What book has had the most impact on your life?

BlibBlab

Hopefully positive. I few come to mind for different reasons, but probably the most positive impact was reading Mark Williams Mindfulness book.

What's yours?

mynameis905

Hemingway's 'For Whom The Bell Tolls'

BBDBB

How to win friends & influence people by Dale Carnegie

The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

the evasion_kid

Evasion - anonymous

kingshankly

Ann and barry

Wibbs

Encyclopaedia Britannica children's version.

Dricmeister

Mein Kampf...a failed artist's struggle against the establishment

Manach

The Man who was Thursday - G.K. Chesterton.

lcwill

The 4 Hour Work Week.

It made me realise another kind of life was possible and set me on a new path

TheBiz

'Do No Harm' by Henry Marsh,

It's the memoirs of an now retired brain surgeon, really puts everything into perspective.

mynameis905

TheBiz wrote: »

'Do No Harm' by Henry Marsh,

It's the memoirs of an now retired brain surgeon, really puts everything into perspective.

An absolutely brilliant man. He's done fantastic work in the former Soviet union under very difficult conditions.

Insect Overlord

The first 6 or 7 books in the Ross O'Carroll-Kelly series.

ancapailldorcha

I've only ever seen those at Dublin Airport. Almost picked up one a few times.

I read "The Philosopher and the wolf" and "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance" at pretty much the same time - so which one of them was the most influential is anyone's guess. I think it might have been one of those "Greater than the sum of the parts" moments where neither one would have impacted me so much without the other. Who knows.

CinderKone

Freakonomics gave me a new perspective on some already assumed presumptions.

4068ac1elhodqr

1) The Mindstore - Jack Black / tools for the mind.

2) 7 Characteristics of Successful People - Covey / still beats any technique driven NLP techniques.
3) Awaken the Giant Within - Tony Robbins / plain speaking Tony picks fruit from the tree, without having to studying the roots.
4) The Silva Method - Jose Silva / programming at Alpha state, handy enough.
5) The 4hr work week - Ferris (already mentioned above).
6) The Secret.

Have all these and dozens more on audio which is better sometimes than softback.
The worst: Scientology. Well-written cult series but 'aloadaul bolloux'.

SafeSurfer

The bible has undoubtedly had the greatest impact on my life despite never having read it. It has influenced me from before I could walk, talk or read. At a few weeks old I was Christianed. I was educated by people influenced by its message, I am governed by laws shaped by its teachings, I am about to celebrate the birth of its main character by eating turkey and getting presents. So for me, definitely the bible.

Tigger99

Flourishing by Maureen Gaffney. It came out before mindfulness etc was big on my radar. I'd highly recommend it. A lot of practical advice in it.

Before I read it I thought she was just another of these consultants that RTE/Newstalk wheeled out for a filler piece but I actually think it completely changed my mindset for the better.

RiderOnTheStorm

not one book, but a few, all impacting in different ways

Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maint - when the penny droped, it stayed with me for life
No One Here Gets Out Alive - a biography of Jim Morrison (but I love The Doors, so maybe not everyones cup of tea)
the Bible - more answers in there than 'they' would have you believe!
Night Watch (by Terry Pratchet) - the story of a police man who teaches his younger self (thru time travel) how to be a good cop. a MUST read for anyone in law-enforcement ..... "you must hold on to the beast, chain him, control him .... until its time to release him"

sparkledrum

Autobiography of a Yogi. It's an amazing, inspiring book.

Permabear

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ancapailldorcha

Permabear wrote: »

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I own two of those and they're on my list. I wish they weren't so long though.

I also think that it's pertinent to mention that I've had several of my opinions changed because of things I've read on this website.

Permabear

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ancapailldorcha

Permabear wrote: »

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I just bought Human Action for less than £3! The French was what put me off War and Peace though I hope I'll get to it at some point.

I used to really enjoy reading when I was younger. I'm not sure why but I seemed to abandon it. If I had to guess, I'd put it down to going from a life without the internet to having broadband in University. Consequently, I never had my outlook shaken or altered by any particular text.

Permabear

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Dan_Solo

The Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide (1st Ed).

coolemon

The Communist Manifesto. It introduced me to a structural and critical way of thinking about history and society.

chillybilly

Self-mastery through conscious autosuggestion by Emile Coue. Can't say it's opened my eyes or anything but it's helped me curb my anxiety considerably.

