are you are critical thinker?

The approaches to life and living in
general which characterize critical thinking
include:
* inquisitiveness with regard to a wide range of
issues,
* concern to become and remain well-informed,
* alertness to opportunities to use critical thinking,
* trust in the processes of reasoned inquiry,
* self-confidence in one*s own abilities to reason,
* open-mindedness regarding divergent world views,
* flexibility in considering alternatives and opinions
* understanding of the opinions of other people,
* fair-mindedness in appraising reasoning,
* honesty in facing one*s own biases, prejudices,
stereotypes, or egocentric tendencies,
* prudence in suspending, making or altering
judgments,
* willingness to reconsider and revise views where
honest reflection suggests that change is
warranted.

are you are critical thinker?

The approaches to life and living in
general which characterize critical thinking
include:
* inquisitiveness with regard to a wide range of
issues,
* concern to become and remain well-informed,
* alertness to opportunities to use critical thinking,
* trust in the processes of reasoned inquiry,
* self-confidence in one*s own abilities to reason,
* open-mindedness regarding divergent world views,
* flexibility in considering alternatives and opinions
* understanding of the opinions of other people,
* fair-mindedness in appraising reasoning,
* honesty in facing one*s own biases, prejudices,
stereotypes, or egocentric tendencies,
* prudence in suspending, making or altering
judgments,
* willingness to reconsider and revise views where
honest reflection suggests that change is
warranted.

Books that have changed lives

http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/3/4/3157/15548
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What Books have Influenced Your Life? (Culture) By Kasreyn Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 07:20:46 AM EST What books have you read that deeply influenced your way of living, thinking, or viewpoints about the world around you? My own list follows. My own list, a very minor and incomplete one, might include some of the following books. The list is in as close to the order in which I first read them that I can remember. "The Holy Bible", by various authors. This book, more than anything by Voltaire, is primarily responsible for putting an end to my faith in god. This despite the fact that I attended a Roman Catholic private elementary school. The beauty of the poetry of the King James edition fills me with wonder, but the rawness of its self-contradictions fill me with worry when I contemplate the hundreds of generations of readers that have failed to decry them. I am forced, reluctantly, to conclude that the vast majority of Christendom has never read it in full. "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings", by J.R.R. Tolkien. I'm placing both in the same paragraph here, though of course they are not the same book. "The Hobbit" is one of the three or four earliest books I can remember, and the only one my father ever read to me, which gave it special significance. The imaginative qualities of these tales spawned a lifelong obsession with fantasy and science fiction, which probably is one of the root causes of my becoming a writer. "Ender's Game", by Orson Scott Card. Yes, it's certainly not "high literature", as Card is the first to admit. Yet when I was a child, it was the first thing outside my immediate family that ever hinted to me that it could be OK to be different, to be a too-smart wimp who liked books and didn't like sports; that it was possible to find comradeship with others like myself. And it spoke to my deep feeling that my rate of maturation was grossly underestimated by the adults surrounding me. At the time I couldn't have put it in words like that, though, so I merely adored the story without really knowing why. "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", by Mark Twain. No one, in my young life, went out of their way to teach me either that racism was wrong or that it was right. I ended up formulating my own opinion, and it was largely based on this book's thinly veiled critique of prejudice and slavery. I have never been able to fathom how anyone who has read this book could imagine that it deserved banning. There were other things that ended up influencing me deeply, such as the speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but my early formative influence was the easy friendship of Huck and Jim, and their (and my) bewilderment that anything should come between that friendship. "1984", by George Orwell. By far, this is the most terrifying book I have ever read. I would not characterize myself, previous to having read this, as having had any political thoughts or worries. I won't claim to have fully understood it the first time I read it, being then only 14, but I have never since been able to listen to any authoritative figure, in government, religion, science, or culture, without suspicion. I would say the shock of this book taught me a great deal of my cynicism. "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever", by Stephen R. Donaldson. This obscure epic fantasy cycle, composing six books in two trilogies (the second conveniently titled "The Second Chronicles" etc., etc.), happened to me my senior year of High School. At a time in my life when I was a bitter social outcast, in danger of becoming a true misanthrope, I chanced upon a story which, on later reflection, I believe saved me from a fall. The anti-hero, Thomas Covenant, is a leper and outcast, whom I identified with strongly, and still do; but he is also a human, flawed and weak, and capable of crime and evil. He is not a sterling, unrealistic pillar of righteousness, an Aragorn, but an adult's modern hero. But most importantly, he learns, tortuously slowly, that he does not deserve special treatment or forgiveness because of his pariah-hood. Instead he learns personal responsibility and the will to stand up to evil, even when it is overpowering and there is no reasonable hope of victory. His experiences saved him from bitterness and self-hatred, and reading the story of it helped me avoid them as well. Another book was a biography of Mohandas Gandhi. Unfortunately, I can't remember the title and do not have a copy. Until I read it, I had only had a vague glimpse of his name in a history book, and no inkling of what a truly incredible man he was. Overnight, I became a convert to his way of thinking. I don't claim to have applied it with any success to my life, but I am trying in my flawed way. At first I did not believe that the biography was not falsifying and mythologizing Gandhi's life, because I did not believe one person could have such strength of will. His life story gave me hope proportionate to that which "1984" destroyed. "East of Eden", by John Steinbeck. Perhaps merely by an accident of time, I picked this book up at the time that I now look back on as the approximate moment that I feel I became an adult emotionally, to match the intellectual adulthood I had achieved earlier. I found myself identifying both with the impulsive, flawed Cal and with the sad and mature Lee. I felt like I was Cal, trying to figure out how to become Lee. I feel that I learned from it how to finally let go of my guilt at having lost my faith. At the same time, I think I learned from it some of what man really is and how to live. Clearly I can't put it into words very well, but I was never the same again after reading it, and so it qualifies. The other works of Steinbeck are also wonderful and influenced me, but I consider "East of Eden" to be his magnum opus. My list is rather too long to be a short list and too short to be a long one, but I think it's time to stop. There have been other influences, and not only books, but these were the major ones. And you, gentle kuro5hin reader? I'd like to know what books have been influences on each of you, so I can go check them out.

Sponsors Managed Servers Managed Clusters Virtual Hosting Collocated Linux/FreeBSD Server As low as $45/month Root on your own FreeBSD or Linux server Very fast, triple-homed network NO hardware or setup fees, unlimited support Testimonials from K5 Users Login Make a new account Username: Password: Note: You must accept a cookie to log in. Poll The books I have read have influenced my personality: Almost to the exclusion of other influences 4% A great deal 38% To some extent 29% About as much as other influences 14% Not very much 6% Not at all; I draw my inspiration from other sources 2% Not at all; I am illiterate or do not read 2% Votes: 134 Results | Other Polls Related Links Kuro5hin More on Books Also by Kasreyn

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What Books have Influenced Your Life? | 416 comments (367 topical, 49 editorial, 2 hidden)

My list (none / 0) (#423) by fr2ty on Tue Apr 20th, 2004 at 12:26:55 PM EST (1v41Der6F4sucDW5h5sanEGsta0Klt@g00mEx.de) The Grimm Brothers' Collection of folk tales (learned to read by myself using these books) The Holy Bible (Luther-based translations) Sten Nadolny: "The Discovery of Slowness" Brigitte Hamann: "Hitler's Vienna" Probably my favourite book about Nazi Germany ever - even if the review linked here sees it differently Ian Kershaw: "Hitler" Jacques Lusseyran: "And There Was Light" (the title sounds like esoteric bullshit, but this book is not) About 12 books by Rudolf Steiner that influenced my not to read another one of his again. Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov: Principles of Orchestration" Forget Berlioz/Strauss. This is the real shit. Umberto Eco: "A Theory of Semiotics" (Chewing on this one since years...) Paul Bekker: "The Story of the Orchestra", New York 1936 (you might also want to read his Beethoven biography) Ach so, and of course the 20 volume Brockhaus Encyclopedia, various man page printouts, web pages. I like to read a lot - greetings to all the other insomniacs in the house =) -- Please note that are neither capitals nor numbers in my mail adress.

"The Holy Bible" (none / 0) (#422) by The Devil on Sun Apr 11th, 2004 at 03:25:57 AM EST http://zenbuzz.org Try reading "The Holy Bible" as if you were a programmer. It'll open yer eyes! _____ Might makes right.

Oh, Hello! (none / 0) (#421) by blacksunrise on Wed Apr 7th, 2004 at 01:59:08 AM EST What a wonderful place to find myself! To start: The Rosy Crucifiction, by Henry Miller. Ten years ago I read it with a lovely girl named Jennifer. (Insannifer) The Man in the High Tower, by Phillip K dick. I do not recall what it was even about, just that it kicked ass. Anything by Charles Bukowski! Or Hank Chinaski, if you Prefer. (May he rot in peace). The Books of Blood (parts 1-3), by Clive Barker. Clever, Chilling short stories. (IF YOU CAN FIND THEM!) Hell's Angels, by Hunter S. Thompson. Politics, porn and parties!

My list (none / 0) (#420) by uflanh on Sat Apr 3rd, 2004 at 12:47:50 PM EST (angela@mybubble.com) Holy Bible I know that I differ from most who post on this website, but the Bible has influenced me to grow more in my faith, rather than deter it away from me. Save me the comments of my being an idiot. I've heard it all. I've ignored it all. Brave New World Taught me to question everything I thought I knew about how the world works. Gotta love that. I really do have a sort list. Oh well. I read constantly, but not many books really influence me, they may teach me but don't, per say, influence me. That and I'm not a college student who doesn't really have time to read anything other than what I'm required to read. And, of course, I'm bitter about anything I'm told I have to read. Maybe someday I'll be able to read for pleasure again. Perhaps this summer.

A few more (none / 2) (#418) by treefrog on Fri Mar 26th, 2004 at 10:38:42 AM EST There are lots of great books already mentioned. Here are a few more that I havn't seen mentioned, and which have particular resonance for me. The Master and Margarita Mikhail Bulgarkov. The power of this book blows me away every time I read it. Manuscripts don't burn, indeed. Kim Rudyard Kipling. I picked it up because I was bored and it was available. I keep returning to it. It is a great story, well told, and very different (much gentler) than I had expected. I Choose to Climb Chris Bonnington. It is on the list because it did change my life. I discovered climbing in my mid-teens thanks to this book. I made friends, met my wife, chose where I lived and how I spent my time due to reading this book. However, for a read, I much prefer... Always a Little Further Alistair Borthwick. A tale of climbing in the 1930s in Sctotland,written by an average Joe, not one of the great climbers. Highly readable and utterly recommended. Enjoy, treefrog Twin fin swallowtail fish. You don't see many of those these days - rare as gold dust Customs officer to Treefrog

Walden (none / 2) (#415) by GreenYoda on Sun Mar 21st, 2004 at 08:06:25 PM EST If I had to pick the single book that has most influenced my life, it would be Walden by Henry David Thoreau. Although it was written in 1854, its observations about how we squander our precious time to earn money to purchase the trappings of a materialistic culture are just as relevant today. And it's the origin of several immortal passages that everyone would recognize, such as: "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer." (I'm actually surprised that no other kuro5hin reader has mentioned it so far.) You can read Walden for free at: http://eserver.org/thoreau/walden00.html

Qur'an and others (none / 2) (#414) by MicroX on Sat Mar 20th, 2004 at 06:31:07 PM EST http://powerpassion.net/ The Qur'an (literally "The Recital") has to be the only book I would never get bored of reading over and over again. It is fascinatingly influential, day after day, this book shapes who I am. Each time I read a verse again in a new situation, it has a new meaning which I hadn't pondered before, and seems to relax me and be a perfect answer to whatever the issue or problem I am involved in. The Qur'an is what the Bible was meant to be, if people hadn't tampered with it. It clears up a lot of the issues that have become confused in the Bible over time by the authors' bias and through repeated rewriting and translation. And of course, it is the only book that shaped a nation that lived 1000 years as the largest, most influential and most peaceful empire in history! If the Bible influenced you, but you find something missing or contradictory, try the Qur'an, the final message from God, perfectly conserved (and checksummed :-)). Other books that influenced my personality are "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey, and "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie. My favorite and most inspiring novel has to be "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien. Some others are "2001: A Space Odyssey" and the rest of the series by Arthur Clarke, and "1984" by George Orwell. I'm still reading "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card, seems quite good too. MicroX - Power & Passion

interesting (none / 1) (#413) by Attercop on Sat Mar 20th, 2004 at 08:16:53 AM EST (thomas.patonDEL@ETE.student.gu.edu.au) http://www.homepages.better.net.au/twpaton If you look at the lists, the amount of influence these people had: Aldous Huxley, George Orwell, CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien. What I find interesting is that they all knew each other (to varying degrees), shared colleges and unis. Three of those four wrote "Orwellian" books (Huxley with "Brave new world", CS Lewis with "That Hideous Strength"), and some might argue Tolkiens books had related themes. I just find it interesting that four people from one country, one period, who were friends or "associates" have had such an influence. The sub-culture they were a part of must have been bursting with ideas and ability. Books influencing me include: Naomi Klein - No Logo Henry Lawsons poems and short stories Rudyard Kipling - there seemed to be something more to the Jungle Books than just the stories to me. Dickens - Great Expectations, Nicholas Nickleby. Dickens shows compassion, but not in a "lily-livered" way CS Lewis - Narnia series, The Cosmic Trilogy LOTR, The Hobbit, Tree and Lead, Smith of Wooton Major, Farmergiles of Ham. Lewis and Tolkien made me want to believe in something. Even if I struggle to, I still want their ideals to be right. George MacDonald - a lot of books... Huxley "brave new world", Orwell 1984 and Animal Farm. As with many others here, awoke a cynicism I feel always existed under the surface. The Tandy TRS80 BASIC manual The Bible - the old testemant discouraged me like many here. But the new testament didn't, so I still hold onto that (foolishly I'm sure many here will say) Lord of the flies affected me a lot when I was about 12 or 13...

