Is there any great / Influential books I should read? Any answers as long as they are good.?

Answer 1

Any books by Charles Dickens. I know he wrote mostly fiction but he managed to highlight the plight of orphans in London during the 19th century. Everyone should read a Dickens book during their lifetime ( more if they can ) I grew up with Dickens' books as bedtime reading. One minute you are rolling about laughing at the scenes he conjures up then your heart will split in two with the sadness and poverty that people had to endure at that time.

Answer 2

1. To Kill A Mockingbird.
2. Of Mice And Men.
3. Catcher In The Rye.
4. The Color Purple.
5. Roots
6. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.
7. The Curious Incident Of The Dog/Nightime.
8. Little Women.
9. The Biography of Dr.Martin Luther King
10. pick a classic book at random-one you've never heard of maybe and give it a try!!

Answer 3

Depends on what you mean by great/influential. If you mean books which have revolutionised people's views or and had an impact on world issues then my list would consist of
Adam Smith's: The Wealth of Nations
Karl Marx : Capital
Alan Paton: Cry the beloved country
Charles Darwin: The origin of the species
Stephen Hawking: A brief History of Time
Winston Churchill: A history of English speaking people
Vera Brittain: Chronicle of Youth

Answer 4

yep as above Les Miserable
War and Peace, no it really is a good read despite its length: skip the historical narratives of the war; great read otherwise!

Anna kerenina: probably better than War and Peace

Best book ever Count of Monte cristo Alexandre Dumas: the ultimate revenge!
Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials: exploration of God/ free will/ innocence and experience.
Roots by alex haley way better than To Kill A Mockingbird
much more of an idea of slavery and its effects.
Ernest hemingway: For Whom the bell tolls

I suppose it depends what you mean by influential books really: influential books arent always the most gripping read! For example Mein Kampf (Hitler) extremely influential but a really arduous read!

Any of the big religious books and teachings are extremely influential.

Read the count of monte cristo then watch the film in french!
obviously with subtitles!
I could go on, but ill stop.
happy reading

Answer 5

On the Road by Jack Kerouac
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesey
The Catcher and the Rye by J D Salinger
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Answer 6

You don't say how old you are however, that really doesn't matter. I am a teacher and ran across a book that is relative for the very young reader as well as the seasoned. It is called "The Watson's go to Birmingham-1963", by Christopher Paul Curtis. It is a very short novel as seen from the eyes of a ten-year old boy, Kenny. He and his family live in Flint and travel to Birmingham, Al during the time of our country's social and civil unrest. It has been critically acclaimed by the New York Times Book Review and Pusblishers Weekly. In addition, the late Coreta Scott King has given honors of approval. It is a very touching book - one that I would allow any child to read in order to gain some personal insight into the civil rights movement without the "in your face" dogma that a child of younger years might not understand. It is an excellent read and a book that I will always cherish. (this book is also very personal to me on several levels - 1) the writer is from one of my hometowns, 2) I personally witnessed the bomb explosion of the Church in B'ham in which 4 little girls lost their lives) The story is humorous, poignant and the history treated with interest. It's a great read! I would highly recommend this book to all of our readers in the community.

Answer 7

Yes, I have received the book "The Celestine Prophecy" from a friend who I used to think was a little out there at times but found that she just wanted to know more. You must read this book with an open and objective mind to really see what is going on in the story and begin to look at your life to see the similarities.

I hope you will read this, I have read it several times since I have had it (7yrs.). I even went so far as to buy the audio book so that I can listen while I drive.

The other book I will recommend is "Yesterday I Cried" by Eyanla Vanzandt (i know that the spelling of her name is wrong I tried by sound spelling, but the name of the book is correct). I can not explain this book, but it really moved me in an incredible way. Again, I have reread this book several times, and yes also own the audio version.

Hope that these suggestions are helpful! Please let me know!
Scott

Answer 8

You asked great/influential, so I'll choose one in the former category; Wicked, by Gregory Maguire, MIGHT change your thinking, but primarily it's just a great read. It's the "real" story of the Wicked Witch of the West; it's so succesful it's been turned into a Broadway musical, which last year topped Ticketmasters demand rankings, even above sporting events! It truly is a modern masterpiece of literature.

Answer 9

Influential books?

"Don Quxiote" by Miguel Cervantes
"The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair
"Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe
"Catcher in the Rye" by JD Salinger
"Common Sense" by Thomas Paine (OK, it's a pamphlet, but still one of the most influential pieces ever written)
"Mein Kampf" by Adolph Hitler (You didn't say for just good)
"Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx
"Sexual Behavior in the Human Male" by Alfred Kinsey
"The Feminine Mystique" by Betty Friedan

Good (this century) books -

"The Lord of the Rings" by JRR Tolkien
"Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert Heinlein
"The Stand" by Stephen King


B

Answer 10

i does not say "replaced my existence" yet I have been given a awesome jolt from it: the image of Dorian gray by Oscar Wilde. not in basic terms Wilde an relaxing and quite witty author, he's hugely clever and has created a collaboration of outrageous characters who've rather radical outlooks on existence. among others it explores the matters of corruption, impact and young infants based around the lifes of Lord Henry, Dorian and Basil. Basil who's a celebrated modern-day artist, meets Dorian gray the main eye-catching, innocence creature ever beheld. He asks the boy to stand for a portray and utilising his fascination and utter adoration of the extra youthful Dorian paints his portrait. Lord Henry, Basil's chum, persuades the painter to introduce the two. Lord Henry (my own commonly used) is completely immoral yet in a thoroughly alluring way, he speaks consistently in epigrams and paradoxes and is v. relaxing, yet has questionable motives while he takes on Dorian as a "challenge" corrupting the boy together with his perspectives on existence and the social scale. clever, humorous, and tragic - this e book is rather awesome. --- For some thing lighter: Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman A e book written for young ones, some society the place Black (Crosses)human beings are extra suitable and Whites (Noughts) are inferior. interior the time placing, equality is being laid down in regulation yet there remains lots racism very very resembling the opposite 1960's united statesa. and England (? - ugh my history is undesirable). Sephy, a black female and Callum, a white boy are pals and it follows their friendship which blossoms right into a Romeo and Juliet romance. it is a great deal extra complicated even nevertheless it is eye-catching, insightful and deeply moving. not in basic terms for infants yet for adults too, the concern is touching and painfully lifelike. 10/10 defs, (the sequels in my opinion have been a mistake) desire those help - an Eng Lit student.