RedJoker

I'm reading Atlas Shrugged at the moment. I got through The Fountainhead in a week, couldn't put it down and immediately started Atlas Shrugged. I have a couple of novels by Victor Hugo I want to read next but I'll check out War and Peace and Human Action.

The books that have the most influence on me are usually non-fiction ones that completely change my framework for understanding the world. Everything else I read on that topic suddenly clicks:

The "Man's Guide" series by Mark Derian of Animus Empire is excellent if you're interested in psychology. It's a unification of psychology (similar to Plato's unification of philosophy) so it gave me an understanding of how mindfulness, meditation, etc. fit into my life and psychology in general.

The Rational Male by Rollo Tomassi is the only book I've bought multiple copies of to give away.

More of a niche interest but The Mathematics of Poker by Bill Chen and Jerrod Ankenman was revolutionary; difficult read but if you're interested in game theory or math I'd recommend it.

ancapailldorcha

Permabear wrote: »

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I'd be the same. I'd be afraid of drifting off or being distracted as if I were listening to the radio.

DipStick McSwindler

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Jawgap

'Cosmos' by Carl Sagan - still have the original copy I bought about 30 years ago and re-read parts of it occasionally.

'Judgment under Uncertainty' - Kahneman - not exactly a page turner, but read it as part of course I was doing and it ended up leading me into a particular area of research which led to a fairly dramatic career shift!

getzls

Been a few, I would say Animal Farm by G.O.

Permabear

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RedJoker

Permabear wrote: »

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I came 2nd in that tournament a few years back. :cool:

I've read a lot of finance books but couldn't think of any that had much of an impact for me. Thinking about it again though, "Fooled by Randomness" by Nassim Taleb would qualify.

ancapailldorcha

Permabear wrote: »

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Go you!

Anyways, lot of shouts for Atlas Shrugged so might bump that one up the list. I need to read a smaller book or two first as it might make me feel better first.

Permabear

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Wizard!

I cannot recall the title, however it was a book that was teaching you how to read and why you should love books.
After that, I started reading everyday for 20-40 minutes, mostly fiction and self improvement books.

Huge impact to the way I think though had this one:
Nine Faces of Christ – by Eugene Whitworth

My father had this one always in his collection. He told me that I will ask for it once I was ready. After many years, I got it and read it. He was 100% right. 1-2 years before, I wouldn't understand it.

ancapailldorcha

Permabear wrote: »

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No. A user who enjoyed Atlas Shrugged was very vocal in her condemnation of The Fountainhead.

I don't know if you're looking for a book or if you'd be open to a large, complex set but I would highly recommend the Malazan Book of the Fallen.

Wibbs

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

No. A user who enjoyed Atlas Shrugged was very vocal in her condemnation of The Fountainhead.

FWIW I'd be the complete reverse. I found The Fountainhead the better book and Atlas shrugged an awful book. Not the politics, it was just badly written IMH. Granted I don't tend to like any sort of heavy handed political polemic dressed up as literature, so that could be much of it*. BUt my god it is heavy handed. I could never quite fathom its popularity, even among those who dig the politics of it. YMMV.







*that includes fantastic writers like Orwell when he gets obvious. With Animal Farm I'm all "yea yea we get it. bloody hell".

Permabear

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Wibbs

Permabear wrote: »

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Nope, I was just suggesting to ACP that maybe the Fountainhead would be the better read for him(and it's of similar message, so..).

I'm not saying that's what you're doing here, but it's definitely a common tactic, so much so that whenever I see people attacking Rand's writing style I look for the covert ideological agenda.

And when I see Rand being recommended I usually don't have to look too far for the overt ideological agenda, an ideological agenda you push most regularly so… In short I'm trying to head off at the pass too much of the political proselytising. There are forums for that.

Permabear

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Wibbs

Permabear wrote: »

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OK…

Yourself, earlier wrote: »

Very different books, but each exposes government as institutionalized violence

Nah, not pushing any agenda at all, at all.

I'd note that I'm not the only person to list Atlas Shrugged on this thread. Another poster even mentioned The Communist Manifesto.

