Books that inspired you

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Originally Posted by dlavery

The Right Stuff, by Tom Wolfe.

The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran. A very close friend gave this to me in high school.

Time Enough For Love: The Lives of Lazarus Long, by Robert Heinlein.

The Bible, the Torah, and the Koran, (various authors). I don't care what your religious persuasions may be, and you may not care about mine. I won't get into any religious philosophical discussions on this forum. Setting aside all such discussions, there is still incredible value that I took from these.
-dave

It was a little scary when I started to read Dave's list and realized mine was very close.
Follow the "Right Stuff" with Gene Kranz's "Failure Is Not An Option", it is possible for man to think he has thought of everything only to have Murphy come along and screw things up. Backup the backup to the backup.

I like Robert Heinlein a lot and have read everything I could but my favorites are "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel" (kind of a hokey title now but still a great book) which taught me anyone can make their dreams a reality. "Door Into Summer" taught me that high school students when presented with real world problems can find workable solutions even under adverse conditions.

"Red Giants and White Dwarfs", sorry I don't remember the author, an astronomer as I remember, who describes the life span of an average sun, like our own, as it ages. I find it a humbling experience to put life in perspective. No matter how good a job you think you are doing, in the big picture (geologic time that is) your life is a micro-microsecond.

"The Prophet", I read in college at the prompting of a friend. I finally saw in print some of the emotions and deep feelings I was experiencing at the the time. (yes, I am a child of the sixties and so-called hippie) Scary thing was this prompted some interesting discussions with my uncle who had also read it and as I learned later, people of different age brackets read different aspects into some of the passages.

As to the Bible and other religious books, these are tributes to living your life in a manner that makes you and those around you happy. The belief in the presence of a supreme being and all that goes with that concept is what guides me through life's tribulations. I am not saying I am good at it, but I am trying.

"The Boy Scout Handbook" (any edition) has a lot of tips for everyday living. Just getting from here to there can be tricky, and cutting yourself along the way is a problem that can be overcome. I am quite sure I would not be writing on this forum if not for the Scout Law, "A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, reverant."

The collected adventures of Sherlock Holmes which taught me that things are not always what they seem and different people see things differently. You need to broaden your horizons to see the world but have the ability to narrow your focus down to one detail at a moment's notice, to find a solution to a problem.

For electrical guidance, "The Radio Amateur's Handbook" is the one book I have repeatedly picked up and thumbed through since I was in grade school. I have four editions from the early sixties to the present and now on CD.

[mtrawls]

Originally Posted by Ken Leung

It opened up lots of great lines of questions for me. If I try to name a few of them I think I will only embarrass myself ...

Here's one: Who is John Galt?



Oh, and with all these english books, I think I'll add one I've read more recently (last year) -- La hojarasca (Gabriel García Márquez).

[Sean Schuff]

Wow - interesting discussion. I'm starting my list based on your recommendations. As for me...

My first pick - the Bible (regardless of your spiritual persassion) is THE manual for living an upright, moral, and ethical life.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein A great, very short read that shows us how to view the world with open eyes and open hearts.

The Courage to Teach by Parker J. Palmer For the teacher in all of us, this is a great book that goes WAY beyond the notion of teachers as purveyors of knowledge and wisdom and gets to the very human side of teaching.

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom is a great memory of a fine mentor and friend. I like how so much of it is applicable to all of us on an every day basis.

The Moral Compass by William Bennett Great stories about moral virtue and short enough that you can read a few in a day, put the book down for a week/month/year and come back to it as if you just set it down.

Anything by Dr. Seuss - I'm the type that doesn't take much seriously - just ask my students. If I can't have fun or make a joke out of something I'm not sure I want to have anything to do with it. Life's too short not to have as much fun as possible!! Laugh and the world laughs with you...

Great thread!!

Sean

I love The Da Vinci Code! that book made me think a little.

Another one is, The Power of Positive Thinking. My dad would always force me read that whenever i give a bad attitude about sports, like if i am giving up or whatever, then he would force me to read different sections of the book to him. It wasnt fun, but i got alot outta that book, and I still do. Its a good book.

[dubious elise]

another great ayn rand book is "anthem" its short, don't worry, but very powerful! i think you'll enjoy it.

also look into pearl s. buck's "the good earth" and tom brokaw's "the greatest generation", both are excellent!

[Eugenia Gabrielov]

Originally Posted by dubious elise

another great ayn rand book is "anthem" its short, don't worry, but very powerful! i think you'll enjoy it.

I second that all the way. Anthem is a story about the meaning of identity in a "group oriented" world. It is utopia failure, and the book flashes by, leaving the meanings for life. It won't take you even an hour to read probably, but it is immensely fascinating. Good choice, Elise.

[Karthik]

The Glass Bead Game - Herman Hesse.

