The Book That Changed Your Life

[Gutmutter]

Just read this thread for the first time and have to say - WOW! I agree with so many of the ones mentioned here. I think every book I've read has changed my life in the sense that it adds another viewpoint from which to draw compassion. Richard Brautigan (mentioned way back) never fails to enthrall me - his use of words is groundbreaking. My current life-changer is "50 Facts That Should Change the World". One that I read every year is "The Shell Seekers" by Rosamund Pilcher. I don't know what it is, but it really resonates with my core self.

[Google]

 

[Goldenboy]

wow... a few changed my opinion on life, morality and nationalism A LOT..

Waiting for the Barbarians and Disgrace by JM Coetzee are AMAZING. Everyone should read them, and they will ALWAYS be on my reading list for my classes

The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford

The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta (not a self help book. it's so amazing if you like postco lit. it's really sad and tragic)

[ChristoferHawke]

Absolutely no doubt in my mind, "To Kill A Mockingbird". Really woke me up to the horrors of racism and changed my life about the way to treat all people. I was raised by redneck grandparents and I sure never got any inspiration from them. They'd go to church on Sunday then lie and cheat and let their prejudices run wild the rest of the week. The book also taught me the value of family. If you don't have a bloodl one, then the one you create with your friends and lovers can be just as satisfying.

[bee stung lips]

Without a doubt The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. This book's influence on me was threefold: first, the fact that the story was compelling and secondly, reading this book as a twelve year old and realizing that the auther was only sixteen when it was published was the biggest encouragement ever to me as a young aspiring writer. And thirdly, it was where I first came across my favourite poem of all time..."Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost.

[tickerrose]

Wow, it is amazing how many books I have read and forgotten about and this thread is making me feel incredibly nostalgic. The first book to ever make me cry and therefor understand the power of the written word was Where the Red Fern Grows.
Some of the other books that pop into my head as having a huge impact on me would be;
She's Come Undone; Skinny Legs and All along with Even Cowgirls Get the Blues and Still Life with Woodpecker I just love Tom Robbins. I give a copy of Still Life to just about every red head I love. In high school I read Trinity by Leon Uris and it really cemented my love of historical fiction.

Escapism is one of my greatest pleasures in reading, so when my older cousin introduced me to Terry Brooks and his Shannara series I saw there could be life after Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, albiet not on the same level.

It is not fiction, but the book which perhaps changed my life the most was Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, it really pulls back the veil on glossy history accounts and takes into account the folk. We all know history is written by the winners.

[myrosiedog]

Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani. I read it right after my mother passed away and the main character's mother has recently passsed away in the novel. This book really changed my whole perspective on losing my parents so soon together. I even have a quote from it in a tribute I did to my mother.
This book really helped me with my grief process and helped me on my way to becoming the person I am today because I no longer had parents to rely on for advice and comfort. So I'd say it did change my life and helped me accept my parents deaths a little easier.

[sweetpea]

I was a voracious reader when I was young and have remained so. My Mother would take my sister and I to the library every Saturday, and I'd bury myself in the kids stacks with a pile of books. It's hard to think of a single book that changed my life, but I know there were a few books I read when I was younger that deepened and solidified my love of reading. One of the first was The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkein. I remember reading it as fast as I could, practically tumbling over the words, because I was so caught up in this wonderful imaginary world. Imagine my delight when I turned to The Lord of the Rings afterwards? I still read this trilogy every few years, and it remains one of my all-time favorite reads. Tolkeins books introduced me to the best of Fantasy fiction, and I remain a devoted fan.

Another author who captured my imagination and my eternal devotion is Patricia McKillip. Again while very young I read her Riddlemaster trilogy and it remains at the top of my favorite reads. She writes in such a lyrical and stunning manner. Her phrasing, the complexity of her characters, the beauty of the language she uses, and the scope of her imagination are incomparible. The books in the trilogy are The Riddlemaster of Hed, Heir of Sea and Fire, and Harpist in the Wind.

Finally, another book I remember loving as a young reader was Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. It really captured my imagination and showed me that a young female heroine can be creative, self-sufficient, brave and capable. It was a truly inspiring book.

[Butterfly723]

I agree with so many of the choices here. As a child I would have to choose "Are you there God, It's Me Margaret" and "It's Not The End Of The World" by Judy Blume are 2 of my choices. I read "It's not the end of the world" soon after my parents divorce.

As A teen I'd choose "Go ask Alice" and The Outsiders"

Most recently I would have to say "A Child Called It" really changed me. That book haunted me for years after I read it. Anybody who thinks they had a tough childhood needs to read that book.

If you guys liked "Go Ask Alice" May I reccomend a book that I read as a teen and have not been able to find since..It's called "Christianne F. (I think that's how it's spelled) Author: Anonymous. It was written by a German teenager about her drug use. That is an amazing book. I just wish I could find it, I would love to read it again.

[Critical]

Originally Posted by Butterfly723

If you guys liked "Go Ask Alice" May I reccomend a book that I read as a teen and have not been able to find since..It's called "Christianne F. (I think that's how it's spelled) Author: Anonymous. It was written by a German teenager about her drug use. That is an amazing book. I just wish I could find it, I would love to read it again.

Oooo! I remember Christianne F! Wasn't she addicted to heroin? I checked the second hand book sites I buy from and, you're right, no one has a copy. If I still had mine I'd send it to you, but I'm sure my mother got rid of it years ago. I remember how shocking it was to this good little girl.

Okay, I went and checked AbeBooks: New & Used Books, Textbooks, Rare & Out of Print Books and found a number of copies in French (not helpful unless you know the language). There are also a few copies on ebay, but they're in German. The spelling is "Christiane F" BTW. I did find a few copies in English, but the cheapest is $90! I guess you'd really have to want to re-read that book! Now I kind of wish my mom hadn't tossed mine. I could make a few bucks.

[burntbrat]

I agree with so many others that I can't name just one book that changed my life. My reading experience has been much like bbnbama's from the young adult mysteries to Bronte to trashy romance to escapist horror and sci fi.

I remember reading The Catcher in the Rye because it was the cool thing to do, and really finding a bit of myself in the book as I was growing up. 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 solidified my teen anger against the man. In my later teen years I read White Lies, a book about a modern day lynching of a black man in Conroe, TX. It really opened my eyes about modern racism in America. Now I live in Houston (Conroe is really a suburb of Houston) and I'm still a bit terrified when I have to drive through Conroe to get to Dallas. My husband bought me copies of Illusions by Richard Bach and Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. I really enjoyed both of those; they were short and gave me some insight into what makes my lovely man tick.

Now-a-days books don't really change my life, they just enrich it