a couple of mine in no particular order. (none / 1) (#409) by unstable on Fri Mar 19th, 2004 at 03:35:14 PM EST (deblassc@ten.maertshgih) Douglas Adams Hitchhikers trilogy. Taught me to laugh at life and all its stupidity.  this has helped me keep (relativly) sane in this fscked up world. Life on the Mississippi, and other Mark Twain Books. Lots and Lots of lessons for life in his works. from how to be a cynical bastard to how to be a Prankster and get in as much trouble as possible. :) If I had the oportunity to meet one man from history it would be him. Moon is a harsh mistress, The man who sold the moon. these are the two that got me into Sci-Fi (thanks Dad) Anything By Terry Pratchet.(read most of his stuff) Again Laugh, dont cry. Harry Harrison's Bill the Galactic Hero series. Yes even bad jokes can be funny. Harry Harrison's Stainless Steal Rat. If you are going to be bad, be so good at being bad that the good guys hire you to stop the bad. Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills by Charles Henderson. Story of Carlos Hathcock, one of the most deadliest men during vietnam, But also one that held the Highest reguards for life. A hero of the greatest degree. just a few.. there are more but those are the one from the top of my head. Reverend Unstable all praise the almighty Bob and be filled with slack

Here's a few (none / 1) (#408) by jeberle on Fri Mar 19th, 2004 at 12:27:19 PM EST (jeberle) Rabbit and Skunk and the Scary Rock, Carla Stevens. Things are not always what they appear to be. The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, Abelson, Sussman. Note to GEB fans, these ideas compile. SICP explains how. The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins. Who's driving this ship anyway? Chaos, James Gleick. The world is littered w/ self-symetry. The 48 Laws of Power, Robert Green. Mean-spirited to be sure, but important to know to avoid being caught on the receiving end. Also good for reducing ones career-limiting moves.

these are them (none / 1) (#405) by xirdneh on Wed Mar 17th, 2004 at 02:05:21 PM EST (reklaw77@yahoo.com) "A Wrinkle in Time" Got me started reading in seventh grade. "Never Cry Wolf" High school but was disappointed later in life to find out Farley Mowat made most of it up. "Animal Farm" Orwell, They made me read it in high school. Glad they did. "The Old Man and the Sea" I like to fish, so did Hemingway. "Perelandra" C.S. Lewis The battle between good and evil was great once you got past the first third of the book. "Einstein's Universe" Nigel Calder, Every time I read it, I grasp just a little bit more. Still a long ways to go. "Discovery of Freedom" Rose Wilder Lane The daughter of the "Little House on the Prairie" author. Who'd of thought?

• Perelandra :-) by Attercop, 03/20/2004 07:25:14 AM EST (none / 0)

Books that changed my life (none / 2) (#404) by gulch on Wed Mar 17th, 2004 at 05:46:48 AM EST http://www.sumption.org Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R Hofstadter was an optional book on my university psychology reading list. I'm so glad I took the trouble to borrow it from the library and work my way through it's spiralling arguments and diversions. It fundamentally changed my view of the world, from a fairly wishy-washy neo-pagan god-is-something-somewhere kind of unfocussed mysticism to a strong (devout?) atheistic rationalism. This book more than any other made me what I am today (and a bit of subsequent Richard Dawkins didn't go amiss). Viriconium Nights by M John Harrison (now published as part of the Viriconium collection by Fantasy Masterworks). Having ploughed through The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in early childhood, then spent an adolescence sucking up reams fantasy and sci-fi regardless of its merits, I picked this book up almost by accident. I was seventeen, at Kings Cross station on my way to Amsterdam for a week of indulgence, my first holiday without parents. I read through the book's short stories as I lazed in tents, coffee shops and squats around Amsterdam, and somehow the timeless locationless city of the title came into phase with the Amsterdam I was inhabiting. But more than that: it was a rite of passage into more adult literature. Most of the stories had no obvious point, and seemed to end without reaching a conclusion, but despite that they were beautiful, and more compelling than most the fantasy pulp I was used to. They made me realise that real life is rarely made up of well-defined quests, full of hardship but ultimately ending in a happy ever after. They taught me that god is in the details. The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman by Angela Carter blew my brain wide open and made me realise that literature can be a mind-altering drug. Of course, there are many more that I've read and enjoyed very, very much, but I think these three (and perhaps a few others I can't call to mind right now) have had the biggest affect on my life.

Political, not spiritual (none / 3) (#403) by Another AnonymousCoward on Tue Mar 16th, 2004 at 06:36:40 PM EST Free to Choose, Milton Friedman. Epiphany moment. If you've ever read a book that articulated what you felt and believed but that was so far removed from your vocabulary that you couldn't previously begin to express it, then you know how I felt reading this. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Starship Troopers, not really because of the content, but because of the circumstances in which I read them. I had recently been converted to libertarianism, with all the zeal of a recent convert (see above), and was happily devouring Heinlein's later works. A friend of mine, an avowed authoritarian, recommended Starship Troopers because "it makes an excellent case for a strong civil society". This led us to discussing Heinlein's politics: I was sure he was a libertarian, having read Moon but not Troopers; my friend insisted he was a crypto-fascist, having read Troopers but not Moon. When I read Starship Troopers I not only realised that those who buy one extreme viewpoint could easily buy into its opposite (a trite and juvenile thing to learn) but also recognised that tendency in myself. Lord of the Rings introduced me the fantasy genre; it "changed my life" only inasmuch as I've spent quite a lot of it reading fantasy novels. Which has been fun, if not terribly worthy. Also Gods, Men and Monsters, a book about Greek Mythology that a Greek great-aunt gave me (I'm British) when I was about five; this paved the way. It's an introduction, and it is illustrated, but it is not a children's book. I've still got it. Dracula and the E. E. Doc Smith  novels taught me that my father was a person, not a personage. An important thing to learn as a kid. How? Oh, just because they were his books, lying unread for years on a shelf, which I picked up and enjoyed. I never knew before that he liked things that were fun. It's good to learn something about your parents that makes you think you'd like them if you met them as strangers. Equity and Trusts. Not only the most dull book I've ever read, but so shockingly and randomly counter-intuitive that I found it impossible to do more than learn to recite chunks from it. This book taught me that the law, my career plan from about the age of seven, wasn't just a lot of work (though it was), nor was I merely lazy  (though I was), but that there was no way I was ever going to do this for the rest of my life. Time for a big, painful rethink. Neuromancer. Just another lightweight sci-fi read, at the time; no big deal. But when I saw gopher in a college computer room, and later found NCSA Mosaic on a real XTerm, it was thanks to Neuromancer I recognised their true potential, long before anyone I knew (or even came to meet) could even comprehend their likely impact when I explained it to them. Which gave me the solution to what to do about hating the law, and a new career and life plan. The Cathedral and the Bazaar (OK, not a book, so what?) which I found when installing fetchmail, before reading this was compulsory: "perhaps there's a real connection between these hacker types and libertarianism, not just me transferring my own world view on my other favourite subculture?" The GNU Public License So there is value in the law after all, if properly applied. Now where did I put those lecture notes? Living Marxism magazine. Marxists who are libertarians? What's all that about? Ah. The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, 1st Ed. Later editions purged way too much of the really good stuff in favour of "contemporary relevence". I'm a sucker for encyclopaedias and dictionaries of quotations and etymology; this one started it, and can still pull me in for hours at a time. Avoid little books of trite epigrams: a true tome like this has real thought fodder. The Space Merchants and The Merchants' War, Frederik Pohl. Avoid hubris.

my list (none / 1) (#402) by efflux on Tue Mar 16th, 2004 at 05:14:20 PM EST Pale Fire -- Vladimir Nabakov Forget Lolita, this is Nabakov's magnum opus. Of Grammatology -- Jacques Derrida (I know, this book has gotten *a lot* of flak, but it has really really opened up a new perspective for me) Letters From the Earth -- Mark Twain Clemmens' satire at it's best The Sound and the Fury -- William Faulker who else can capture dysfunction so well and come across so *unpresumming*? Pederson Kid -- William Gass More of a novella, but I damn near died reading this one the Bedford Introduction to Drama And I suppose Human, All too Human -- Nietzsche but only because it challenged me to flesh out my thoughts on personal responsibility.

Atlas Shrugged (none / 2) (#400) by austusross on Tue Mar 16th, 2004 at 02:34:15 AM EST #1 Atlas Shrugged.  I used to be an insomniac.  I've never completely gotten through the book, but I've had a hell of a lot of good night sleeps since I discovered this book.  Thank you Ayne Rand! #2 Stranger in a strange land and others of Heinlein's polyamory books.  Because of him, I discovered that even though polyamory is a wonderful concept, some people aren't wired for it: "me".  I explored polyamory and found that I'm simply too busy and don't have the resources for it.  It was a valuable discovery that has allowed me to conserve a lot of energy.  I came to the conclusion that if I was to pursue polyamory, I'd have to flush all my intellectual pursuits. #3 the KJV bible.  I'm convinced that the bible is the biggest "liability" of christianity.  After reading the bible with my brain open and not trying to interpret it to say things I wanted it to say, I disovered two things: 1. A vast majority of Christians haven't read the bible.  2.  Religious people use religion to be the person they want to be.  Religion doesn't make people into good people.  Bad people use the bible to do bad things.  Good people use the bible for good things.  If it wasn't such a contradictory piece of dung, this wouldn't be possible: End of story.  Which demands the question, why not skip the religion altogether?  Wouldn't it save a lot of TIME and ENERGY?   3.  Religion is a waste of time and energy.  If you need social interaction, join a book club ;)  4. If there's a god, the Christians are worshipping the wrong one.  Theirs needs Zoloft and a rubber room due to its multiple personality disorder demonstrated by differences in personality between the OT to the NT. #4 The adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.  I could relate to both characters on so many levels.    Samuel Clemens truly turned me on to reading.  Actually, if logic is to dominate these books should be number one as the other ones might not have been read otherwise.  This may or may not be true.  I'm just thankful the bible wasn't the first book I ever read otherwise my brain might have gotten fried or locked shut tigher than a well oiled bear trap.  Anyways, having faith in the accuracy of a book that I could use to wipe my ass with or revise annually (like the mormons do) is simply retarded. #5 Science as a candle in the dark by Carl Sagan.  What can I say?  I loved the book.  This book started down the road to re-educating myself so that I could truly understand science and truly understand that the products of scientific methodology don't produce merely opinions.  And that layman theories are not remotely related to scientific theories.  And damn the Christian right for corrupting the word "theory" in their silly efforts to debunk or diminish the theories of evolution.  This book is my favorite "critical thinking" book. #6  My High School Geometry book.  It was the first book I ever had to do proofs with.  It gave me a clue that I was somehow getting screwed in my Algebra classes in high school in California.  It was the first satisfying math class that didn't make me feel like a trained monkey manipulating equations. #7 The Prince and the Pauper by Charles Dickens.  This book made me meditate on the full possibilities in life i.e. I could have been born in some poor country and lived life as a pauper.  If you can believe it, I think I gained a bit more compassion for people and maybe some depth of character by reading this book. #8 Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.  Unlike most people, it hasn't made me paranoid.  It just made me realize the value of books.  But it also made me think about how many crappy fuzzy books out there that line the shelves of our book stores.  Have you noticed how small the math and science section is?  If you really want to see the state of affairs of the world, just visit the book stores.  To judge from the books we read, we are a species obsessed with fiction.  You might say that over all we're living lives fixated on fiction (religious books included).  As a species, we can no longer discern fiction from non-fiction.  Look up two words: oblivious, extinction.  Upon examination of the world, you may conclude that we are an oblivious species determined to achieve extinction by our own hands.  On the upside, as long as we're content to be trapped and die on our little rock, we're not fscking up the rest of the universe.  Zaphod, where are ya man?

