Personally, I've never experienced this. I'd like to hear if anyone has experienced some sort of dramatic change by reading a book, or watching a movie, or experiencing any other art form for that matter. Obviously, the Bible is probably a pretty big one, so let's try to leave that out in order to avoid this thread degenerating into some pointless argument.
After reading the bible, I learned how blind I had been to all that really matterred. Suddenly life had meaning.
Read "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" by Dee Brown as a teen or young adult and it totally changed how I viewed history, how history is written and how I later did my own research into the past.
When I was in high school, I went out and bought a copy of Infinite Jest. I can honestly say that my life was changed by this book. As my mom drove us home from the bookstore, the book slid off of the front bench seat of our car and became lodged beneath the brake. At just that moment, the driver in front of us slammed on his brake. Unable to stop, my mother veered off the road and struck a phone pole. Both of my parents were killed instantly and I spent some time in the hospital.
Good God i hope you are kidding.
Stella, I'm bleeding wrote:
When I was in high school, I went out and bought a copy of Infinite Jest. I can honestly say that my life was changed by this book. As my mom drove us home from the bookstore, the book slid off of the front bench seat of our car and became lodged beneath the brake. At just that moment, the driver in front of us slammed on his brake. Unable to stop, my mother veered off the road and struck a phone pole. Both of my parents were killed instantly and I spent some time in the hospital.
When I was a sophomore in High school, I was making pretty mediocre-to-poor grades. Bs and Cs mostly. A neighbor lady whose lawn I mowed gave me a copy of Eggers' A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. I was like, "yeah, thanks" and figured I would just throw it in my room and forget about it. She asked me about it the next week and I figured I should at least read a few chapters.
I read the first few chapters and I could not put it down. I didn't realize at that time that books could be cool, risque, etc. Anyway, while I still think the book is good, it wasn't the writing that actually changed my life. It was the fact that I developed a love of reading. I was insatiable. My grades instantly improved because I finally understood that learning was actually fun and opened doors.
I know a lot of you make fun of English majors, but I majored in English and then went to get a Masters. After a few years as a copywriter, I took over some client accounts and now I get to work on some really fun campaigns.
I think about that a lot... I also think about how I never really read a book prior to that day. It makes me sick.
Well?..... wrote:
Personally, I've never experienced this.
You need to read better books and give them some serious thought after you've finished them.
once a runner totally changed my training which resulted in me getting a full ride in college, so yes
As a very young boy, I got my hands on a copy of Joy of Sex. My little playmates didn't see me for weeks. Never been the same ever since.
Diet & Salad, by Norman Walker
Catcher in the Rye.
I was a teenager filled with the cliche teen angst. I thought the world was against me & I was all alone. (I was a pretty terrible high school student. I never tried in class.) Anyway, I picked-up a copy of Salinger's book & it changed my life...
It still took me a number of years to "figure it out" but I went to college & was an English Major. I became an high school teacher too.
The mixture of my terrible high school experience & Salinger's book have greatly influenced the way I teach teenagers today.
*Disclaimer* - I do not believe minimalist running shoes to be the cure to all injuries, or the best method for all runners.
Yes, Born to Run did change my life though, by convincing me to try VFFs. They made me a much more efficient runner, and allowed me to accomplish more than I previously would have
This book changed the way I view the opposite sex. And I read it in one night!
You need to read better books and give them some serious thought after you've finished them.[/quote]
Well, I'm certainly not the most well read guy out there or anything, but I don't read garbage. I'm finishing up Lolita and I'm going to start Appointment in Samarra soon. I've also just ordered The Master and Margarita. I don't think you could argue that there are too many books considered "better" than those, but I guess that depends on how you choose to define "better." Anyway, I suppose the books I've read have changed my life, but not in any way I would call significant.
"Microwave for One" by Sonia Allison changed the way I viewed cooking. No more ramen, frozen pizza, or fast food drive through. Finally, I can come home to a real meal.
I Believe wrote:
After reading the bible, I learned how blind I had been to all that really matterred. Suddenly life had meaning.
I second the Bible
I can come up with 5 that I read between the ages of 8 or 9 and 21.....
1) The Lou Gehrig Story- read in the 3rd grade and turned me on to really reading for the first time.
2) Catcher in the Rye- made reading in high school cool
3) Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and Black Like Me- awakened me to the social injustice in this country
4) Athletics-How to Become A Champion- the Cerutty book provided me with information that was sorely missing in this country and put me in touch with the man that would influence my training and my coaching for the next 40 years.
I am not surprised to see Salinger listed so frequently. I think for most guys, Salinger was a major influence. I read all of Salinger's books in order, one right after the other. I remember being mad that he didn't have a larger body of work.
I think as a guy, you hit a point where all of a sudden you realize that reading is "cool." The precocious Glass children just seemed awesome to me in a weird way, like the characters from a Noah Bombach film or something. I wanted to talk like them. I had this conversation with my father not long ago. Both he and my mother are very educated and successful in their careers (they retired). My mom was an art professor and my dad was a EVP for a pretty large corporation. I had always been a dumb jock type until I read Eggers' book. They noticed the turn-around but didn't really ask too many questions at the time for fear that they would ruin it. It wasn't until years later that my dad started recommending books.
If you are a young guy who is reading this and hasn't found the love of reading, go pick up some Salinger and get busy.
The Bible.
And second to the Bible, Thomas Brooks' "Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices" -- absolutely beautiful English
No one single book "changed me life." A lot of books, however, have impacted it. As someone in a technical field, true stories about what people can accomplish with hard work really resonate with me. A few favorites:
"The Great Bridge" by McCullough. A true story of a few hard working, intelligent men who dared to build something great and fight "the system" to some degree. It's like a real life Atlas Shrugged, if Atlas Shrugged was reasonable. If you haven't read any McCullough, you should.
"The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Rhodes. The development of physics in the early 1900's was simply phenomenal. It's a combination of amazing levels of intelligence, men fighting against religious/ethnic persecution, and the moral battle that comes with developing a weapon.
Locke's Second Treatise on Government. Old-fashioned by today's standards, but extremely advanced when you consider the time. If you can generalize his religious arguments to more "appropriate" general moral ones, it becomes more powerful. As a big part of the basis for our country (founding fathers, etc), this seems applicable to anyone with interest in politics and government.