The Prodigal God by Tim Keller. Helped me to understand that the parable of the prodigal son was *really* about the older brother and completely transformed my faith in the process.
The Prodigal God by Tim Keller. Helped me to understand that the parable of the prodigal son was *really* about the older brother and completely transformed my faith in the process.
Boy Scout Handbook -- it raised self-reliance to one of my most important values.
LOL!
wheat belly....and I'm not kidding
"Behind the Bell" by Dustin Diamond.
The Alchemist
Once a runner
face
"A View From Above".
Wilt Chamberlain's autobiography.
1984. I like all the overarching themes about power and language and society, but something else cements the book in my memory. 1984 introduced me to the power of fiction, whereas before that book I dismissed fiction because it was not "real." These days, all I read is fiction. I really wish that I read more fiction during my youth when I had more free time.
Weary wrote:
"The Stranger" by Camus. It didn't make me want to go out and shoot anyone, but I read it when I was 18, decades ago, and it made me realize I didn't have to keep trying to please everyone to no avail and to my own detriment.
Camus Resistance Rebellion and Death, specifically Reflections on the Guillotine convinced me capital punishment is wrong.
Into the wild
Probably the original Book of the Subgenius.
Atlas Shrugged.
I do not buy Ayn's philosophy 100%, but it did make me think and become more of a libertarian.
The Book of Mormon
Yes, it's a cliche, but probably "Atlas Shrugged."
In my experience, most people who say the Bible changed their lives have not read all of it. (I also don't think it actually *changed* the lives of all of them--some, yes, but others were pretty much already tuned in to its message. Reinforcement is not really change.)
The Master Game by Robert S DeRopp (A neighbor of HST)
wineturtle,
I'd love to buy you a beer sometime and pick your brain (if at all possible). You must be a very interesting dude.
Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov
Close second: Mark Twain's The Mysterious Stranger
"Existential Psychotherapy" by Irvin Yalom. It was while reading that book that it first occurred to me that I would die one day, causing me to revalue my values, so to speak.