My book list (none / 1) (#399) by klaatu on Mon Mar 15th, 2004 at 11:12:00 PM EST Human Action by Ludwig von Mises Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Frankenstein by Mary Shelly 1984 by George Orwell Animal Farm by George Orwell The Autobiography of Malcolm X The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx The Social Contract by Russeau Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand Economics for Real People by Gene Callahan Democracy in America by Tocqueville Civilization of the Middle Ages by Cantor Paradise Lost by Milton The Prince and The Discourses by Machiavelli

Influenced my life, eh? (none / 2) (#396) by transient0 on Mon Mar 15th, 2004 at 04:33:37 PM EST (duff at (homepage domain)) http://frankduff.com Time Enough For Love - Robert Heinlein Certainly not the best science fiction book, not even Sir RAH's best, but I was eleven years old when I read it and the book exposed me to so many ideas and images that I hadn't even known existed (probably because we in general go to great lengths to shield eleven year old children from such things). If I were to read it for the first time now it wouldn't even come close to making this list, but by having found me at such an opportune age it gets a spot. 1984 - George Orwell By the time I read this for a high school english class I had already begun to develop my angst and distrust of grown-ups. It is 1984 however which I blame for my continuing uneasiness about any form of authority or concentrated power, especially when that authority seeks to control communication. A Scanner Darkly - Philip K. Dick It's funny, but this piece of terrifying and essentially anti-drug literature was what really piqued my interest in psychotropic drugs as something more than just a tool for partying. In the Skin of a Lion - Michael Ondaatje This is the hardest one to classify. I can't put my finger on exactly how it influenced me. Perhaps I simply read it at a time when internal change was imminent anyway. Regardless, I read it in a single evening, and when I put it down some important part of me was different than it had been when I started. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller Thank God I have never had to fight in a war. Yet even so, I knew instinctively that every war movie I had ever seen was a lie of the most horrible and obscene sort. This book was what made me finally feel like I had gotten a glimpse into what "War" meant. Franny and Zooey - J.D. Salinger This book had two effects on me. Firstly it made me reconsider my relationship with my family. Secondly it drove me to reopen my relationship with the religious and spiritual. Dao De Jing - Lao Tzu There is no point in me saying anything about this book. Angry Young Spaceman - Jim Munroe This science fiction book was self-published by a man I know. I say it influenced my life, but it was not so much the content as the medium. The sheer professionalism of the independent book made me realize that fiction was still something that could happen on the grass roots level. If I hadn't read this book, I am quite sure that Lysergically Yours wouldn't exist. And LY has definitely become an important factor in my life. On Human Nature and Understanding - David Hume and The Structure of Scientific Revolutions - Thomas Kuhn and Philosophical Investigations - Ludwig Wittgenstein In another life I considered myself a scientist and a philosopher. These three books were the biggest influences on my feelings towards both of those pursuits. There. Feel like you know me any better? --------- lysergically yours

Print is dead ~ (none / 1) (#395) by Cardenio on Mon Mar 15th, 2004 at 04:48:55 AM EST It's interesting to see the same titles coming up over and over here. Tin Tin was the most influental books I read growing up I think. It's the reason I'm not a baseball hat wearing moron maybe. I certainly didn't have any ' role models ' so Tin Tin became my role model of how a young man should act. You could do worse. But, then one terrible day I realised that Tin Tin was the GAYEST THING IN THE WHOLE WORLD. I think I was 10. I almost lost my little mind ! But then I recovered and moved on.

• Why do you say Tintin is gay? by jongleur, 03/17/2004 02:43:51 PM EST (none / 0)

J.D. Salinger (none / 2) (#392) by jongleur on Sun Mar 14th, 2004 at 09:13:10 PM EST He's got to be here somewhere. Why Socialism? - Einstein

Books (none / 1) (#391) by ShiftyStoner on Sun Mar 14th, 2004 at 04:55:35 PM EST http://www.cannabis.com/untoldstory/hemp_9.shtml  First book I read was some lame goosbumps book. Wich helped me get a candy bar with my AR points at schools. If not for reading that book I would not have realized I could pass any of the AR book tests without reading any book. I think it taught me a few valuable lessons. People are stupid. People want me to waste my time doing something I hate when it should be none of their buisnes. They made a test that a 3rd grader could outsmart repeatadly, their stupid. They act like I'm a geniuse, give me rewards, and treat me like a human when I act like a zombie, or they think I acting like a zombie complying with their bullshit.  Next, a few years later. Genesis. Just reading five pages of genises made me realize how fucking rediculouse the bible is. I finished just for the sake of mawking christians. Then I read revelations, obviosly somones acid trip. I read it because I found it interesting, and also, so I could poke fun at christians.  Anarchist cookbook. Decided I'm not an anarchist, and anarchists are unrealistis retards, most everything the book was unusable garbage.  Then, I went to jail. I read the first 3 books in the wheel of time series. First time I ever enjoyed redon. Loved the bookes acctualy. I learned that I could enjoy reading.  Later Just read biogrophies. Hitler, joseph stalen, somone cant remember right now.  And some psychology book I don't remember.  And thats every book I have ever read.  Those wheel of time books man. Good read. ~It's funny that light is considered synonymous with truth. Why stare at the sky when you can gaze into the universe.

• AR is the work of the devil! by uflanh, 04/03/2004 12:43:21 PM EST (none / 0)

House of Leaves (none / 1) (#390) by OniDavin on Sun Mar 14th, 2004 at 02:34:31 AM EST (onidavin(a)navistudios.net) http://onidavin.navistudios.net/ Rather than any sweeping philosophical books or something overly political, "House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski made me re-evaluate how I thought about living life and considering people. The rather bizarre, inter-weaving stories of all the characters in the book go a long way for showing how precious life and love are. Read it sometime, fantastic book! Damned frightening, to boot.

Gandhi's Biography (none / 1) (#388) by yashman on Sun Mar 14th, 2004 at 02:10:35 AM EST (yashman@rediffmail.com) http://yashman.rediffblogs.com Gandhiji's (the ji indictes respect for Gandhi in Hindi) autobiography is called 'My Experiments with Truth'

Books that influenced my life (none / 1) (#385) by nanofish on Sat Mar 13th, 2004 at 11:49:37 AM EST (Not Applicable) I'm sure my life has been shaped in large part by all the books I've read. These are the ones that stand out a shaping my thoughts. Starship Troopers. Heinlein. Not the fascist politics but the notion of responsiblity to civic society. Stranger in a Strange Land. Heinlein. Hmmm, I feel strongly that this influenced me but I'm not sure how. Perhaps the reaction of society to an unconventional character. The Left Hand of Darkness. LeGuin. Tolerance, understanding that there may be other ways that are valid. The Tao of Pooh. The Message version of the New Testament.

Mine. (none / 1) (#383) by Kiyooka on Fri Mar 12th, 2004 at 06:27:56 PM EST 1) White Fang. My first novel. Bought and read it in elementary school, didn't always understand it.  It gave me an acute loneliness by teaching me the dispassion of the universe to the fleeting littleness that is "life".  Doesn't help when you're a little boy, but it sure makes you grow up quickly.  Still love it. 2) "Chronicles of Tao" and "365 Tao" by Deng-Ming Dao. Read it in 1st year university.  Was dangerously obsessed for years.  Wanted to leave the crap of "civilization" to live a more truthful, serene and happy life.  Took me years to realize more of what he was teaching; namely, the little monk lives in the mountains, the great monk lives in the city. 3) Tao Te Ching. Deepest book I have ever read in my life.  Am still having minor enlightenments now and then, and it's been like 6 years or so since first reading it?  Man, the first 2 years were intense: realizations non-stop, it was like a spiritual trance overload (too young?)...  Still can't believe how a few pages can hold so much depth and sheer millenia of non-biased wisdom.  I don't understand how anyone can read this and NOT treasure this? 4) Lines Written Above Tintern Abbey, poem by William Wordsworth. Helped me not feel quite so lost and out of place in society, since it showed that others also felt the same way I did about nature and life and the shittiness that is work/eat/sleep/work/eat/sleep/etc.../DIE. 5)"Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit", and "The Passion", by Jeannette Winterson. Her words made me understand what it means to completely give your love-person-HEART-MOMENT-LIFE-NOW-EVERYTHING to someone.  I've never experienced that myself, I have to say.  But it gave me a glimpse. 6) I Ching. Helped me see how the path of purity, truthfulness, integrity and wisdom can be applied to society, business, work or even politics without seeming like a naive dreamy-eyed philosopher. can't think of anymore right now... oh yeah: 7)the poetry of Li Po. Beautiful.  Fleeting.  Life as everyday magic.  Romantic.  His life was more beautiful and moving than any fantasy out there, and he was real!

Interesting topic... (none / 1) (#382) by UmarOMC on Fri Mar 12th, 2004 at 04:37:25 PM EST (spambox1@appleisp.net) The top books for me that have changed my view/outlooks on life entirely (as of this writing): The Qur'an Niccolo Machiavelli's The Discourses (of Tidus Livy) Adam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. Vol. I Michael Moore's Stupid White Men ========================== my signature shouldn't be important... i'm not fond of the non-malleable- which is now a catch-22, no?

my list (none / 1) (#381) by tealeaf on Fri Mar 12th, 2004 at 04:06:02 PM EST Buddhist Sutras and Suttas, too many to list individually, but I'll put a special mention for Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra (you can Google it) and Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakakarika.  Pali suttas are, of course, classic.  And I also recommend many Dzogchen tantras like "Enlightenment without Meditation" (English name, and Tibetan name is "Nang-jang"). Bhagavad Gita Avadhuta Gita (most translations suck tho, and I don't have time to tell you the author of the non-sucking one). Tao Te Ching Chuang Tzu Lieh Tzu Hua Hu Ching Wen Tzu And the only non-classic, life affecting book that's worthy to put in this list, in my opinion: Dune. 'Nuff said.

Here's some of mine (none / 1) (#379) by MikeGale on Fri Mar 12th, 2004 at 04:20:35 AM EST Battle for the Mind. Sargent. Canticle for St Liebowitz. Most stuff by David Brin. Most stuff by Greg Bear. Snowflake. The Final Encyclopaedia. G R Dickson. The Algol 68 Manual. LOTR. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Null A stories. Van Vogt. Today we choose faces. Stranger in a strange land. Heinlein. Hicks. (A level Chemistry Text.)

Credo: A book for the very few (none / 2) (#377) by Melita on Thu Mar 11th, 2004 at 05:58:45 PM EST I am Just finishing Credo by Maltese aurthor Norman Lowell. He dedicated the book to Nietzsche and seems fond of his work. visit www.imperium-europa.com for more info. Very few books are worth reading these days but this one was to me. A true future leader.

Good topic (none / 1) (#376) by asym on Thu Mar 11th, 2004 at 11:20:42 AM EST First one that prompted me to post, which prompted me to register.  Got a few friends who are readers as well, one in particular may recognize a few he's loaned me. - Anything by Nietzsche.  I've worked my way through nearly all of his works, "Human, All Too Human" is the only one I haven't read.  Just finishing "The Will To Power."  Several of the others I've read many times, Zarathustra though spoke the loudest and longest.  Nietzsche put to words a lot of my own thoughts, and gave me some new ones along the way.  Can't agree with him 100% but doing so would be doing him a disservice anyway. - "Thinking Straight" by Antony Flew.  This is a lightweight book that I highly recommend everyone read, several times.  Not to absorb the content, but to help train the critical reasoning part of your brain. - "The Devils Dictionary" by Ambrose Bierce.  It took me a looooong time to finally read this, but I just had to as quote after quote popped up upon login to my many FreeBSD boxes.  Life without humor isn't life at all. Wry humor firmly born of truth is on the other hand, essential to sanity. - "The Moon and Sixpence" by W. Somerset Maugham.  I just finished this one, I can't say it's had a "huge" impact on my life yet, but I identified so much with Strickland that like "Enders Game" did for a previous poster, it felt somehow empowering for lack of a better word. - "Desert Solitaire" by an author I cannot presently remember.  This one for the same reasons as the one just prior. - Various poetry and prose by "Ragnar Redbeard"  aka Arthur Desmond.  Yes, he was a racist and worse, but if you have an open mind and a good mental filter in place, then he is well worth reading.  To ramble a bit of a quote here.. ----- Hate for hate and ruth for ruth Eye for eye and tooth for tooth Scorn for scorn and smile for smile Love for love and guile for guile War for war and woe for woe Blood for blood and blow for blow ----- He was a blatant racist and "social darwinist" as the saying goes, not merely misunderstood, twisted, and misquoted like Neitzsche, but as I said -- filter the garbage out and it's really interesting reading that can alter your perceptions. "Tertium Organum" by P.D. Ouspensky.  This was the first real book on philosophy that I ever read, and it turned me on to the subject.  In that way, I'd have to say it has the singular distinction of being the book that most affected my life.  An odd man with odd ideas.  A true Philosopher. "Snow Crash" by.. duh.. Neal Stephenson.  If you haven't read this, or his other two great works Zodiac and Diamond Age.. Well honestly, I think people who haven't read these will be hard to find in this crowd.  Do yourself a favor and read them all again. There are of course, tons more, but that's a long enough list for now.. hah.

