Is there a book you read that changed how you viewed things? Maybe life in general or a particular subject? Mine I read in senior year of high school. It was heart of darkness by Joseph Conrad. That book changed how I viewed reading and writing. It was a very difficult book to get through but when I did I saw how effective metaphors, biblical imagery, and historical allusions could be. To me Conrad packed so much into 120 pages. Anyway, what were your view-changing books?
Books that changed us
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Oh, there've been a great many.
I loved The Hero and the Crown, mostly in that it was such a relief as a kid to finally find a book where the tough protagonist was...a girl. That sounds crazy, but there still aren't a lot of fantasy books with a female protagonist, and there were even fewer when I was a kid.
The Iliad really made me think. About how humanity has and hasn't changed, about how in wars there's rarely a right and a wrong side, about just human nature in general.
War and Peace was long, but ultimately incredibly uplifting. There was something about it that made me admire the little details in life - the magic of the ordinary.
There've been thousands, though. I read a lot as a good book really does have the magic of changing the way I think, which is a remarkable thing.
I loved The Hero and the Crown, mostly in that it was such a relief as a kid to finally find a book where the tough protagonist was...a girl. That sounds crazy, but there still aren't a lot of fantasy books with a female protagonist, and there were even fewer when I was a kid.
The Iliad really made me think. About how humanity has and hasn't changed, about how in wars there's rarely a right and a wrong side, about just human nature in general.
War and Peace was long, but ultimately incredibly uplifting. There was something about it that made me admire the little details in life - the magic of the ordinary.
There've been thousands, though. I read a lot as a good book really does have the magic of changing the way I think, which is a remarkable thing.
Mutive, thanks for the reply. There have been many for me as well, just wanted to give one I had been thinking about.
On another note, did I say something wrong?
On another note, did I say something wrong?
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While I'm far from a romantic, Gone with the Wind did change my view on government. It all came from Rhett Butler: "All wars are just about money squabbles."
I read it around the time of Desert Storm, and it really changed my view of the entire situation.
I read it around the time of Desert Storm, and it really changed my view of the entire situation.
Exodus by Leon Uris
I read it when I was a college student in the 80s, didn't know at that time what it means to struggle in a country for independence and peace. Taught me to appreciate what I have in my own country...
I read it when I was a college student in the 80s, didn't know at that time what it means to struggle in a country for independence and peace. Taught me to appreciate what I have in my own country...
I read Atlas Shrugged when I was in seventh grade. I didn't understand the politics, and skimmed over the most densely preachy parts of it. But I enjoyed the story itself immensely. I didn't realize until I studied Political Science years later how much it had influenced my views.
Another one was Starship Troopers, by Heinlein.
Another one was Starship Troopers, by Heinlein.
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For some reason I can't pinpoint, I also think the Westing Game was a huge influence on me. I think because I identified with the under-appreciated but excellent Turtle.
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Koji Suzuki's Ring series. That includes the movies based on it, by the way, because that's how I was first exposed to it. It's so much more than a creepy story about a haunted videotape. I felt transformed after reading the whole thing.
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It wasn't just one book, it was a series for me. Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody mystery series literally changed my life. I started reading it in middle school, and it kindled my interest in Egyptology, and later led to my pursuit of Ancient History and Egyptology as a career-path. Plus, I adored the main character so much that I strive to emulate her in some ways.
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Paul Zindel's "My Darling, My Hamburger" that I read in the 9th grade is what got me hooked on reading
Then, Thomas Hardy's "Jude the Obscure" made me want to be a literature major in college, made me want to keep reading stuff just so I could sit in a room and talk about it all with others who were just as interested as I was, so I think it qualifies as an influential novel for me
Finally, Thomas Pynchon's "The Crying of Lot 49" brought me back to reading after I'd finished law school and had abandoned my love of literature for far too many years and got me hooked all over again
Then, Thomas Hardy's "Jude the Obscure" made me want to be a literature major in college, made me want to keep reading stuff just so I could sit in a room and talk about it all with others who were just as interested as I was, so I think it qualifies as an influential novel for me
Finally, Thomas Pynchon's "The Crying of Lot 49" brought me back to reading after I'd finished law school and had abandoned my love of literature for far too many years and got me hooked all over again
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Ooh, this is a great thread!
Synger, I read Atlas Shrugged in first year of university. It messed a bit with my socialist tendencies, but in the end they persevered
And Milly, The Crying of Lot 39. Oh man. That book had me sweating bullets. I'm not sure why, it just really got to me.
The novel that most negatively affected me was The Dice Man by Rhinehart. I was about 17 when I read it. It's about a psychiatrist who starts making every decision in his life by casting a dice. After I read that book I made one very bad decision because of my teenage-existentialist-crisis-interpretation that the book meant our choices don't matter. Boy, did I learn that was wrong quick!
The book that influenced me most in a positive manner was Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. It came to me just at the right time, when I was deciding I wanted to be a writer.
Synger, I read Atlas Shrugged in first year of university. It messed a bit with my socialist tendencies, but in the end they persevered
And Milly, The Crying of Lot 39. Oh man. That book had me sweating bullets. I'm not sure why, it just really got to me.
