What book changed your life?

This might have been covered in another thread, but if so I can't find it.

What book has the most impact on your philosophy and outlook on life?

For me, it would have to be Candide, by Voltaire. I read it when I was 15, and it really caught me. It acknowledges that the world is not a perfect place, and we don't always understand why bad things happen, but our true responsibility is to "tend our garden," create a good life and help those around us. I reread it every year or so.

Hmmm, good question, Ashlea. I'm going to have to think on this one for a bit. There are so many that I could choose from...

That is a really difficult question. Not sure there is one SINGLE book that changed my life. I think many books added a little bit to the whole

SillyWabbit said:

That is a really difficult question. Not sure there is one SINGLE book that changed my life. I think many books added a little bit to the whole

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Concur with this. I reckon reading books changed my life. It's taught me to take time to do things right ad enjoy it while I am there. I've never developed speed reading and do not want to.

Certain books have helped me in life developed my views on a range of topics.

Geology: As I am a geologist I've read a lot of books relating to all aspects of geology, you realise we are just the last frame in the movie, so much has happened before and so much will happen after we have gone to where ever we may go..

The Bible: not read the whole thing, but it's shaped my atheist views on life.

Newspapers: Ended up reading the Independent (UK) as this was the most impartial paper out there. Now I live in Australia and only read the real estate and for sale sections and skim the rest. Basically I concluded that the handful of men controlling the media do just that, control the media.
The only honest thing out there is page 3, even then silicon is involved.

Scifi: imagine, imagine and then imagine some more. Who knows it may happen. HG Wells and trips to the moon. Balderdash! Err or just a NASA conspiracy. Nope we imagined it then did it. Not looking forward to being on the 5 year working trip to the asteroid belt mining. Guess I will stick with oil and gas exploration.

Fantasy: Loose yourself there, great to get away.

Thrillers: Bad bad bad people, BUT the good guys win. Whoops this should be fantasy. Still fun though but not life changing.

So to sum up my diatribe, the book that changed my life was Peter and Jane No.1

Ashlea said:

This might have been covered in another thread, but if so I can't find it.

What book has the most impact on your philosophy and outlook on life?

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I like this topic, which makes me have to look back and think. Right now, I cannot write down any. One that is on my mind this moment is Jean-Christophe, by Romain Rolland. ---don't know why i happen to come up with this book.

Carlos said:

Concur with this. I reckon reading books changed my life.
. . .
So to sum up my diatribe, the book that changed my life was Peter and Jane No.1

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I love your explanation, Carlos.

I feel the same way. I.e. Every book I read - both good and bad - adds to the whole. My outlook and philosophy on life is ever-evolving. I'm not the person I was 20 years ago, nor would I want to be. But I don't think any one book did it.

So, Ashlea, my short answer is kind of like Carlos: The act of reading and all the books I've ever read have influenced me.

Everything has been said already.

Cheers, Martin

Unfortunately it's more of an author than a book. Piers Anthony is not good for small children.

The book that's had the most impact on my life would have to be Star Wars. After reading it I became obsessed with Star Wars. It may not be a deep philosophical work, but my life revolved around it.

Ashlea,
It's funny that you mention Candide. I think I read it at least 15 years ago, but I still find it a very useful vehicle for expressing my thoughts. I use it often as a kind of intellectual short-hand, because it expresses those ideas in such a compact form. I suppose I tend to think of the "message" as being more like "Keep your head down, keep your mouth shut, and work hard", but in a very positive sense. You know, an artistic signpost for anybody who has regretted, seriously, that homesteading is no longer a viable way to claim land, or something like that.
Anyway, I don't know that any one book has influenced my thinking in a profound way, but there are probably about half-a-dozen that I often use in this "intellectual shorthand" way because they express ideas which are important to me.

not one book changed my life, it was a series of books, 'The Tomorrow Series" by john marsden. It is about Australia being invaded and the war that ensues. It made me realise how short life is, and how frail people are, even though they seem strong. I also realised the frailty of relationships, no matter how simple or complex

I wouldn't say the book changed my life, but the book The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawitcz gave me alot of inspiration to do alot of physical and mental challenges I never thought I could do.

Sapper,
If you liked The Long Walk, you might want to see if you can find Endurance by Alfred Lansing (I think) or Escape from Colditz (I don't remember the author). Both are, each in their way, amazing stories of perserverance and inventiveness.

Great i'll check those out thank you! There's another one I read also along those lines called We Die Alone cant think of author right now it was good.

If there is one book that changed everything for me, it has to "Ulysses." Back in my college days as an inspiring writer, I was egotistical enough to think my little stories were good and that being a writer was easy. Then I read this book and it re-defined for me what the English language was capable of expressing.

In almost that same manner, I'm nearly finished with Thomas Pynchon's "Gravity's Rainbow." Again, what a novel is, what language can express, and the capacity of the human imagination are all being re-defined.

Irene Wilde

Irene Wilde said:

If there is one book that changed everything for me, it has to "Ulysses." Back in my college days as an inspiring writer, I was egotistical enough to think my little stories were good and that being a writer was easy. Then I read this book and it re-defined for me what the English language was capable of expressing.

In almost that same manner, I'm nearly finished with Thomas Pynchon's "Gravity's Rainbow." Again, what a novel is, what language can express, and the capacity of the human imagination are all being re-defined.

Irene Wilde

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I often feel that way about poetry, especially Keats or Seamus Heaney.

And Welcome, Irene!

Seamus heaney translated Beowulf, right?

Cheers, Martin

Martin said:

Seamus heaney translated Beowulf, right?

Cheers, Martin

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Yes. INCREDIBLE translation.

I know - I read it (and the original) and translated (parts of) it into Dutch.

Cheers, Martin

Martin said:

Seamus heaney translated Beowulf, right?

Cheers, Martin

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Yes, and it was absolutely superb. The translation projects an atmosphere all of its own, most in keeping with the Saxon style, and the content in itself is obviously brilliant, and coincidentally of paramount interest to a Tolkien fan-compare the tale of Beowulf and the dragon with The Hobbit!