• Author by nazhuret, 03/12/2004 12:03:58 PM EST (none / 0)

Not a book, s tv series (none / 1) (#373) by startxxx on Thu Mar 11th, 2004 at 07:12:39 AM EST (junk[JUNK-DONT-ERASE]@[IRRELEVANT]u812.[THAT-TOO]n) http://www.u812.net/ HBO's Oz... what a masterpiece! I try to correct myself because I always wildly exaggerate, well, I sometimes exaggerate a bit..

Here's a few (none / 1) (#372) by skankmofo on Thu Mar 11th, 2004 at 07:06:52 AM EST (funkmasterflex [at] joshcohen.com) http://www.joshcohen.com This is one of the best topics I've seen on here in awhile. I've really enjoyed all the suggestions and will probably be buying quite a few books after reading through. Here is a short list of some of my favorites... 100 Years of Solitude - Gabrielle Garcia Marquez, had to read for high school and loved it, probably one of the most symbolic books I've ever read...i think the author just won the nobel prize too. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad, this book is short but very dense...some of the images in the book still stick with me (the battleship firing into the jungle...), and Apocalypse Now (loosely based on this book) is one of my favorite movies. Crime and Punishment - Dostoeyevsky, i think this needs to be read in some kind of class to be fully appreciated Doors of Perception - Aldous Huxley - ever done psychodelic drugs and tried to explain what it is like to someone who's never done it? Tell them to read this... Clockwork Orange - Ian Malcolm - affected me at the time i read it Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams - no explaination needed, if you haven't read it, you must "Siddhartha" and "Steppenwolf" by Hermann Hesse - on the more spiritual side, great books

I have to add another Gem (none / 1) (#370) by Baracuda on Thu Mar 11th, 2004 at 06:56:17 AM EST Although i don't think with the great many Books mentioned anybody will scroll down this far to read my wimpy attempt to bring attention to this book, i'll try anyways: "Earthly Powers" by Anthony Burgess ("Der Fürst der Phantome" in Deutsch) is a great reading, you maybe have to dig through the first 30 - 40 pages, but if you catch fire, you'll love it. It's simply great, read the amazon reviews if you are interested. Amazon link, phear my leet HTML skillz It's the story of a author born around 189x or st and his life through the 20th century. He sees and hears a lot, meets interesting historical and not so historical people and brings interesting perspectives. The story is great, it's wonderful written - just read it. YOU! READ IT!

• First Post by Baracuda, 03/11/2004 06:59:29 AM EST (none / 0)
• Welcome to K5! :-) (nt) by cribcage, 03/11/2004 10:47:29 AM EST (none / 1)

Strangely enough (none / 1) (#369) by ragnarok on Thu Mar 11th, 2004 at 04:21:40 AM EST one of the first books to seriously influence me, I can't remember the title! But it had something about Father Damien of Molokai'i fame, and I lapped that up, mostly because there were sufferers from Hansen's Disease within a day's walk from where we were in the West Sepik District. And the strange thing about this book was that it was published by a Protestant publishing house, but it honoured Father Damien. The Bible of course. My parents were not atheists. Treasure Island. Robert Louis Stevenson's supposed to be some distant relative of my father's mother's family. Thor Heyerdahl's Kontiki, of course. He Tangata Pasifika au. The Hobbit and then, The Lord of the Rings. Raise your hands, anyone who with courage to admit to reading "The Chariot of the Gods"? And being influenced by it, in some manner or other? It taught me a lot about gullibility and bad science. Rendevous With Rama and a heap of other Arthur C. Clarke stories and novels. Olaf Stapledon and his First and Last Men, his Nebula Maker, Star Maker and others. A Life for the Stars, and heaps of other James Blish stuff, in particular his pantropy stories. Dozens of Ray Bradbury's stories. He was a compulsive writer, and I was his compulsive reader. Dune, of course. And the other books in the trilogy. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Ursula Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness. Doris Lessing's first three Shikasta novels. I found her more mainstream stuff unreadable. And then we find ourselves in Oliver Sacks' The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat. A.R. Luria's The Working Brain. Heaps and piles of technical books about astronomy and science, books about language and languages, and the mandatory aviation and naval architecture stuff when I was adolescent. God I'm boring! No wonder I'm still single! Or is it just that when I hear the word "commitment" I think of straightjackets? "And it came to healed until all the gift and pow, I, the Lord, to divide; wherefore behold, all yea, I was left alone....", Joseph Smith's evil twin sister's prophecies

these books haunt me (none / 1) (#368) by limivore on Thu Mar 11th, 2004 at 01:07:39 AM EST the chronicles of narnia a wrinkle in time yoga aphorisms of patanjali tao te ching lord of the rings everything by roger zelazney (except his last couple and the last few amber books) most of larry niven all of jim woodring(comic books) the zombie survival guide

random acts of senseless violence (none / 1) (#366) by tuj on Wed Mar 10th, 2004 at 11:27:53 PM EST (tujuggernaut@TAKEOUTgmx.net) http://www.renkucorp.com by Jack Womack. The modern version of Ann Frank.  The timeless style remains as relevant as it was in 1994.  Maybe its a world that seems far away, but after Oaklahoma city and Waco, I certainly didn't think so. Also: The Turner Diaries.  Yes this book is pretty controversial so you won't likely find it at your library.  I found the text online a few years ago, but couldn't locate it again now.  As filled with hate and propaganda as it is, the book is remarkable in many ways, including a very interesting look into the psychology of these types of individuals (including the author). Atlas Shrugged:  Yes, its Ayn Rand; Yes its like 1200 pages.  But its a very interesting philosophical prespective especially on economics.  If you've ever thought that the majority of people ride on the accomplishments of a few, this is a book for you.  This is the first book that ever really made me think about the way our world is organized, and what system of beliefs should be the foundation of our morality.  Plus, Fed. Reserve Chairman Greenspan was a student of her's, so you might take note. And of course: 1984.  It remains to this day the only book that I both: -read in one day -and prompty vomitted after finishing. Yes, it really was that powerful to me at the time I read it (15).  Read it in one sitting uninterrupted if you can.  I was disturbed by images from this book for years. rhythmic electronics: Renku Corporation.

• Heh by FantocheDoSock, 03/15/2004 04:44:02 PM EST (none / 0)
• oh and four more by tuj, 03/10/2004 11:42:17 PM EST (none / 0)

books (none / 1) (#365) by dtothek on Wed Mar 10th, 2004 at 08:15:48 PM EST (dtothek1024@hotmail.com) http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=davidmakoto elizabeth willey: a well-favored man a sorcerer and a gentleman the price of blood and honor. genre: fantasy this trilogy is so well-spun it enthralls me yet.  if you love zelazny and amber this series must sit on your shelf as well.  a treat for those who relish, at the least, the written word. out of print -d

Incredible Books (none / 3) (#364) by MetallicBurgundy on Wed Mar 10th, 2004 at 05:59:25 PM EST Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, Betty Edwards - This is an incredible book, even if you can already draw or have no desire to. I stumbled across it in the library. I had tried to use many different books to learn to draw to no avail. This one, however, not only taught me to draw but changed the way I look at the world. I highly recomend it to all. Everything I could ever find by Douglas Adams - No other single person had more influence over my sense of humor, my vocabulary, or my speach paterns. I very often find my self proof reading an email I have written and noticing all sorts of Douglas Adams influenced phrasing, etc. Lilith, George MacDonald - This and another George MacDonald book, Phantastes, taught me things I doubt I could ever put into words. The Holy Bible - Specifically, the Gospel of John. To this day, I find the opening verse to be the most poetic and most profound thing I have ever read: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Silver Chair, C.S. Lewis - C.S. Lewis has always amazed me. This is my favorite of his works. Orthodoxy, G. K. Chesterton - To be honest, I am still reading it... I stumbled upon it due to the this very discussion. But in reading just the first few chapters, a hope was restored in my that was all but lost. It is well worth reading. Alices Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What ALice Found There, Lewis Carroll (with the original John Tenniel illustrations) - I have an great love of the surreal. I suspect these books had something to do with that. Or maybe it is just a desire for wonder and mystery in a world where even are fantasies have become banal. The works of Dr. Seuss - Everything that I said about Douglas Adams and Lewis Carroll Applies to Dr. Suess.

Let me add mine too (none / 1) (#358) by blufox on Wed Mar 10th, 2004 at 11:29:32 AM EST http://blufox.batcave.net [Mandukya Upanisad with Gaudapada Karika] (author ???) An explanation about the mandukya upanishad and its karika - [which means explanation]. /*With eyes that speak of the Stars, and magick my very soul, A Dragon I am Eternal.*/

Odd books for me... (none / 2) (#355) by RadiantMatrix on Tue Mar 9th, 2004 at 11:29:02 PM EST (file13@theoffice.world) http://radiantmatrix.org/ I know it sounds trite, but I read Snow Crash at a critical moment; it helped shape my views of religion as a system, and has (IMHO) the best fictional representation of where our world is headed in the future -- a world of corporation-states. Also formative was the Earthsea series, by Ursula Le Guin.  This series got me interested in fantasy and magic; and thereby led me to seek my own philosophy.  Ms. Le Guin also wrote The Telling, which was the only book I've read that was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes; an easy read, but a vibrant world within. Of course, the classics 1984 and Animal Farm (George Orwell) were influential, as was The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien). ---------- I don't like spam - remove it when mailing. ----------

The Absolute Best Books to Read... (none / 1) (#353) by tbc on Tue Mar 9th, 2004 at 08:33:27 PM EST (timc+kuro5hin@divide.net) http://alum.mit.edu/www/tbc/ ... have been discussed previously on K5. Still relevant.

My Top Three (none / 2) (#352) by tbc on Tue Mar 9th, 2004 at 08:29:53 PM EST (timc+kuro5hin@divide.net) http://alum.mit.edu/www/tbc/ The Bible. I've read through it several times. This book continues to deepen my faith in God. The power of the ideas and principles transcends translation -- I find it equally approachable in both King James English and the New International Version. Its unity of theme -- with the Messiah at its core -- and its consistency of message reinforces my belief in its divine origin. Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy by Michael Polanyi. Definitely the most difficult book I've ever read. Convinced me that it's legitimate to reject the myth of the "objectivity of science." Explained to me how fallible humans are still capable of advancing science. First Things First by Stephen Covey. A friend recommended that I "stop whatever I'm reading and read this book instead." He said it was that important. Once I finished reading it, I decided he was right. It makes a well-reasoned argument for finding balance in one's life and for striving to achieve one's full potential.

Many, Many Good books... (none / 2) (#351) by warriorpostman on Tue Mar 9th, 2004 at 07:52:33 PM EST I'm impressed with the numerous lists I've read through. And I was really excited to post my own list of books to prove just how damn smart I really am! I think The Screwtape Letters should have been cited more than I saw in the above comments. I, like many people, am cynical about organized religion, but it's pretty much one of the most accessible and brilliant works of spiritual morality I've ever read, and unfortunately, I feel it maybe swept away in deference to people's bad attitudes toward Christianity. I'm scheduled to read it at least 5 more times before I die. I would also throw William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying into the mix. It was the first unconventional classic literature that blew me away in high-school.

My List (none / 3) (#349) by Mr Badger on Tue Mar 9th, 2004 at 05:24:17 PM EST Strangely, the books that have influenced me are not necessarily the books I would recommend as "great" books. I assumed that two such lists would have more cross over. Regardless, here is the fairly unimpressive list of books that have influenced me. Whatever "style" I may lay claim to in my writing has been shaped (or warped, depending on your point of view) by Hawthorne - particularly his "The Blithedale Romance." I wear a watch because of line from "The Autobiography of Malcolm X." My taste in clothes was most likely formed by my high school encounters with the works of William S. Burroughs. I try never to claim ideas or clever phrases as my own - a habit picked up from "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin." I always say "I read somewhere . . ." or cite "People better in the know than I . . ." From the same, I never volunteer for leadership positions, but never turn one down if appointed by others. I bet the list goes on, but I can't think of any others right now.