Mein kampf too. If either had come out with "down with capitalism, up with the proletariat" or "Kill all commies, oh and Jews too" I'd have called them on it.

ancapailldorcha

Wibbs wrote: »

FWIW I'd be the complete reverse. I found The Fountainhead the better book and Atlas shrugged an awful book. Not the politics, it was just badly written IMH. Granted I don't tend to like any sort of heavy handed political polemic dressed up as literature, so that could be much of it*. BUt my god it is heavy handed. I could never quite fathom its popularity, even among those who dig the politics of it. YMMV.







*that includes fantastic writers like Orwell when he gets obvious. With Animal Farm I'm all "yea yea we get it. bloody hell".

Fair point. Maybe because you'd read about Rand's ideas in The Fountainhead, you found Atlas Shrugged a bit less impressive? The thing is 900 pages long so I'm trying to decide if it would be worth reading it or not which might be a bit late considering that I bought the thing.

Permabear

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Wibbs

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Fair point. Maybe because you'd read about Rand's ideas in The Fountainhead, you found Atlas Shrugged a bit less impressive? The thing is 900 pages long so I'm trying to decide if it would be worth reading it or not which might be a bit late considering that I bought the thing.

Oh no give it a go ACD, but I just found it a real wade. Above and beyond the ideological stuff - hardly an issue as few authors aren't pushing something and to be fair she's right upfront about that - I reckon it would be three times the book if it was quarter the length if you see what I mean. War and Peace on the other hand is feckin huge, but it mostly fills those pages.

I must read it again actually. I have a copy about the place. It was one of those books I was told I just had to read when I was in my teens. I will not be reading Catcher in the Rye again.

ancapailldorcha

Wibbs wrote: »

Oh no give it a go ACD, but I just found it a real wade. Above and beyond the ideological stuff - hardly an issue as few authors aren't pushing something and to be fair she's right upfront about that - I reckon it would be three times the book if it was quarter the length if you see what I mean. War and Peace on the other hand is feckin huge, but it mostly fills those pages.

Cheers Wibbs.

Back to the subject at hand, I am currently grappling with Robert Fisk's The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East. He delivers a fascinating account of his time there though it is both a lengthy tome (~1,200 pages) and miserably bleak. It's already changed my perceptions of the region as he details the havoc wreaked there by various Western states.

I'd also list Ben Goldacre's Bad Science which details how science is misused and abused by quacks, scammers and the like to make a quick buck by selling ineffectual or, worse, harmful products. I'm a scientist myself so it was quite relevant to me and helped me realise the importance of critical thinking.

Wibbs wrote: »

I must read it again actually. I have a copy about the place. It was one of those books I was told I just had to read when I was in my teens. I will not be reading Catcher in the Rye again.

Hmmm... Same here. I don't think I ever got the point of Catcher so I was never enamoured by it though I did complete it.

Fox_In_Socks

Oryx and Crake by Margarete Atwood. A near sci-fi novel that imagines how society could go if corporations are given carte blanche and deregulation of government institutions becomes the norm. Adding in genetic splicing, dicing and designing of animals and people into the mix and it becomes quite funny and horrific at the same time. Well written and a book I read every year since I bought it back in 2006.

The Sandman by Neil Gaimen. An amazing comic series where the Sandman or Dream, that aspect of ourselves/creation that is imagination and stories and illusion, is imprisoned, escapes and tries to amend for past mistakes. The story arc covers countries, peoples, Gods, species, planets and the universe.

"The Price of Getting what you Want, is Getting What you once Wanted." - a quote from The Sandman that all you accumulators should take into account during this festive consumerist season

Wibbs

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Cheers Wibbs.

Back to the subject at hand, I am currently grappling with Robert Fisk's The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East. He delivers a fascinating account of his time there though it is both a lengthy tome (~1,200 pages) and miserably bleak. It's already changed my perceptions of the region as he details the havoc wreaked there by various Western states.

I love Fisk's stuff, he's a vey good wider story/other side of the usual narrative writer.

I'd also list Ben Goldacre's Bad Science which details how science is misused and abused by quacks, scammers and the like to make a quick buck by selling ineffectual or, worse, harmful products. I'm a scientist myself so it was quite relevant to me and helped me realise the importance of critical thinking.

Forgot that one. Yep a very good un.