[Marc P.]

I saw Fahrenheit 451 mentioned a few times already. Great book on the social implications of censorship and information/free thought control. I'm a fan of Bradbury, and have also read The Martian Chronicles, and The Illustrated Man, both of which are a fantastic collection of short stories about the nature of humanity.

I also saw Flatland mentioned. Great examination of social order and acceptance of new ideas. I read it in 7th grade and loved it since.

I'll point to another Arthur Miller classic (besides Death of a Salesman, which is great to)- The Crucible. I worked on a production of this play senior year (having read it junior year), and this is a very powerful play. Between reading it and seeing it on stage, it's almost scary how easily people can be influenced and lied to, resulting in chaos and disorder at the whim of a select few.

And to add to the negative but influencing book list, White Oleander, by Janet Fitch. A rather disturbing book about the negative side of human nature- greed, revenge, etc, and the results thereof. It's a dark walk through the trials and tribulations of a young woman, and a side of humanity I've not forgotten (having read the book 4 or 5 years ago).