• So...? by cribcage, 03/10/2004 01:27:17 AM EST (none / 1)
• Don't Remember the Exact Quotation by Mr Badger, 03/10/2004 09:16:53 AM EST (none / 1)

A few of mine (none / 2) (#343) by twh270 on Tue Mar 9th, 2004 at 11:53:45 AM EST (t_wheeler2002REMOVE@yahoo.com) My Side of the Mountain. A fascinating story of survival and adventure: a young boy runs away from his city home to live in the Adirondack (or was it Catskill) mountains. Any boy of 9-12 years should enjoy this one greatly. Friday, The Number of the Beast, Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein. I enjoyed much of Heinlein's material, but these hold a special place in my heart for various reasons. I identified with Friday because, like its title character, I too felt like an outcast. The Number of the Beast introduced me to the idea that sexuality was not shameful, to be hidden in dark rooms behind closed doors. Starship Troopers I identified with politically/socially, though today I would probably disagree with much of its philosophy. (Don't bother seeing the movie; it's truly awful.) The Dune series, by Frank Herbert. A rich, sometimes bizarre universe, filled with intrigue, complex political machinations, and a grand scope covering thousands of years. The Holy Bible. What amazes me about the Bible is that what I get out of it is in direct relation to my spiritual awareness and growth. The first time I read (or rather, skimmed) it, I got very little out of it. The last time I read it, I got so much more from it. I don't consider myself a practicing Christian -- I don't attend church regularly and don't buy into much of church 'doctrine' -- but I do believe in God and the Bible. One could do a lot worse than to live by the principles and morals set forth by Jesus and his disciples. A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter Miller. Powerful, sometimes tragic, yet leaves one with a sense of hope about the future. Various Al-Anon books and literature. Al-Anon was created for those who have lived or are living with an alcoholic in their lives; whether or not s/he is drinking actively, whether or not they have recovered, whether or not they are in AA. However, its principles and slogans are something everyone can benefit from. They amount to a system for having spiritual/emotional/mental peace and calm while dealing with difficult situations or people. Animal Farm, by George Orwell. Showed me how those who desire power can manipulate, deceive and subjugate the weak. Lessons learned: never put yourself under another's power, and be very careful with your own power. The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton. The kids are tragically and believably human. Neither "all-good" nor "all-bad", but capable of both good and bad, love and hate, kindness and cruelty, greed and sacrifice. All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque. A powerful story of war and its effects on soldiers. Okay, there are more, but that's what I can remember at the moment. -Thomas

Books (none / 2) (#342) by beatbox32 on Tue Mar 9th, 2004 at 11:36:41 AM EST (b3atb0x32@yah00.com) http://www.chainsmokingmonkey.com Ten Philosophical Mistakes - Mortimer J. Adler - This book (and it's author) has really made me see why so much of "modern" philosophy, from Hobbes on forward, is untenable. Internetworking with TCP/IP Vol. 1 - Douglas E. Comer - Helped me to truly understand what's going on behind the scenes of networks and the Internet

My list (none / 2) (#340) by 1967 Ferrari 312 on Tue Mar 9th, 2004 at 10:00:04 AM EST In no particular order... The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand The Princess Bride - William Goldman Weaveworld - Clive Barker Gödel, Escher & Bach - Douglas Hofstadter Les Misérables - Victor Hugo A bit heclectic, maybe, but that's just how it goes.

• ditto on Rand by emmons, 03/15/2004 02:35:45 AM EST (none / 0)

Can't resist adding a short story (none / 3) (#338) by bigchris on Tue Mar 9th, 2004 at 07:25:40 AM EST (csherlock@nospam.mpx.com.au) It would have to be "Flowers for Algernon" - I guess it made me feel glad I got through the first bit! --- I Hate Jesus: -1: Bible thumper kpaul: YAAT. YHL. HAND. btw, YAHWEH wins ;) [mt]

Richard Dawkins (none / 2) (#337) by KlausBreuer on Tue Mar 9th, 2004 at 07:20:57 AM EST (KlausSPAMNOBreuer@NOSPAMHotMail.com) http://www.breueronline.de I read a lot, but for pure concentrated influence, little can beat "River out of Eden" by Richard Dawkins. A truly excellent explanation of the source of life on earth, which I recommend to religious people knocking at my door and wanting to talk to me about Their God/The God/Another God/Money/The Joy of Servitude/etc. Also, there's "Röde Orm" by Frans Bengtsson. An excellent viking-story which influenced me mainly because our father used to read it to us on while on board, a chapter at a time. My brother and I were so interested in continuing ahead of time that we learned to read very early just for this reason :) Finally, may I recommend the history books by Joachim Fernau. He writes in a very alive style, easy and fun to read, and you really gain a lot better understanding of our past, having a lot of fun at the same time. Ciao, Klaus --- "What, I need a *reason* for everything?" -- Calvin "Should I or shouldn't I? Too late, I did!" -- Hobbes

For me... (none / 1) (#332) by mulescent on Tue Mar 9th, 2004 at 04:42:58 AM EST (mule_scent@yahoo.com) Sideways Stories from Wayside School - Louis Sachar Guevara, Also Known As Che - Paco Ignacio Taibo Nausea - Jean Paul Sartre Meditations on the First Philosophy - Renee Descartes Fear and Trembling - Soren Kierkegaard Chemistry - Zumdahl (this is a textbook, but im a chemist...) Candide - Voltaire Miles - Miles Davis Descartes Error - Damasio The Republic - Plato (basically 1984, but explained and argued for) Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy Thats the first ten big ones to come to my mind... all good, and in no particular order. You better stop that laser game, or you'll smell my mule

Books that have opened my eyes by category (none / 3) (#330) by skallas on Tue Mar 9th, 2004 at 04:25:12 AM EST http://everythingisnt.com Let see, for general mind-fuckness/expansion I'm going to nominate The Man in the High Castle and mention A Scanner Darkly both by PKD. I could really go on for days about ASD as it echoes my own time in a drug sub-culture and the characters are just too perfect and its one of the best sci-fi stories you can get your hands on. I have to also mention Robert Anton Wilson's Cosmic Trigger for this category too. The guy chronicles his life and seemed to be everywhere that mattered in the 60s and 70s. He is also a springboard to things you normally wouldn't come across like general semantics, quantum physics, conspiracies, postmodern philosophy, atheism/agnosticism, life extension, etc. For science it has to be The Selfish Gene. Dawkins makes evolution easy to digest and understand. Amazing book, it will change everyone who reads it, at least for a little while. Anything by Bucky Fuller deserves mention here too. I think Critical Path is a good one to start with. Its been a while. For my thoughts on government and dyspotia there's Orwell's 1984 and Atwood's A Handmaid's Tale. Anything by Chomsky or Howard Zinn will get you out of your cable TV reality tunnel too. Them: Adventures with Extremists has to be one of the better books I've ever read. Essentially an english writer finds and hangs out with all sorts of famous extremists. The chapter on Ruby Ridge is truly heartbreaking. Neil Postman really opened my eyes regarding media with his Amusing Ourselves to Death and his collection of essays in Consciountious Objections.

What's with all the hobbit novels? (none / 3) (#326) by antichrist stormtrooper on Tue Mar 9th, 2004 at 03:14:18 AM EST Do people actually make real life decisions based on some 800 page tome about the elf-dwarves and their valiant quest throught the bramble-wood in search of the magic snergle? I mean what the hell, when you go to dinner or whatever and can't decide what to order do you sit there going "What would Fizzlefozz the Sorcerer do"? There's only one book anyone needs to read to see how things really, and I do mean really are, and that's Being and Time, by Martin Heidegger. "I hate cats almost as much as I hate Italians" -Albert Einstein

• Ha! by bigchris, 03/09/2004 06:50:52 AM EST (none / 1)
• unless... by mulescent, 03/09/2004 04:22:14 AM EST (none / 1)
• Shallow by kaffiene, 03/09/2004 03:51:34 AM EST (none / 1)

Z for Zacharia (none / 2) (#324) by gdanjo on Tue Mar 9th, 2004 at 12:22:39 AM EST Sure, there have been better books written, but they didn't affect me until I understood them much later in life. Z was the first book I ever read cover-to-cover and showed me the gift of imagination. Dan ... Beauty is in the eye of the beholder Ugly is in the eye of the observer

Interactive article, good for recommendations! (3.00 / 4) (#323) by purephase on Tue Mar 9th, 2004 at 12:19:48 AM EST After reading through (and keeping Amazon open) I decided to post a few of my favourites. Tops of the list: For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway Contrary to the "unpopular" nature of Hemingway's politics, For Whom the Bell Tolls is (IMO) one of the best novels ever written. I've read it 10-20 times and it never gets old. Fifth Business (Deptford Trilogy #1) - Robertson Davies Popular in high school (well, in Canada anyway) Robertson Davies is a phenomenal author who's wit is charming and barbed in just the right amounts. The Tin Drum - Gunther Grass Just read it. Voltaire's Bastards - John Ralston Saul More Canadian content, but perhaps one of the best critiques and/or acclaimations of rational thought in the modern/western world. Lamb - Christopher Moore With all the mention of the Bible, this satirical take on the early life of Jesus is not only hilarious, but sacriligious in every respect. Honourable mentions: Kurt Vonnegut, Margaret Atwood, Tom Wolfe, Greg Bear, Naomi Klein, Douglas Coupland, Noam Chomsky, and Katherine Dunn.

• For whom the bell tolls by pik, 03/09/2004 04:28:00 PM EST (none / 0)

Ken Kesey (none / 1) (#321) by SLTrigger on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 11:34:56 PM EST (slade at politicals dot com) http://jaded.politicals.com A quick search fails to find his name on the page, so I thought I'd mention Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Sometimes a Great Notion. Both powerful stories and critiques of American culture. It's only gonna get weirder, so let's get on with the show!

My List (none / 2) (#320) by Khafre on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 11:31:26 PM EST (Khafre@WonderFunky.com) http://www.wonderfunky.com Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison. Highly under-read, underrated, masterpiece of a work. 1984 - Orwell. Duh. More like 2004... Brave New World - Aldous Huxley. Erasure - Percival Everett. If you've not read this, please do, it's amazing "fiction". Tao te Ching I Ching The Tao of Pooh Yep, I love taoism <3 Ender's Game...Hitchiker's Guide...Dune...AND Bobby Fisher Teaches Chess :P That book ownz. ;) "Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it." - Malcolm X

I don't remember anymore the author (3.00 / 4) (#318) by mami on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 10:54:04 PM EST (mami@papi.org) http://www.homeless-mamis.net but the first autobiographical diary of a holocaust surviver I read at age 13 influenced me a lot. I started to read almost any diary of any surviver I could find over the next years. That was around 1962. And at that time there weren't yet a lot of documentaries on TV about it and the issue was not talked about in Germany. It felt like reading about this big skeleton hidden in the closets of the German's mind. I remember that I couldn't stop thinking about how someone my age would have dealt with a discovery that his/her own father or mother had been an SS man/woman in the KZs. I just couldn't figure out what that would do to a teenager like myself. I don't know if those biographies influenced my life, but they kept me captured for a long time.

My List (none / 2) (#311) by MyrddinE on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 08:11:41 PM EST In no particular order: Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, by Douglas Hofstadter: I am reading it now, got it for my birthday a month back... I had never heard of it before, but I wish I had. This book assumes that you know nothing about math, logic, or formal proofs... and then proceeds to teach it to you, in a fun way, so that he can explain his theory that intelligence, and more importantly conciousness and creativity, is not a magical thing only humans have but something that is attainable by computers as well. The work is fascinating, and thoroughly deserves its Pulitzer Prize. Data Structures in Pascal: That's not the actual name, but that textbook whatever its real name taught me more about programming than any previous or since. It formed the mental basis by which I look at programming problems. Ring, by Stephen Baxter: He is not much of a writer, but Baxter's books (of which I have only just started reading) gave me a better concept of the vastness of time and space than any other treatise on it prior. His characters are kinda shallow, there are better writers... but his ideas and imagination are immense, rivaling that of greats like Niven. It is these ideas that I love... despite his sometimes plodding plots. :-) The Last Unicorn, by Peter S Beagle: This tale, more than any other, left me with such a sense of sadness and loss at the end I was literally sobbing for hours. And the thing is, it does not even end sadly. It was not till this book that I understood what made me sad... and it is stagnation, lack of change, entropy. In this case, it was the endless search by Maggie and Shmendrick for the Unicorn. This is also related to why Baxter's works, mostly lacking in good emotion tugging lines, evoke emotion in me... infinity, for me, is a very emotional thing. The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkein: I believed. Collected Early Works of Robert Heinlein: His later stuff is often good... including the very popular Stranger in a Strange Land. But when I was young and impressionable, I was devouring his earlier stuff. "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel", "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", and "Starship Troopers" to name a few... these stories, more than any others in the pulp paperback era, filled me with the sense of wonder and optimism about the future of humanity. His later works, though good, bother me with their preachy moralizing on sex and humanism.