The novel that most negatively affected me was The Dice Man by Rhinehart. I was about 17 when I read it. It's about a psychiatrist who starts making every decision in his life by casting a dice. After I read that book I made one very bad decision because of my teenage-existentialist-crisis-interpretation that the book meant our choices don't matter. Boy, did I learn that was wrong quick!
The book that influenced me most in a positive manner was Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. It came to me just at the right time, when I was deciding I wanted to be a writer.
When I was a kid, my parents left me to live with my grandparents. I was too young to understand that they needed to leave. All I knew was that I'd been abandoned, and I wondered if it was because I was inherently unlovable.
Anyway, my grandpa had one book. It was an old, battered book of Fairytales. He read from it every night. I believe that's how I learned English. It taught me that words can express how you feel. Words can take you away from your situation and transport you to another world.
So, don't exactly have a title. All I know is that it was light brown, with bright pictures on the cover.
Anyway, my grandpa had one book. It was an old, battered book of Fairytales. He read from it every night. I believe that's how I learned English. It taught me that words can express how you feel. Words can take you away from your situation and transport you to another world.
So, don't exactly have a title. All I know is that it was light brown, with bright pictures on the cover.
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Koji Suzuki's Ring.... those are BOOKS?! Oh man. I luv that frickin' movie.
oh. Books. That I've read. Two that jump to mind are actually writing books, and they both sort of focus on confidence.
Stephen King's On Writing and Let the Crazy Child Write. They both sort of said "you can, so why don't you?" And I ask myself that whenever the scardies start to gang up on me.
oh. Books. That I've read. Two that jump to mind are actually writing books, and they both sort of focus on confidence.
Stephen King's On Writing and Let the Crazy Child Write. They both sort of said "you can, so why don't you?" And I ask myself that whenever the scardies start to gang up on me.
Synger, I read Atlas Shrugged in first year of university. It messed a bit with my socialist tendencies, but in the end they persevered
Doesn't surprise me that it messed with you. It messes with most people to one degree or another. Even if you disagree with the politics, it's an intriguing tale. I find the reaction to it very interesting. From Wikipedia
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Yes, and they are AMAZING! There are three novels, and one collection of novellas called "Birthday" that focus on three of the central female characters.
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Lolita made me realize that a novel could be both entertainment and a work of art. I was twelve when I first read it, and while a lot of the references went over my head, I loved the way Nabokov played with language. Or, rather, languages. His prose reads like poetry, and the book remains my favorite to this day.
Paul Zindel's "My Darling, My Hamburger" that I read in the 9th grade is what got me hooked on reading
I read Paul Zindels the pigman when I was 11. It really said a lot about people that we may perceive as crazy but are just a little eccentric. I actually had the pleasure to meet him after I read it. He was really encouraging about writing.
Another book was Gone for Soldiers by Jeff Shaara. It was a great insight into who generals and politicians were before the civil war. Great read!
Early on (maybe age 9 to 10), "Rivets and Sprockets" a juvenile by Alexander Key was influential as was "The Rolling Stones" (since then renamed "The Family Stone") by Robert Heinlein. Age 12 was "Star Surgeon" by James White. These all piqued my interest in Science Fiction. In high school I read a lot of popular science books (which back then mostly meant Isaac Asimov), but I didn't read a lot of SF until college when I read (among other things) everything by Heinlein (and not realizing I was rereading "Stone" until 20 pages into it). I haven't slogged through "Atlas Shrugged" yet, but it's very likely Heinlein's writings that led me to have strong libertarian leanings.
There are also several influential books later in life, but "The Adventures of A Parapsychologist" comes to mind immediately. I discuss it in the very first AW post I made:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1007627&postcount=2
and to show how influential it was, I've mentioned it a few times since. The search results show a couple of threads like this are in AW's history.
There are also several influential books later in life, but "The Adventures of A Parapsychologist" comes to mind immediately. I discuss it in the very first AW post I made:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1007627&postcount=2
and to show how influential it was, I've mentioned it a few times since. The search results show a couple of threads like this are in AW's history.
When I was young, a book of short stories by Poe probably worked the most magic. And The Monkey's Paw and O'Henry!
Around there somewhere The Red Badge of Courage made a real impression. And Of Mice and Men.
Past that, it gets to hard to choose, I think!
Around there somewhere The Red Badge of Courage made a real impression. And Of Mice and Men.
Past that, it gets to hard to choose, I think!
I've loved science fiction and horror forever and having been a bit Poe fan early on, was easily drawn to Stephen King. He has a way of modernizing horror. In regards to fiction writing in this genre, the one book that made me sit up and pay attention was Salem's Lot. Before him, I don't think anyone had modernized the tale to the extent that you could believe your community could turn into vampires. You always thought you had to take an exotic trip to Transylvania.
The Tell-tale Heart by Poe was awesome. It describes so well how anyone that has done something wrong feels about possibly getting caught. The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell said a lot about human survival. Poe affected my writing much more than Connell but I loved both stories.
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Another vote for this. I'm an adult now, but I still reread The Westing Game every few years. It started me on a lifelong love of mysteries, if nothing else.