What book Changed your life?Or that really impacted you in a big way?

Question

Please leave details of the title,author and why it had such an impact?
thankyou

Answer 1

I think I answered this all ready. However I will write it again.

Wild Seed and Bloodchild by Octavia Butler. Her books inspired me to write speculative/paranormal fiction. Her stories pulled me in emotionally and I felt the pain, anger, happiness and peace each character felt. I was moved and could see the metaphors her stories were for everyday life.

Answer 2

There are many books that have stirred something in me, but changed my life? I think early on, the book that changed my life was Anne of Green Gables because it is beautifully written and, as an insecure young girl, it made me laugh and identify with the things people do to make themselves "acceptable" to others. It's just a nice, beautifully written story. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is so memorable. It's about poverty and what people do to survive. The short story "Turtle Gal" will always be a favourite because it is, again, about poverty and racism, and about how people come together to create communities. A real life-altering book was The Jungle--I recommend everyone read that book. It changed my view on a lot of things. One particular passage most eloquently details the trials and tribulations of an immigrant who is trying to figure out the world around him. I read a lot of cultural studies stuff, and Mark Kingwell's "Dreams of Millennium" was fantastic in terms of the changes we're experiencing as a culture. The Diary of Anne Frank, for obvious reasons. I could go on and on, but the most meaningful book for me is most definitely Gone with the Wind. It has personal relevance, but it is also an epic about war and how impermanent ways of life can be. It's about strength in adversity, and how strong a woman can be at a time when women were supposed to be docile. An incredible book that I will read over and over and always get something new with each reading. Best of luck.

Answer 3

The Wisdom of the Enneagram: The Complete Guide to Psychological and Spiritual Growth for the Nine Personality Types by Riso & Hudson. I'd read books on the Enneagram before, but this one really helped me learn more about myself because of the way it is presented. It is easier to understand than some of the other Enneagram books and it has tools and exercises to help you stop self-destructive behaviors.
I think the reason it impacted me so much was that I was depressed and caught up in a negative cycle and everything in my life was kind of about me. I did self-destructive things (like dated and chased the wrong men, then would give myself up to them and change for them) and this book helped me see the patterns that I was stuck in and helped me see how I could change them. It really helped me be aware of my behaviors and showed me where those behaviors came from and why I acted the way that I did. Granted I used this book in conjunction with psychotherapy and many hours spent on my own being conscious of my actions and what motivated them. This book was a great tool in really helping me to learn about myself in ways that I never would have on my own. It helped me learn about others too, I found the personality type that was similar to my dad and it described him so perfectly and explained why my dad acted the way he did. Although no one can truly say what another person's personality type is, unless they are trained in it because the different personalities can be so alike. It's mainly based on what motivates an action. Such as me and my best friend might react the same way to a situation, but we are reacting that way for two different reasons.
My best friend and I have used this book to strengthen our relationship. My husband and I have done the same. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in personal growth.

Answer 4

There were 2 actually, the first one being "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Richard Bach, it is just a simple story about a bird who was different from the rest. But as I reread it a year later, I found that it took on a new meaning as my experience grew. And I finally understood what it was about, being the best that you can be. The other one was a book a college pal made me read, it was the "Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand. This book opened my eyes to the difference between men of ability and second handers. These 2 books confirmed my existence, told me there was nothing wrong with me or my way of thinking and showed me I was not alone.

Answer 5

When I was about 12 or 13 I read a trilogy by Conrad Richter...and thought it was cool that the three books had won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 1943, the same year my Mother was born. The books, entitled "The Trees", "The Fields" and "The Town"...Those books helped me see that girls and women who were strong and tenacious enough could accomplish ANYTHING they set their minds to. Later, around 1980, I think, NBC TV (in the U-S-A) made a mini-series for TV called "The Awakening Land" based on those three books, starring Elizabeth Montgomery and Hal Holbrook. Because I had first read the books, that mini-series was one I enjoyed mightily. It was well-done and I have never forgotten any of those characters, though it has been decades since I read the books and saw the movie.

Answer 6

"The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Expository Prose Revised". 1969. This collection of prose not only presents outstanding examples of how to write, but each example in itself is an outstanding example of critical thinking. In H. G. Well's "Time Machine", at the end when the main character returns to the past briefly and leaves for the future again, in the original film version of this novel, he apparently takes a few books with him, to a future world that is just beginning a new civilization. If I were to take one book into such a future with which to re-start civilization, it would be this particular edition of the Norton Reader.

Answer 7

I really like dont sweat the small stuff in love.. I is very simple at it points out ways to make relationships smoother... we actually read it together. I also Love love love the book called on the night of the seventh moon. when I was a girl I read it all the time in fact I still read it about once a year

Answer 8

To Kill A Mockingbird & Summer of My German Soldier

Both books made me realize that it's not all about me. It taught me to take other people's viewpoints into consideration. My beliefs are not the only beliefs. It taught me empathy and respect for others. Great books.

Answer 9

Ayn Rand's - Atlas Shrugged. Its difficult to read because it was written in the 50's. However, It clarifies the illogal idea of socialism and why it will never work. And is basically an imoral system based on thieft and fraud, promotes inaction and in the end starvation, ruin and slaughter.

Answer 10

"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger: As cliche as it sounds, it made me realize it's okay to be different. It also shows I'm not alone in my bizarre thoughts. I've read it several times and it impacts me each time I read it. It's one of my favorite books.