• Bah, Forgot One by MyrddinE, 03/08/2004 08:19:52 PM EST (none / 0)

I'd have to say (none / 1) (#309) by Sesquipundalian on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 07:58:04 PM EST (julian@mimsylogic.com.nospamplease) http://www.mimsylogic.com the original Destroyer series by Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir. Excellent political satire and a clever if slightly twisted look at American internal/foreign relation. The story is about the classic uprooted man who must make his own peace with the confusing times he finds himself living in. It stops being cool aroung issue 100 or so because the writing got farmed out to wannabes, but the original series is excellent. I have often thought that a television series that stayed totally true to the original stories (we're talking EXACT dialog and scene sequence here), and spent the big bucks on special effects duplicating the protagonists martial arts moves and personality quirks to engaging effect, would be worth watching in an X-files sort of way ~ heh. Did you know that gullible is not actually an english word?

There's a lotta them... (none / 1) (#308) by lithos on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 07:52:59 PM EST ...but here's an shortlist: _ Neuromancer, William Gibson: For those who wait and dream for the day we surf cyberspace - "...a consensual hallucination.." - through our minds. Henry Dorsett Case is one of the best anti-heroes ever, up there with Yossarian. Gibson's influence me because whenever I read his work, he inspires me to write. And, Cyberpunk r0x0rs my b0x0rs. Gibson writes lyrically and beautifully. It's probably the closest thing to decent modern poetry. _ Catch-22, Joseph Heller: Definitely one that's helped me live my life; ie, that sometimes it's not worth trying. And personal survival is your only priority, because most of the time the people around you aren't worth worrying about. Every character is almost impossibly human. It pokes massive amounts of fun at life in the twentieth and 21st centuries - our ceaseless pursuit of capitalism and greed, bureacracy, personal glory at the expense of others, that war is hell no matter how much the idiots back at HQ think it's great (*cough* George W *cough*) because that haven't seen the Snowdens of yesteryear. It's told with a tone that go from frivolity to deep seriousness. It's also where I got my sig from, and made me weary of Italian prostitutes, and people named Milo. I read it at least once a year. _ The Bible, by a bunch of pricks seeking to create a lie to control the masses: Cause it's so freakin' funny. What, no steak on fridays? What, women are only good for cooking and having kids, cause "god" sez? What, "god" will protect us all, 'cept those he smites? You wanna know why the world's so screwed up, the answers are in here, amigo. That people actually believe this BS is funny. It helps make bunches of ultra-conservative wankers, though, and those guys are occasionally good for a laugh. And, the pages make the best rolling paper for those giant cigarettes. ("nothin' makes a smoother smoke than Corinthians 4") _ The Hitchhikers trilogy of Five, Douglas Adams: For something funny, light and extremely deep in certain places, plus the recipe for the best cocktail in the universe, read this. Two-headed alien thieves, triple-breasted whores with erogenous zones that start five miles away. I can definitely identify with world- and galaxy-weary Arthur Dent. Sometimes I feel like my life's been erased to make way for an interstellar bypass. _ The Old Man and The Sea, Ernest Hemingway: The best ever "one that got away" fishing story. Or one that got eaten by sharks on the way back. Shows that a single man may triumph against the world for a momnent, but the world always fixes that. _ Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh: Ah, the ascerbic wit and searing language of those down and out and addicted. Sometimes, in order to succeed, you have to stab your "friends" in the back, and twist the knife. But it's all in good fun, and the movie was awesome. And if you thought a waiter spitting in your food is bad, wait till you read what one of the waitresses in this book does. _ Almost any Discworld novel, Terry Pratchett: Because I can really identify with Death - his existence sucks, people hate him and he it's impossible for him to act human, no matter how hard he tries. And sometimes I like to think I can do THE VOICE, and sharpen a sickle on sunlight. _ The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho: A great book, magical and engaging. And that sometimes, it's better to eschew education for adventure. _ Well, that's it. All these books rock. :) "Live forever, or die in the attempt." -Joseph Heller, Catch-22

My List... (none / 2) (#300) by marcmengel on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 06:03:18 PM EST (mengel at users dot sourceforge dot net) There are many, many books that I'm sure have had a minor influence on me, but the ones that I can think of off-hand that had a more major one are: Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne -- singing a little cloud song... The stories I remember best from my childhood, by far. The Light in the Forest, Conrad Richter -- Having grown up pretty much on the banks of the Susquehanna river, this really hit home to me when I read it in Jr. High School. It made me think of all those places with Native American names -- but no Native Americans -- quite differently. The Shockwave Rider, James Brunner -- smart people saving the world, truth vs. power, etc. The Adolesence of P1, Thomas Ryan --This is why none of this virus stuff surprizes me. Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu -- Just too many neat concepts to enumerate. I Take Thee, Serenity, Daisy Newman -- So maybe being a Quaker is pretty cool, after all. The Hundredth Monkey, Ken Keyes, Jr. -- sometimes ideas only seem to be catching on slowly One Hundred Great Science Fiction Short Short Stories, Isaac Asimov(Ed.) -- Wow. That Feeling of Power; The 10,000 Names of God; "who would give a loaded gun to a mentally retarded child?"... Godel, Escher, Bach,Hofstadter -- okay so it's on everybodys list :-) Time is the Simplest Thing, Clifford D. Simak -- this was for me what I think the original Matrix or The X Men stuff was for a lot of people; people outcast/separate because of their power; realizing reality is sort of an illusion... Doorways in the Sand, Eye of Cat, Last Exit to Babylon, Rodger Zelazny -- okay, so I like Zelazny; interesting concepts, unusual characters, multiple universes via approachable analogies.

Watership Down fyi (none / 2) (#296) by Battle Troll on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 05:57:33 PM EST For those of you who liked Watership Down, you should be aware that several passages in The Plague Dogs establish that Richard Adams was a Christian. -- Skarp-Hedin was carrying the axe with which he had killed Thrain Sigfusson and which he called 'Battle Troll.' Njal's Saga, ca 1280 AD

• Shardik, too (SLIGHT SPOILERS) by sesquiped, 03/08/2004 07:20:48 PM EST (none / 0)
• I must have read Shardik differently by Battle Troll, 03/08/2004 07:51:50 PM EST (none / 1)
• i think we agree by sesquiped, 03/08/2004 11:27:29 PM EST (none / 0)
• Adams is Christian, but WD is not. by vorfeed, 03/08/2004 06:28:25 PM EST (none / 1)
• heh by Battle Troll, 03/08/2004 06:43:54 PM EST (none / 2)
• Re: heh by vorfeed, 03/08/2004 07:49:58 PM EST (none / 2)
• it's rare to read an honest post on k5 by Battle Troll, 03/08/2004 08:13:00 PM EST (none / 2)
• Watership Down *MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD* by vorfeed, 03/09/2004 02:27:14 AM EST (none / 1)
• more by Battle Troll, 03/09/2004 05:15:22 PM EST (none / 0)
• Re: more by vorfeed, 03/09/2004 06:29:33 PM EST (none / 0)
• I don't have time to give this the reply it by Battle Troll, 03/10/2004 12:01:32 PM EST (none / 0)

My turn. (none / 2) (#291) by Pig Hogger on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 03:14:58 PM EST Dolphin Island, A.C. Clarke This one made me want to run away from home (but I didn't do it). 1984, Eric Blair I read that when I was about 10 or 11. It made me wonder how could someone imagine so bleak a future; it also started to make me wonder why anglo-saxons are so distrustful of government (I'm NOT anglo-saxon). It ultimately took me 20 years to understand why. Foundation, Isaac Asimov A revelation. It deeply rooted my belief that the past should be rigorously preserved through proper documentation if not conservation (but, of course, I arrived to that conclusion before learning that the encyclopedia was a scam). Dagon, H.P. Lovecraft I read Lovecraft when I was 11 or 12. It didn't scare me at all. This is significant (see next). Faut être logique ("Let's be logical"), San-Antonio (Frédéric Dard) "San-Antonio" was one of France's most prolific authors. His main character, San-Antonio, is the french version of James Bond, but funnier, raunchier and wierdier (there are close to 200 S.A. novels). After reading some 40 of his novels, I found that EVERY ONE of his stories, however crazy, had a least a logical (if not scientific) explanation. So, you can imagine my surprise when I picked up "Faut être logique", and finding myself scared beyond belief!!! I was reading Lovecraft at 12 and found it ho-hum, yet I read this at 30 and I almost shit in my pants! The story was about a haunted house, and what caused the "ghost effect" turned out to be one of the grossest thing I ever heard about, yet while remaining plausible (this is why it was gross, just like Hannibal snacking on someone's brain). The Weapon Shops of Isher & The Weapon Makers, A.E. Van Vogt Those two books changed a lot my outlook on life, making me much more cynical. They helped me understand the anglo-saxon's distrust of the State a bit more (but not completely), yet they enhanced my belief that the State should be there to look after you in case you're somehow wronged or just been plain unlucky. The mote in god's eye, Larry Niven/Jerry Pournelle This one gave me a good insight into the military mind; it made me change my outlook on things, in addition of being a thoroughly good read. Dune Frank Herbert Made me wonder even more why people want so much to be religious. So did the ending of the three sequels to "Rendez-vous with Rama". -- Somewhere in Texas, a village is missing it's idiot

Adding to the list.... (none / 2) (#289) by nne3jxc on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 03:01:51 PM EST In addition to many of the works listed here, I would add: A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter Miller. This one really made me think about both the stupidity of humanity in pursuit of science and power along with the place that written history has in our view of the world. The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. (this is my "fun" entry.) Starting with Nine Princes in Amber This series to me, is more "approachable" than LOTR. (though admittedly, it's not as "deep.") Don't bother with the 2nd series though, it's not as good as the first 5 novels. The Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan. I read this before Cosmos came out. It really made me think about some of the motivations behind human intelligence. It does seem a little dated now, but still a good read.

• Dragons of Eden by nne3jxc, 03/08/2004 03:22:00 PM EST (none / 0)
• cool by davros4269, 03/08/2004 07:52:20 PM EST (none / 0)

Carl (none / 1) (#287) by davros4269 on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 02:39:28 PM EST http://www.oaktreeartonline.com/quack My list goes a little something like this: nonfiction: Dragons of Eden, Cosmos, Demon Haunted World, Pale Blue Dot: Carl Sagan A brief History of Time, The Universe in a Nutshell: Stephen Hawking fiction: The Dune series, except the new books released after his death: Frank Herbert The Foundation Series (and releated - the other series he merged in): Asimov I, Robot (I guess he sorta merged that into Foundation as well though): Asimov 2001,2010,2061,3001, The Rama series: Clarke Hitchiker series: Adams These have helped to give me my current secular philosophy on life and exposed me to new possibilities. Dune especially showed me the potential for religion to be a politician's dream tool - Republicans, anyone??! Will you squirm when you are pecked? Quack.

Influential Books (none / 1) (#285) by thoennes on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 01:24:37 PM EST Hardy Boys Series (orignal) - my mom used to read chapters to my brother and I when I was 4 years old.  If we were good, she read us 2 chapters.  This was my motivator to learn to read since I didn't want to have to be "good" to enjoy stories.  By the time I was 5 I had read all of the hardy boys, nancy drew, and nearly everything in our schools library.  Montessori school helps.  Later I liked "The Three Investigators" better The Hobbit. - 4th grade.  My first exposure to fantasy as literature.  Within a couple of years, I had read all of Tolkiens books.  Took 3 tries for the Silmarillion. Jonathan Livingston Seagull. - 9th grade. First exposure to "alternative" philosophies.  Read it between two classes.  "Illusions" came a day later.  Illusions is my favorite happy book. Godel Escher Bach.  10th grade.  I had a cool Honors Chemistry teacher.  Anyone who's read it knows. Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy.  Same year, same prof.  Best funny book every written.  Always makes me feel that the universe is one crazy fun place and I'm stuck in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable spiral arm of the milky way galaxy.  Douglass Adams will be missed...

Kahil Gibran!! (none / 1) (#283) by lemonhead on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 01:06:03 PM EST I can't believe no one has mentioned Kahil Gibran. His little book The Prophet is beautiful and had a profound effect on how I view life. Another wonderful short book from the east is the Rubayait of Omar Khayyam (online at: http://classics.mit.edu/Khayyam/rubaiyat.html) The first half of the book No More Prisons by William Upski Wimsatt is also a real eye opener with regards to social change and attitudes.

