yes
yes
Yes, Atlas Shrugged!
"An Honorable Run" - Matt McCue.
This book really hit home to the OCD and pressure exhibited in my day to day life as a working professional thriving to become a good runner. In the end , like Matt, I will never be a great run, rather hope to have an honorable run.
Is the IKEA catalog considered a book?
If I read Kurt Vonnegut a few years ago, it would have changed my life.
Probably the Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey. Sorta cemented my viewpoint and direction in life.
I will tell you, the Early Retirement Extreme blog is in the process of changing my life.
I am now embarrassed to say it, but reading Atlas Shrugged did sort of change my life, in that reading it made me realize that I am an atheist. I was raised Christian, but deep down never truly believed, and reading Atlas Shrugged gave me reasons to accept my disbelief. I followed the normal progression of any 18-21 year old male who reads that book, I became enthralled for about 6 months, and then realize Rand's a crappy philosopher, but the atheist stuff stuck with me.
Well?..... wrote:
so let's try to leave [the Bible] out in order to avoid this thread degenerating into some pointless argument.
Obviously several commenters are lacking in reading, reading comprehension, or cooperation skills.
Then again, I'll not cooperate fully because here are not books but instead authors of excellent books. I've read multiple books from each of these the past 5 years, and all are excellent:
Timothy J Keller
Alexander McCall Smith
N. Nassim Taleb
Yes
Kevin Trudeau book "Nature Cures they don't want you do know about"
Changed by Life, by health, and my future health.
which lead to the greatest health guru of all, Mike Adams the Health Ranger...website... naturenews.com
Laupala wrote:
I am now embarrassed to say it, but reading Atlas Shrugged did sort of change my life, in that reading it made me realize that I am an atheist. I was raised Christian, but deep down never truly believed, and reading Atlas Shrugged gave me reasons to accept my disbelief. I followed the normal progression of any 18-21 year old male who reads that book, I became enthralled for about 6 months, and then realize Rand's a crappy philosopher, but the atheist stuff stuck with me.
I think people are too hard on Atlas Shrugged. If you treat it like some sort of philosophical bible, you're probably an idiot, and you deserve some ridicule.
However, it contains a bunch of higher-level themes that I think are both reasonable and applicable on a philosophical level.
People just need to not take Rand's words as gospel at face value, and instead consider the generalities of individualism, hard work, relationships between people and government, etc.
"It's Not About the Bike" by Lance Armstrong, which in light of things, the title now makes perfect sense...
I'm sure many books influence us ("change our lives") in small ways that we don't recognize and that these small things escalate into major changes that we really don't recognize. It's also hard to know if the book influenced us or we've created an internal model that it's influenced us because it supports the way we think. That said, here are some books in my life
Bury My Heart... - what someone else said (social justice)
Treasure Island/Huck Finn/Last of the Mohicans - sense of adventure, coming of age, entry into classic literature
Where the Red Fern Grows/A Day no Pigs would Die - sensitivity to animals but this led to sensitivity to other cultures, segments of society, etc.)
All Quiet on the Western Front - how I think about war
Jude the Obscure - how I think about social mobility and constraints on "choices" from culture and society
Good Morning Midnight (by Chip Brown) - how I think about dying
The Selfish Gene/Religion Explained - how I think about humans
Tales of the Archdruid - How I think about conservation and land use
Not a lot of fiction there despite that I've read a lot of (literary) fiction.
rugby otter wrote: I second the Bible
I "third" the Bible, but not for the same reasons. I've read it cover-to-cover three times, and with each completion it became more apparent that it was part fiction and part history but in no way the infallible word of God. Knowing that also helped me realize that any religion based on the Bible's content and teachings is all about man and "zero" about God.
I now have a much stronger spiritual life than if I'd followed the lead of all the "cults" out there.
"What Are People For" by Wendell Berry.
Although the days of the prophets are long behind us, I think Wendell Berry is the closest thing we have to one. This is the most powerful and life-changing book I've ever read, and I just started rereading it this morning!
I just finished Michael Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma." Also incredible, it's an easy and powerful read. Not quite as dense as Wendell Berry's material, though.
Nietzsche
Plutarch's Parallel Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans
Montaigne's Essays
A friend gave me a copy of the book Alcoholics Anonymous and when I started to read it idendified with what was in it. I went to my first meeting of AA that night and my life has been changed for the better for over 27 years now.
The Denial of Death - Ernest Becker
Anam Cara - John O'Donohue
Eternal Echoes - John O'Donohue
Be Here Now
The Tibetan Book of the Dead
The Dark Night of the Soul
Shaman, Healer, Sage
1) Rick Dad, Poor Dad - changed how I viewed financial /spending matters and building assets/wealth.
2) Freakanomics & Moneyball - changed how I viewed the world and made decisions. I look at most matters through an economic/statistical point of view now.
So no books really changed my life completely, just changed how I view life.
RuKiddingMe!! wrote:
Yes
Kevin Trudeau book "Nature Cures they don't want you do know about"
Changed by Life, by health, and my future health.
which lead to the greatest health guru of all, Mike Adams the Health Ranger...website... naturenews.com
"Changed by Life, by health, and my future health. "
Don't ya mean: "and BY future health???" C'mon man, learn to type.
(but in all seriousness, maybe those cures have given you brain damage and now you hit the letter "b" when you mean to hit "m". Yes, that surely is a life-changer.)
(And any book titled "Nature Cures they don't want you do know about" is probably full of unscientific fad diet ideas and conspiracy theories. Just sayin'.)
Atlas Shrugged.
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