Books that inspired you

[Dick Linn]

Anything by Hermann Hesse.

"101 Uses for a Dead Cat" wasn't inspirational, but practical nonetheless

[acdcfan259]

I saw this recently.

"Everybody Poops" Taro Gomi

[R.C.]

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder for me!

[Protronie]

The first book to come to mind would be the Holy Bible... everything you need to know about life can be found right in there.

Two other books that have had a very strong effect on my view of the world..
1984 by George Orwell & Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
I was shocked to find that she was writing about things happening in the 40's & 50's... I read it back in the 90's and thought she was talking of the present.
Was said to learn she had died... if she was alive today I'm sure she would be shaking her head saying, "I warned you..."
Art of War another book I've read more than once... it really is a insightful book that can be applied to many areas of ones life.

Some inspired autobiography's have been Gerry Spence, the man that defended Randy Weaver and got the government to admit they were wrong on Ruby Ridge. The autobiography of Robert E Lee and Jefferson Davis, both of whom should be thought of as American hero's. IMO

Other worth reading books, Flight of the Old Dog (series) by Dale Brown
Interview with a Vampire (series) by Ann Rice

And finally one ever citizen of the US should compelled to read... The Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights.

[Luckyfish05]

Originally Posted by IKE

Killer Angles: Civil War book that Glory was based off of.

By far my favorite fict. book ever. However, Glory was not based off of this book, it was the movie Gettysburg that was based off of this. Look up Killer Angel's by Michael Shaara you won't regret it.

I also was inspired by "Gold in the water", If you ever wondered what swimmers (or any athlete) go through to try to make the olympic team, this is the book to check out.

Non-fic./religion or whatever you want to call it. The "Bible" should cover that one well.

"Velvet Elvis" (rob bell) along with attending the authors Church have changed the way I view Christianity, and have changed the way I view my faith.

If I were on a deserted island. These are the books that I would want with me. They have inspired me to become who I am.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by Chris Fultz

Team of Rivals - the Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Doris Kearns Goodwin
* story of how Lincoln rose to political power and the presidency and how he created his cabinet, comprised of many political rivals, to succeed as president.

If memory serves this was the last cross party political ticket. Just an interesting historical piece there for you all. I second this book.

1984 is certainly worth a read, if only to make you think.

The last question - Asimov (link) Stunning and it really makes you think.

The Watchmen - Alan Moore - not a book exactly, nor is it for kids, but it is worth a look in that it makes you really question right and wrong.

Enders Game - Just a good classic sci fi read

Something I thought was interesting was The Divine Trilogy by Dante.

[pandaF]

Originally Posted by Amanda M

Y'all are going to think I'm nuts..

read The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews/Edwards. It really teaches you to look at the world around you. I read it when I was very young and it taught me to appreciate the world. And it has a really cute story to go with it.

I absolutely love that book. It was my favorite when I was little, because it was so full of adventure and color.

Some of my favorite books now are His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman Not growing up with any sort of religion in my family, these books sort of shaped what I believe religiously today. The books also are filled with excellent characters, and an amazing story.

Uglies - Scott Westerfeld The four books in the Uglies series, as well as other series by Westerfeld including Peeps, focus on the future, and what has happened to civilization. The science fiction in these books is entertaining and well done. Scott Westerfeld's books make me think about the future and what the world will come to if someone doesn't make a change. His books motivate me to help make the world a better place. They also have excellent plots, which is a plus!

Looking For Alaska - John Green An amazing story. I think that every teenager should read this book, it really has a lot to say about growing up and learning to love. A sad but incredibly touching story.

There are many other books that I love, but these three (or really three authors) really stand out in my mind as books I love, and will pick up over and over again.

[Karibou]

The first book that I can think of is Little Women (Louisa May Alcott), but that might just be because I've just finished reading it for what seems like the millionth time. Reading about girls my age growing up in tough times, and the lessons that they learn along the way has been very helpful, touching, and just inspirational in general.

[JaneYoung]

I like dictionaries and encyclopedias.
Every day is a new day and exploring new words is part of it for me. I may not use them but I like to learn about them. Encyclopedias are the same way. It is easy to search for something on-line but it can be a lot of fun to read the books. I like to read these books for fun and for relaxation. I also like old dictionaries, hardbound, and have a couple at work and a couple at home. When I was in my twenties, I learned that my mother always loved to read dictionaries as a child growing up. That was a neat moment of finding something in common that crossed generations - a love of words. A passion, really.

[Carlee10]

Originally Posted by pandaF

Uglies - Scott Westerfeld The four books in the Uglies series, as well as other series by Westerfeld including Peeps, focus on the future, and what has happened to civilization. The science fiction in these books is entertaining and well done. Scott Westerfeld's books make me think about the future and what the world will come to if someone doesn't make a change. His books motivate me to help make the world a better place. They also have excellent plots, which is a plus!

I love those books. They are an interesting look into the future. They're also not a hard read, but enjoyable. I was waiting last night for my brother to get out of the shower, and picked up the last Harry Potter book. I forgot how amazing it was, though, and was up for awhile.
How many people like to constantly reread books over and over and over? I've actually ruined books from taking then too many places and using them too much. Or check out a cetain book almost every time I go to library. Who else does that?

[JaneYoung]

I just looked up this thread to share with one of our team leaders for some awesome summer reading suggestions.

Thought it might be a good time for a thread resurrection.

[Akash Rastogi]

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

One of the coolest books I've ever read. It's a different way to look at how the best of the best reached the top. Everything in the book should be taken with a grain of salt though, some just call it coincidence. I highly recommend it though.

[Mr. Pockets]

Anything by Terry Pratchett, with Night Watch being my favorite. He's a hilarious writer and I'd highly advise his books to anyone over the age of 13 (they're not inappropriate, but they would probably confuse younger readers).

Originally Posted by Protronie

The first book to come to mind would be the Holy Bible... everything you need to know about life can be found right in there.

I've actually tried to read the bible before, but have sort of stalled on exodus (heh...fail, but I read through all of the gospels). I was amazed at the number of inappropriate scenes in Genesis. Never would have thought that.

[blaxbb]

Recently finished - "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin

Best book I've ever read. Had me in tears in some sections...

Originally Posted by http://www.threecupsoftea.com/

In Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time , Greg Mortenson, and journalist David Oliver Relin, recount the journey that led Mortenson from a failed 1993 attempt to climb Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second highest mountain, to successfully establish schools in some of the most remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. By replacing guns with pencils, rhetoric with reading, Mortenson combines his unique background with his intimate knowledge of the third-world to promote peace with books, not bombs, and successfully bring education and hope to remote communities in central Asia.

[Chris is me]

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch is the book that's most inspired me. It's probably been mentioned before, but I basically try and use the lessons in it to shape everything I do, and it's one of the big reasons I'm in FRC right now and at college where I am.

I can't say any other book has had a direct, noticeable effect on me. Maybe Childhood's End.