A few of mine (none / 3) (#277) by clasher on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 12:17:40 PM EST (bkspam@thecommandline.org) Ender's Game (& series): by Orson Scott Card. Not so much because I though I could relate to Ender as an underestimated child, but for it's ideas on war, love, and domesticity. Orthodoxy: G. K. Chesterton's argument for orthodox Catholicism and against various modern philosophies. A must read for those who assume they understand the catholic church enough to reject it. http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Gilbert_K_Chesterton/Orthodoxy/ The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: by Douglas Adams. Always a good boook to go to for a laugh. In the Beginning Was the Command Line: By Neal Stephenson.  A great book of analogies for understanding the philosophical differences between a command line interface and graphical user interfaces.

Mind expanders (none / 1) (#276) by p944 on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 12:09:38 PM EST Many of the above mentioned, but a couple that noone seems to have got yet that I think have some of the biggest SF ideas I've ever come across in them. A Fire Upon the Deep - Vernor Vinge : Amazingly complex and far reaching ideas. Also check out A Deepness in the Sky and Across Realtime, same author. Vurt - Jeff Noon : Very psycadelic, makes you feel like you're on acid (not that I'd know). Otherwise, I think it's all been said already. David. This sig deliberately left blank.

The Selfish Gene (none / 3) (#275) by Sloppy on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 11:55:02 AM EST The book that most changed how I look at things is "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins. Once you get it, almost every animal behavior in life, including most human behavior, becomes less mysterious. Many apparent complexities of even society itself, are suddenly exposed. (While there are, of course, many books that I have enjoyed, I think it's really strange that some people are listing books such as "The Colour of Magic" by Terry Pratchett, Tolkein stuff, or Star Trek "technical manuals". If these types of books changed how you see the world, you either came from or more likely, went to a truly weird place.) "RSA, 2048, seeks sexy young entropic lover, for several clock cycles of prime passion..."

• Influence is More Subtle Than Change by virg, 03/08/2004 04:20:13 PM EST (none / 1)

my list,... (none / 2) (#274) by jforan on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 11:53:51 AM EST Introduction to the Theory of Computation , Michael Sipser This stuff is taught as a grad class where I went to school. I think it should be an introductory course. Computer science would have been so much more straight forward had I learned this first. 1984, George Orwell Agreed. Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid and Metamagical Themas: Questing for the Essence of Mind and Pattern, Douglas R. Hofstadler Metamagical themas was just as good and important as GEB. The Great Brain (series), John D. Fitzgerald It can be cool to be smart. Myth of Sisyphus, Albert Camus Helped put me into my period of doubt and dreary in high school. The Crystal Shard, (and multi-series) R. A. Salvatore Got me out of my period of doubt and dreary in high school. Lifts me up any time I read them. Especially the Dark Elf trilogy. I am sure there are others, but I have to do some work now. Jeff I hops to be barley workin'.

Umberto Eco (none / 2) (#273) by chalito on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 11:18:19 AM EST I'd like to add a couple of titles: * The name of the rose (Umberto Eco) * Foucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco) * Death (Neil Gaiman) * The Death Gate Cycle (Weiss & Hickman) chalito

biography of Mohandas Gandhi (none / 2) (#268) by makash on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 08:34:46 AM EST If you mean the auto biography of M K Gandhi, its My Experiments with truth.

A Spontaneous List (3.00 / 7) (#265) by fluxion on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 05:11:04 AM EST (evil pete[ at ] tpg _dot_ com _doht_ AyU) OK. This is just off the top of my head. No order. Probably will miss some of my all time favourites as well. Just consider this as a list of books that had a deep influence at the time I read them, they may or may not be genuinely great books. The Star Maker -- by Olaf Stapledon: this is in my opinion the best science fiction story (errr it isnt really a novel) ever written. Personal bias here probably. The sort of book that if you are depressed or whatever, just pick it up and open it at any page and it restores something deep inside you. Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu -- various translations ... the more the better. and .. The I Ching by anonymous. This has had a profound effect on me. Here is a book that seems to evoke something in the reader/user that feels like you are dealing with an AI agent. Which prompts the question ... how on Earth was it written? The Epic of Gilgamesh A strangely engaging story from 5,000 years ago that is universal even while realising this describes a world that almost alien. And... The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides. The first decent analysis of a major war around 2,500 years ago between Athens and Sparta. The story seems particularly modern with modern lessons about war and its unpredictable nature and the nature of human frailty. It also taught me that the Middle East isn't going to change, because it was always like the way it is now. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. An interesting exploration of philosophical ideas and their history in an intriguing context. Dune by Frank Herbert. An amazing book I happened to read at a critical age at a critical time. Life changing. Not so the sequels. Godel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter. An intellectual adventure and obstacle course that will leave you stronger and refreshed, and with the opinion that you have actually learned something important ... but not knowing quite what. Chthon by Piers Anthony. Yeah, I know you're thinking of Xanth. But this is something very different. Strange and intense. Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Leguin. Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. Taught me that other civilisations may have motivations that are beyond our experience. Others here have said it is depressing. I find it both sad and uplifting. Sad for the Overlords, and uplifting for humanity ... but it could easily be the other way around for other people. The Psychology of Computer Programming by ???. I don't remember the author of this but this book written about 20 years ago introduced me to the idea of 'egoless programming' which finds its current expression in concepts like code reviews and some parts of extreme programming. Very insightful. The Critique of Pure Reason by Kant. A clear insight into reason, and a glimpse of the origin of the modern mind. Classical Electrodynamics Jackson. A beautiful combination of physics and mathematics. Perhaps I should also add in here Crawford's Waves. Maybe it was just the time I read these. Bhagavad Gita The excerpt from the Mahabharatta about the dialog between Arjuna and Krishna about the use of yoga and meditation and transcendence. In the Ocean of Night by Gregory Benford On Growth and Form by Darcy Thompson. Classic work on the relationship between mathematics and biology. And lots and lots of others. This is a random selection. I can think of others I could swap in, but I'm sure other readers feel the same about their lists too.

• Thucydides by treefrog, 03/26/2004 08:50:42 AM EST (none / 0)
• Psychology of Computer Programming by c4miles, 03/09/2004 08:44:07 AM EST (none / 0)

One missed (none / 3) (#263) by Unfocused on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 04:34:21 AM EST http://www.soniquex.com Nice to see a few works from Harry Harrison in the list. As well as Dune, Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, etc... However, I don't see "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" (by Richard Bach, I think) mentioned anywhere. A short, inspirational piece that I've never had trouble rereading over again. Freely avaliable online also, with a little searching. ---- Don't lick something unless you really mean it.

• Harry Harrison, great writer by bigchris, 03/09/2004 07:11:31 AM EST (none / 0)
• Right. Also, forgot 'Siddhartha' by Fantastic Lad, 03/08/2004 06:00:04 PM EST (none / 0)
• Seagulls. . . by Fantastic Lad, 03/08/2004 05:52:56 PM EST (none / 0)

Books that have had some or profound influence (3.00 / 4) (#262) by dbronaugh on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 04:19:57 AM EST The following books I have found particularly influential/interesting:  - Mark Twain, Letters from the Earth: great fun with Christianity  - Mark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger: One of the better, and more powerful, stories I have ever read  - Mark Twain, Pudd'n Head Wilson: A favourite; a book about an outcast. An outcast reading about another outcast feels a sense of belonging... how strange  - Edward Abbey, The Monkey Wrench Gang: Definitely one of the most influential books I have read. I read it for the first time when I was about sixteen; I've probably read it 20 times since then. What a book.  - Tao Teh Ching: My current work-in-progress. Many insightful things  - Thor Heyerdal, Kon-Tiki/The Ra Expeditions/Fatu-Hiva/Aku-Aku etc: I don't know if he's right in his science or not, but in my opinion these are some of the better (true) adventure stories ever written. I love them.  - Michael Chrichton, all his books: A crappy writer with good ideas. It's a shame he can't write better.  - Herge, Tintin: Yes, fine friend way up in the comments, you aren't the only one to be influenced by Tintin :) I particularly enjoy "The Calculus Affair" (note lack of past tense)  - Kurt Vonnegut jr, many books: Influential on me at a fairly early age. Smacked some good ole cynicism into me.  - James Herriot, many books: Plays to my animal-loving side... many a time has warmed my heart or made me laugh uproariously with his stories. Influential? Most certainly -- as a view into one possible outcome of life... a road down which one could travel  - Forevermore -- A History of Nuclear Waste in America: Opened my eyes to the gross abuses of the nuclear industry. The sad thing is that they pale in proportion to the combined abuses of other industries...  - James Clavell, King Rat: Very influential earlier on in my life. Put money, power, and influence into sharp perspective; they only matter within your tiny domain. That's what I can think of right now... I know I've listed some things others haven't at least. David Bronaugh

• Thor Heyerdal wasn't right by kaffiene, 03/09/2004 04:10:22 AM EST (none / 0)

My list (none / 2) (#261) by yokomo on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 04:08:40 AM EST In no particular order: See a Grown Man Die/ Now Watch Him Die by Henry Rollins The Right Man For The Job by Mike Magnuson Hamlet by Billy-Bob Shakespeare (not sure if plays count) Into The Great Wide Open by Kevin Canty Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo Niebla and San Manuel Bueno, mártir by Miguel de Unamuno Surely Mr. Feynman, You Must Be Joking by Richard P Feynman Black Summer by Henry Miller The Ronin by William Dale Jennings A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess The Hacker Ethic by Pekka Himanem

• Niebla by pik, 03/09/2004 05:20:44 PM EST (none / 0)
• Where I "found" niebla by yokomo, 03/10/2004 03:21:33 PM EST (none / 0)

Wow. I suddenly love everybody here. I'm stunned. (none / 2) (#258) by Fantastic Lad on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 01:40:47 AM EST Each book we share is a common piece of mind, and yet look how different we all are! This is really cool. The wise old grandmother of a friend of mine would tell small children. . , "Go run and look at the Ocean. Count all the waves from the shore all the way to the horizon, and come back to tell me how many." This was of course impossible; waves are countless, constantly moving, stretching back for hundreds of miles. Grandmother would lean back and laugh. "Yes. Yes! And that is how many different perspectives there are in the world. That is how many ways of seeing the same things!" My list by semantic grouping. . . -The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by The Man. -The Color of Magic Terry Pratchet -Black Holes and Warped Spacetime by some very compelling science guy -National Geographic 1986-1990 -The Bible. (for the same reasons as stated in the article) -Tales of Power by Carlos Castaneda. "How 'magic' works." -UFOs and the National Security State Richard M. Dolan -Cross Currents Robert O. Becker -Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes Theodora Lau -War & Peace Leo Tolstoy -Mutiny on the Bounty -The Three Musketeers Alexandre Dumas -Don Quixote Cervantes -The Odyssey Homer. -I was STUNNED at how exciting and accessible this book was! -Sherlock Holmes "The Final Problem" (the single Moriarty story Conan Doyle wrote. Only 12 pages long, was one of the most mind-blowing stories I have ever, ever read.) -Peanuts Charles Schulz -Calvin & Hobbes Bill Waterson. -Cerebus Dave Sim. "The earlier, funnier ones." -Nausicaa Hayo Miyazaki -This comic series drove me mad! Neck hairs stood on end. -Appleseed Masemune Shirow -Thieves & Kings Mark Oakley -Secret Wars "Coolest Marvel comics story EVER!" -X-Men, Death of Phoenix ten issues of Claremont and Byrne -Dandelion Wine Ray Bradbury -"IT" Stephen King. --Yeah, a badly written book; but when I was 18, it still blew me away. -A Prayer for Owen Meany John Irving (weirdly linked to "IT". Irving and King fed off each other!) -Choose Your Own Adventure, "Cave of Time" -The Narnia series C.S. Lewis -The Black Cauldron series -Lloyd Alexander -The Belgariad -David Eddings -Dragon Drums, Dragon Song, Dragon Singer Anne Mccaffrey And guess what? -The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever The first 'Adult' pulp fantasy series I ever read. You can't judge a book by its cover, but you can judge a man by his books. -FL

it certainly is (none / 2) (#256) by myrspace on Mon Mar 8th, 2004 at 01:19:28 AM EST Alex and Jane - the first book I could ever read by myself. Enid Blyton books and Nancy Drew ones - reigned my childhood and kept me interested in reading. Alfred Hitchcock's The Green Ghost - my first horror story. I had to sum courage to read it The Golden Fleece - taught me greek mythology and the one main reason why I fell in love with fantasy and strayed from fiction there on. The Lord of the Flies - showed me the concept of human survival and the first book to ever portray voilence so vividly in mine eyes. I actually felt sick after finishing the book. Salvatore's Exile (of Dark Elf Triology, which followed with Sojourn. Have yet to get hold of Menzo) - Actually revamped my writing style to Salvatore's more dramatic and short clauses. Piers Anthony, The Color Of Her Panties - the first book I ever read that taught me to think in the non-conformist way. that, and introduced to me the concept of naked women strutting around with half-horses and young nymphic girls. Dune series - Completely changed the way I think, see and feel. Life altering book. Do not consume Dune during puberty. Robot City Book 1 - The first book to ever pull me deeply into the world it etched as though I were in the shoes of the main character myself. Also, painfully agonizing when I realized there was a second book to conclude the story, and I could not find it. Anywhere. IF you have info on this, please provide. I cannot thank you enough Asimov's Foundation series - which makes one of the far and few books to ever have the most endearing experience ever, and still conclude in the most satisfying way. Few stories have ever started out great, stayed chock full of content and goodness, before ending like you've just had a climax after some hot loving. Taught me what quality really was. Terry Pratchets books most of them - Showed me that you don't need to follow a proper format to write. Drivel it like the old folks do and you can still make fantastically funny stories. The Harry Potters - the 2nd book to ever draw me so deeply into the story after Robot City, and relighting the sparks of my burnt out imagination.