This great story is a philosophical masterpiece. It's one of the few novels which shows great regard for all facets of intelligence, not just the conventional ones. It appreciates the challenge in bringing together art and science. It really explores the issues of whether the great intellectual has a special responsibilty to society. I read this book in my last year of high school, when I was quite a troubled kid. It really opened my eyes, and guided me through some rough situations.

Hey Nostradamus, All Families are Psychotic, Miss Wyoming, and Girlfriend in a Coma - Douglas Coupland

Coupland's last four novels. The author who first coined the term "Generation X". This man just gets it. His characterizations are so realistic it's scary. His novels deal with the lives and eccentricities of young adults. You can't read Coupland without feeling like you're a part of the lives of his characters. It's mesmerizing. Reading his novels is great for opening your mind to all sorts of new perspectives. In my opinion, he's the greatest writer of our generation. Hopefully by the time I have kids, they'll be reading him as part of their curriculum.

[JVN]

Though he's not exactly "Mr. Gracious Profesionalism" I learned a lot from Machiavelli's "The Prince".

If you ever want to take over Italy, this is a must-read.
Ohh... it also applies to lots of other situations as well.

[KathieK]

The Little Prince (as mentioned before) only in English, not French, because I struggled with French all through Junior and Senior High School! "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye."

And Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. Although a lifelong reader, Mr. O'Dell's tale made me want to write children's literature and eventually launched me into a lifetime of library work.

I love that this thread was created and that so many of you are contributing to it! Perhaps there could be a HUGE book swap in Atlanta next year!

[Adam Y.]

The collected adventures of Sherlock Holmes which taught me that things are not always what they seem and different people see things differently. You need to broaden your horizons to see the world but have the ability to narrow your focus down to one detail at a moment's notice, to find a solution to a problem.

I reccomend you read Poe. He actually invented the dectective story and is really good at writing them. I believe Doyle actually was inspiried by Poe. If you read anything from Poe read "The Gold Bug".

[Bill Beatty]

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read books for enjoyment since I had surgery 30 years ago, so I have to go back a ways.

"Your Erroneous Zones" by Dr. Wayne Dyer was on the best seller list for many weeks. I can truly say it changed my life.

Bill Beatty

[Joe Matt]

Well, I'm wierd, so here's just a few books that have inspired me over the years (or year or so)....

Catch-22- Funniest book and one that also shows that no matter how bueruocratic the world becomes, there will always be character, life, and soul.

Catcher in the Rye- I hate this book. But it still influences me and inspired me. I hated it the first time around, then when I went over it with my great english teacher Ms. Rose, it made more sense, but I still don't like it.

The Imaginering Way- Great book. Read M. Krass's non-fiction works for the reason.

[Bharat Nain]

On the risk of going a little off-topic, I am making this post. One book which really inspired me was my history text book, the part about the civil war. I am going to type out the last two paras, which concludes the war .

The end - Appomattox Court House. On the afternoon of April 9, 1865, General Lee, accompanied only by his military secretary, rode his horse to a little white house in the town of Appomattox Court house in central virginia. He went to arrange his surrender. There occurred one of the most remarkable and one of the most encouraging episodes in American history. It would show that, despite the monstrous indecencies of war, the respect of one American for another had not been destroyed.
Grant, who had just come in from the field, was dustry and even more unkempt than usual. Confronting him in the living room of the house that he had taken for his headquarteres was General Lee - handsome, erect, in a spotless uniform, and wearing his dress sword. The men sat down and then exchanged recollections of their fighting together twenty years before in the Mexican War. The two great generals talked to each other calmly, with courtesy and respect.
Now that the fighting was over, it seemed that humanity had suddenly returned. Lee heard Grant's terms of surrender. Grant was more generous than he needed to be. He allowed the Southern officers to keep their swords - the symbols of their honor - and he let the officers and men keep horses so that they could go home and plant their crops. lee was touched. "this," he said, "will have a very happy effect upon my army."
A new renewed nation, fused in the fires of war, would now seek its destiny in peace.

This so relates to our own world of FIRST. On the field, we can have the worst, metal-shed battle ever, but soon after we come together, be best friends, apologize if needed, and move on, better than never. In the whole of the civil war, we can see good strategies, extreme hatred etc..,. In todays world we don't see hatred, but we do see the concept of Gracious Profesionalism, which has been used in the past.

Some parts of history have touched me, peace is our destiny
-Bharat

p.s: dont turn this into a debate or something

[JVN]

Just Thought of Another one:

The Mysterious Island, by Jules Verne.

Though it is fantasy, this book showed me what it truly means to be an engineer, and the power of an ingenious mind.

[Joshua May]

Originally Posted by JosephM

Catch-22- Funniest book and one that also shows that no matter how bueruocratic the world becomes, there will always be character, life, and soul.

That's a great book, too. I've read about a quarter of it, and its great. And really, it really shows some insight into humanity.