Books that inspired you

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.

[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

[Ken Loyd]

[quote=mtrawls]Here's one: Who is John Galt?

Over the past seven years I have come to believe it might be Dean.

[Ken Loyd]

Ken;

Congrats! I just finished reading "Atlas" for the 40th time (I first read it during the summer of 1964.) It is a great tune-up for the brain and soul. Alan Greenspan (the Federal Reserve Chairman) was a friend/follower of Ayn.

"The Fountainhead" and "Anthem" are also great reads.

May I also suggest; "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" by Dee Brown, "The War Prayer" by Mark Twain, and "Summa Theologica" by Thomas Aquinas.

Have a safe summer!

[Ken Loyd]

To everyone who has responded to this thread:

Thank you for being readers!

[phrontist]

Well, I figure I'll add some that are sorely missing from this list:

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of The All American Meal - Very well researched book about a serious guiding force in the development of world economies. Gives a whole new perspective.

Manufacturing Consent (Noam Chomsky) - The classic on media bias (Althought many argue the book itself is biased ).

A Mathematicians Apology (G.H. Hardy) - A number theorist bashing all other human pursuits while justifying his own life. An excellent book.

[Dorienne]

Originally Posted by Ken Leung

What book(s) inspired you the most when you were growing up?

I am looking for books that changed the way you think when you were going up, books that shaped the person you are today. It could be books like the one above or a philosophy text book, basically something that left a mark after you read it.

This may sound extremely childish and silly, but a book that really changed my outlook on life, love and frienships was Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. I was about 12 when I read it, and it really changed how I viewed life. Stories in that book just really took hold of my heart. I still remember how affected I was by some of the sad stories in it...I remember stories about teasing, family issues, and relationships. They all were related to me in one way or another, and they taught me to not take advantage of what I have, and how lucky I am to be living in the US, and that I have loving friends and a loving family, and without all this, I wouldn't be in Robotics with all you wonderful people.
This book may seem childish to many of you, since I'm only 15, but it really changed my outlook and behavior now. Whomever has not read this book and is a teenager and goes through the trials and issues any teenager goes through, read the book. It will really make you think of how you handle situations, and tells you what to do when you come across one along the way.
--d0ri

[RoboMom]

I was a very shy kid and one of the biggest gifts my parents gave me was to expose me to all sorts of books. I still read like crazy and very much look forward to my book club each month.
In no special order and by no means complete, but these are books that probably will not be on anyone else’s list. An eclectic mix. I agree with many of the previous postings.

EB White. His children’s books are wonderful and his essays are too.
Edward Abbey. Lots of non-fiction nature writing but among his very irreverent fiction titles are The Monkey Wrench Gang (actually I see that Dave Lavery has listed this one too!)
Letters to a Nation. Famous and not-so-famous letters about and by Americans.
Barbara Kingsolver. A gifted storyteller.
Thomas Friedman. Lexus and the Olive Tree. Understanding globalization.
Anna Fadiman. The spirit catches you and you fall down: A Hmong child, her American doctors and the collision of two cultures. Required reading for anyone working in the health care field and/or interested in cross-cultural issues.

[MissInformation]

Round 2! You didn't really think I would list so few, did you? The following are books I've read in the past year that have impressed me.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel. A 16 year old boy from India, who practices Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam, gets trapped in a lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and a 450 pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker (it quickly gets down to him and the tiger). I bought the book thinking it would be a whimsical little tale and was completely amazed at how ugly and beautiful, how stark and cold and warm and wonderful the whole thing was. I hope everyone could do so well against their tigers in life.

Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. Scissors is a memoir of a man whose mother gave him to her crazy psychiatrist when he was 12. It's another abusive childhood story, but one of the weirdest ones I've ever come across, and the fact that this man survived the chaos of his life with such humor and grace is astounding.

Children in the Holocaust and WWII their secret diaries various authors, some never to be known. It's not a book for everyone, it is dark and heartbreaking, I can't think of a single book that has ever made me cry as much as this one. Never forget.

Finding Fish by Antwone Quenton Fisher. Another memoir of a childhood gone wrong and the man who bravely overcame it.

Reading Lolita In Tehran by Azar Nafisi. The memoir of a teacher in Iran who secretly gathered 7 of her most committed female students to read forbidden Western classics. This is a book that will warn you to never take for granted the smallest, most insignificant freedoms you have. And personally, for me, it's renewed an interest in reading "forbidden" books, books that our own country has banned at various times.

[R.C.]

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder for me!

[MrToast]

Ender's Game! After reading about all of the success Peter had, I want to take over the world too! (Also any book by Orson Scott Card. He's The Man)
The Book of Mormon: Because Mormons are cool.
His Dark Materials series (Includes The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass)
Anything by I. Asimov Grandmaster of Science Fiction
Edgar Allan Poe: The Gold Bug, The Raven, and The Fall of the House of Usher
Harry Potter: Because secretly I wish I could be a wizard, too.
The Screwtape Letters: If you want to learn more about how not to be a bad person, read this. I learned more from this little book than nearly every other book I've ever read. Makes you wonder: Did C.S. Lewis interview Satan?
Flatland: For the mathematician in all of us
Mac OS X for Unix Geeks: Never do "sudo rm -fv /" unless you are REALLY stupid. (Basically DOS's "format *.*")
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Because you should never ever ever go anywhere without your towel.


MrToast

[MissInformation]

So I’ve finished Atlas Shrugged. I think it’s going to be awhile before I process it completely, it causes very conflicting emotions (was it really justice?). This whole thread has made me look up some of the writers I loved so much and I found that Peter Jenkins (A Walk Across America) published a book called Looking for Alaska in 2001, which is about the year and a half his family spent in Alaska and the amazing people they met there. And while I don’t think it is as inspiring as his first book, it is still a wonderful book. Of course, I’m biased; visiting Alaska has always been on what I call my “life goals” list, and I’m finally going to do it in August. After reading his book, I’m considering putting “live in Alaska for at least a year” on my list (I need to add new things, I’ve checked off 6 things in the past 3 years). Part of Peter Jenkins’ talent is inspiring you, not necessarily to have dreams, but to be brave enough to go after those dreams. Most of the people he meets in his travels are not famous, they’re rather ordinary, everyday people, but this does not make them any less wonderful. He tends to be drawn to people who are living their lives the way they’ve always dreamt they should be lived.

I have to admit, I’m a little scared about going to Alaska. What if it’s not as great as I’ve always believed? England wasn’t. Or worse yet, what if it’s better than I have ever imagined, and it makes me unhappy with the life I am now living? I don’t believe in fate and “meant to be” but what if I am wrong and Alaska is where I am meant to be, will I be content giving it up? I’m certainly not ready to move there now, too many ties, too many responsibilities, possibly too many fears… And I shake my fist at Peter Jenkins for showing me more of that wild, elusive spirit that is Alaska, for making me want what I cannot now have, other than a brief touch… but writers and books like this, that draw such emotion and thought are exactly the kind of books I love.

Heidi

<==========>
Alaska... say it softly, and it's almost like praying...

[melissa]

Last summer I read Tuesdays With Morrie, and that book was amazing. It showed me a new outlook on life, to live every day as if it is your last, and to always look on the bright side of life, no matter how grim your circumstance may be. Always appreciate everything you are givin in life, whether that is an old friend, a sunny day, or one more chance to tell someone how you really feel. Another book that really affected me was The Truth About Forever. It shows that no one is perfect, no matter how hard you might try. So don't try to be something you're not, be yourself. Live your own life the way you want it. We only get one life, live it, and don't regret anything you do.

1984, 1984, 1984........