Has your reading of a book changed the way you live your life?

Question

If so, what book(s) is responsible and what effects did it have on you.

Answer 1

not really changed my life
but i think sherlock holmes by sir arthur conan doyle has taught me how to untie knots in complicated cases which u feel can never b solved

Answer 2

I am a bibliomaniac and simply love to read books of any kind. So, naturally, I get to learn much from books, but, actually, wonder of all wonders, the books which have changed my life are the Harry Potter books. I know it may sound childish ( though I'm 16), given I like to read mature books, but, actually , when you come to think of it, Rowling' works are among the finest and most mature pieces of literature. This, however, is not the reason why they have changed my life. It is because i have been sucked into their world and simply cannot imagine Harry not being by my side. I'm feeling really depressed when I think of Rowling's saying that she would stop writing HPbooks after Deathly Hallows.

Answer 3

Well, for years I had the attitude that if it wasn't a text book I didn't have time to waste just reading for entertainment. A highly respected colleague was always reading, (not in work time - just his lunch break), and when he started reading and enthusing about "Harry Potter" and everyone was forever going on about how good the stories were, curiosity got me in the end, and I just found reading my first "Harry Potter" story so stimulating, and entertaining, and just enjoyed reading so much, that it really got me back into books again, and ever since then I have never stopped reading, and always have a book on the go. I have even written a novel of my own last year, but I won't say anything about it as we are not allowed to advertise on here.

Answer 4

Not really been a book that has changed my life yet however a book my wife read by the Dalai Lama has always stuck in her head - it tells you/makes you think differently about common problems in our life that effect everybody, such as anger. It also states we are responsible for changing our situations and problems.
It gives the thoughts and actions from the buddhists way of life.
Compassion is the key to happiness according to this book and by practising compassion for everything and everyone sets off good thoughts and good deeds.
My wife tries to remember these theorys and live by them but struggles at times.
It has changed the way she views people and situations, bad and good.

Answer 5

I don't know if this is exactly what you are after, but I would have to say the book Little Women by Louisa M Alcott. As a kid I didn't really like reading, but one day I was given this book at school and I just loved it. It changed my life by encouraging me to read and I now love books and love reading. Reading helped me improve my imagination and now I love writing too.

I have learnt a lot from reading and get so much enjoyment from it, so that was the book that changed the way I live my life.

Answer 6

I have read several that changed my life, The Bible is one, it caused me to realize why I was the way I am, and how to achieve a higher thinking. Also It prompted me to search through much history, and gain a tremendous amount of knowledge about ancestry, history, proven miracles and the science that backs them, etc. SO, I am more intelligent now in the science and historical areas, and wiser about behaviors, etc..this has been the book that has most affected my life.
The Grapes of Wrath, also changed my life, into caring about what others were or had gone through.
The Outsiders also.
Invisible Patriots, americas second revolution
So help me God.
Jerusalem Countdown,
There are really to many to list, but I am going to get more of them soon and read more.

Answer 7

One of the best books I have ever seen is "Change the world for a fiver" by the We Are What We Do project (ISBN 1-904095-96-8). It's a beautifully presented series of ideas for little everyday things everyone could do to make the world a better place. The layout means it's equally appealing to children and adults, and for only £5 I'd definately list it as a "MUST OWN" book. They also have a website at http://www.wearewhatwedo.org

Another book which I found life-changing was "A Woman in Your Own Right" by Anne Dickson, which I read during asertiveness changing. Its really helped me look at how I react in difficult situations and encouraged me to take responsibility for my own actions and reactions.

Answer 8

Last summer someone recommended the Alchemist. At the time I was reading it I was wondering whether to up sticks and go and live in another country.

I think the idea of going for your dream, that is in the book, was the last shove I needed. Mind you I also noticed that it took some problems and different -not necessarily wrong! -turnings before he got there. Which helped me when stuff didn't seem to be going right.

In the end I am really glad I did it.

Answer 9

There are so many books that really had impacts on my life, saw me through difficult times, among them, Dr Wayne Dyer's You Can See It When You Believe It, Anthony Robbins Awaken The Giant Within had profound impacts in my life.
One more book I would recommend is Impossible Takes A Little Longer by Art Berg. Anything from Dr Wayne Dyer or Anthony Robbins is great reading and will enhance your life significantly

Answer 10

Absolutely. When I was young, at school, I flicked through (does that qualify?) Dante's vision of heaven & hell - saw the grotesque drawings & somehow understood the aspirations...

Then I read a book which was about a little girl who felt very unhappy- she lived in a caravan & she was moved from town to town- always wanting to settle down... they were on the road & she prayed. She said: "Good Lord, I am a lost sheep. I pray that you may find me so I can return to your flock" (or something very similar). (The rest of the book was about what happened to her). I don't know the title- my mum threw the book away... but like that little girl, I also felt very lost, so I said the same prayer...

"I am 15 and I do not want to die" was a book about a child's view of war... with awfully vivid descriptions EG. how starving horses tried to eat wood... which I will never forget...

& the English dictionary cos I had to read that to learn English (by myself, under the bed clothes at night, using a torch) (cos no-one talked to me) (cos no-one helped me to learn the new language when we moved to England).

Answer 11

Oh yes! My favorite book, and one that I re-read on occasion, was Pearl Buck's "The Good Earth".

It gave me a different perspective of the world (I read it when I was 10 for the first time) and opened my eyes to the smallness of it all. I still have a very well-worn copy on my bookshelf.

Anything by Irving Stone (especially "The Passions of the Mind").

Of course - I must give credit to Dr. Seuss. Anything that makes me a fair and decent person I think I learned from him.

:)