of history, philosophy, and religion as well. Though he passed away a few years ago, he lives on through his words and inspires the reader to learn and exercise critical thought on many of our contemporary issues.

Answer 8

at the moment, it has got to be The Kite Runner for me. it's about a sheltered, wealthy boy living in afghanistan in the '70s and '80s when it started falling apart under communism and the taliban. it may sound historical, but let me tell you, i hate government and politics and history and it is still awesome. the story is a lot more emotional than historical; it just tells the story of two boys of different social classes trying to understand the bond they have with one another. it is straightforward, an easy read, and very, very addicting!!

Answer 9

influential? i dont really know what u mean by that. i read a lot of different books. on beauty by zadie smith is a pretty good book. but the book that has influenced me a lot is 13 little blue envelopes by maureen johnson.

Answer 10

"Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer and "Elsewhere" by Gabrielle Zevin because they taught me how to appreciate what i have and make the best of life