• Robot City, Book 2... by bigchris, 03/09/2004 07:17:15 AM EST (none / 0)
• omg i cannot thank you enough sir! THANK YOU (nt) by myrspace, 03/09/2004 09:51:37 PM EST (none / 0)
• this is the reason why u should always preview(nt) by myrspace, 03/08/2004 01:23:50 AM EST (none / 0)

Rand (none / 2) (#254) by santosdouglas on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 11:19:32 PM EST (santosdo@msu.edu) http://blog.sodalug.com It's already been mentioned a number of times, but Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged is still the most influential book for me. It truly is a master work, integrating an intruiging story with a complete philosophical system. I find many comments about how 'it contains many nice ideals, but aren't practical in reality' comments amusing, considering how well it worked in America up until the early 1900's. Even I once felt like many others that her story, while interesting, often felt like a sort of capitalist parable - particularly her government officials and their programs seemed almost cartoonish (The Anti Dog Eat Dog law for example). Then recently I read Jim Powell's excellent FDR's Folley: How Roosevelt and His New Deal Prolonged the Great Depression. I almost felt like I was rereading whole sections of Atlas Shrugged. To read about how FDR and his stacked Surpreme Court essentially rewrote the constitution to further his socialist beliefs is truly infuriating. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the roots of our current overgrown government.

• On FDR's folly by hugues, 03/11/2004 10:33:34 PM EST (none / 0)
• A Review of Atlas Shrugged. by GuillaumeLeblanc, 03/08/2004 08:55:41 AM EST (none / 0)

The Bible (none / 3) (#253) by fsh on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 11:09:17 PM EST Totally agree, despite a little disparagement in the comments I've read, for no other reason than that a great deal of incredibly important literature is heavily influenced, if not flat out based, on The Bible, specifically New Testament. -fsh

Joseph Campbell & Robert Graves (none / 2) (#251) by fsh on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 11:00:22 PM EST Joseph Campbell is an incredible author for anyone interested in mythology of any flavor. A great intro to Campbell is The Hero With A Thousand Faces, which discusses the similarity of the hero in mythology from all cultures; a truly important work. Robert Graves' works the The Greek Myths and The White Goddess are simply profound. The first traces the roots of Greek myhtology through the skein of time. It has a reading of a particular myth, with a breakdown of historical notes following; often the notes are longer than the myth. The White Goddess is a profound mix of many things, including a foray into pre-historic mythology as well as late Druidic/Bardic poetic encryption. -fsh

For everyone that likes Vonnegut (none / 3) (#250) by fsh on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 10:43:20 PM EST I see a lot of people recommending Vonnegut, but only one reference to Italo Calvino. So here's a quick list from an incredibly well written author (especially if you read Italian, although all are available in English): Italo Calvino: If on a Winter's Night a Traveler Cosmicomics The Cloven Viscount -fsh

I've seen this mentioned before, (none / 3) (#245) by bunsen on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 08:36:14 PM EST But "A Brief History of Time" has had a more significant effect on my life than anything else I've read. Not because it changed the way I think (though it did help me figure out how to visualize spaces with N>3 dimensions), but because it got me interested in physics. After reading that, I went and found some other books on the topic - I can remember "In Search of the Big Bang" by John Gribbin and "Relativity: The Special and General Theories" by Albert Einstein being important. I've been a complete physics geek ever since, and I'm now starting in on a Ph.D. (no research yet - just classes and TA work (damned undergrads)). So as I spend tonight grading piles of intro physics homework, and tomorrow cramming for an electrodynamics midterm, I can curse^Wthank^Wcurse Dr. Hawking the whole time. --- Do you want your possessions identified? [ynq] (n)

Oooh, and if I can add a comic book... (none / 2) (#244) by MOblongata on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 08:23:57 PM EST (m_oblongata@hotmail.com) http://www.m-oblongata.blogspot.com Eightball Comics by Daniel Clowes... especially the "Like an Iron Glove Cast in Velvet" story... Just my kinda wierd, I guess. "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -Mohandas Gandhi

A few more (none / 2) (#242) by GenerationY on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 07:47:46 PM EST (genwye@yah00.c0m) I must confess that the books that have influenced me aren't necessarily the best books I've read. A case in point is: The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists (Robert Tressel, 1914). I can't really defend the style and I'm not sure I agree with it as much as I used to, but it was an eye-opener for me at the time. Tony Benn called it "a light that should be handed down from generation to generation". But then, he would... Just for the sake of curiosity, any US readers heard of it? Or was it last seen on a bonfire around the time of McCarthyism? I'm telling you, its a sick, sick nation that turned the word liberal into an expletive Iain Banks - Dead Air

• Link by GenerationY, 03/07/2004 08:00:22 PM EST (none / 0)

Just one out of many (none / 3) (#238) by phnk on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 07:09:48 PM EST (http://www.phnk.com/contact.html) http://www.phnk.com If I had to recommend just one book out of the huge list of books which have influenced my life one way or the other, I'd choose the following one : The Second World War, by Anthony Kemp (French edition: Gallimard coll. Découvertes). This book is not a novel. It is the work of a historian about something that I have not lived (I'm 20) and hence, which I can only imagine. As a fiction. History is the longest book, may I humbly recommend those Kemp pages to anyone here who lives in France (costs 12€). I hope there's an English edition.

some of those already mentioned... (none / 3) (#236) by keelerbeez on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 06:43:38 PM EST (1codejack@comcast.net) ...and one i feel is important enough to add: The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart? How can you expect a man who's warm to understand one who's cold? -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK----- GAT d? s++:+ a- C++++$ UBS*++++$ P--- L+>++ E--- W- !N !o !K w+++(---)$ M+ PS+++ PE(--) Y+ PGP t++@ 5++ X+ R* tv(+) b+++ DI++ !G !e h* r*% y++++** ------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

A Short list (none / 3) (#235) by njmc on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 06:21:58 PM EST The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins - for answering the question 'Why are we here?'. Three Men and a Boat (To say nothing of the dog) - by Jerome K. Jerome for introducing me to the joys of idling. Critical Path by R.Buckminster Fuller - for provoking thought. number9dream by David Mitchell - for simply being superb.

My own additions (3.00 / 4) (#231) by DaChesserCat on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 02:55:08 PM EST What else could I add to this list, which hasn't been added before? I tend to look forward to a world where the things we currently describe as paranormal are "normal." Consequently, I love reading books by Anne McCaffrey. While some of her novels are just plain fantasy, some of them are an interesting mix of fantasy and Sci-Fi. For example, The Ship Who Sang provides an example of how technology could allow someone who is otherwise ill equipped to deal with our modern society, an opportunity to do so. IIRC, she was dealing with a father or other close relative who was dying from Lou Gehrig's Disease when she wrote this. This caused me to see possible roles for technology in a completely different light. Another earth-shaker in this category was Beyond Biofeedback. This one is definitely non-fiction, and it is NOT light reading. As mentioned, I've always had a fascination for the paranormal, and this book was one of the first scientific investigations of certain paranormal phenomena. Among other things, they used EEG machines to investigate possible ESP phenomena. The put someone who claimed to be able to move things with his mind in a controlled environment and put him to the test. For me, it was an exporation of just what we DON'T know about the human mind, a glimpse into what might actually be possible (given the right amount of research) and a validation of the fact that such paranormal things truly can exist. Yes, I've read Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, Count Zero, The Differnce Engine, Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash. I particularly like the Snow Crash idea of creating a language-based "virus" which could crash a human mind. The technology in all of these books is intriguing, but none of them really inspired a mindf**k. 1984 and Brave New World were both mindf**k books, although I really didn't grasp the full impact of 1984 until I was in my 20's (I read it in high school, but privacy and manipulation wasn't such a big deal to me, at the time). Last, but not least, Critical Path by R. Buckminster Fuller. More than a few reviewers have stated this book gets overly technical, and shouldn't be an introduction to the legendary thinker. Well, I tend to be overly technical, so it was perfect for me. This book was a definite mindf**k, in terms of the way we do things, "because that's how it's done" the fact that these things can often be improved on, drastically The book is largely biographical, but covers many of his ideas, which are mind-blowing (but COMPLETELY logical and practical) when you really think about them. <disclaimer> References to Amazon are NOT to be considered an endorsement of them. At one time, I'd have referenced the Library of Congress for such things, but their website isn't what is used to be. For now, Amazon's website seems to be a decent reference when it comes to books. Get 'em from the local library, borrow 'em from friends, buy 'em from wherever you want. </disclaimer> Trains stop at train stations Busses stop at bus stations A windows workstation . . .

okay... (none / 3) (#226) by Wain on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 01:23:56 PM EST "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" and "Flow my tears, the Policeman said" - Philip K. Dick "Beyond Good and Evil" - Neitzsche "Neuromancer" - William Gibson "House of Leaves" - Mark Z. Danielewski "and the Ass saw the Angel" - Nick Cave

My List (none / 3) (#225) by invis on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 01:16:36 PM EST (invis_intl@hotmail-remove-this-part-.com) Steppenwolf - Herman Hesse, about independent thought. 100 Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez, The entire history of humanity in a novel. The Wretched of the Earth (the Appendix) - Frantz Fanon Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx ABC of Anarchism - Alexander Berkmann Foucault -- just the gist of his work. Others previously mentioned: 1984, Crime and Punishment, Borges, Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Nietzsche) Books others mentioned that I've read and DIDN'T find influential/interesting: The Bible, Huckleberry Finn, The Hobbit/LOTR, Plato's Republic, No Exit, Cat's Cradle, The Catcher in the Rye Sorry for so many negatives mentioned, but I think it's important to understand that the amount of truly influential books is small, and is different for each person. A lot of the "classics" in my opinion are crap or irrelevant -- again, this does and should vary by person. Gabriel Garcia Marquez summarizes what I'm trying to say best: "I learned and never forgot that we should only read those books that FORCE US to reread them."

• My Reponse to Your Philosophical End by virg, 03/08/2004 04:54:39 PM EST (none / 0)

Milgram's "Obedience to Authority" (3.00 / 7) (#224) by cpghost on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 10:42:53 AM EST http://www.cordula.ws/ One the books that influenced my way of thinking more than any other was Stanley Milgram: Obedience to Authority. Stanley's experiment explains nicely the mechanisms of totalitarian regimes, and why people get to torture political opponents, mainly because "they were ordered to do so" by a higher authority. Stanley's experiment doesn't apply merely to torture camps though. In our day to day life, we often do despectable things to others, things we would never have dreamt of by ourselves. We do them, because our boss, police, courts or "the society" is expecting it. Very few people have the courage to stand up against authority, and bail out of the mainstream. Truly, a remarkable book. cpghost at Cordula's Web

short list (none / 2) (#223) by kalin on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 07:44:04 AM EST http://jeffer.org/ I just know I'm going to leave something out but here is a quick intoxicated list before I go to bed.  The stuff that I can see from my desk is probably going to be privileged over that which is boxed somewhere. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand - The LoC did a polla  few years back where people rated this the second most influential book in America after the bible.  No apologies from me on this one, it simply inspires you to get out and get shit done. The Real Frank Zappa by Frank Zappa - Fatanstic autobiography by one fo the great artists of the 20th century.  His rise to fame and glory is great as are the last few chapters detailing his views on economics, censorship, art, and life.  A great read in High School. The Future and its Enemies by Virginia Postrel - Former editor of Reason and current NYT columnist this recent but classic book tosses aside the false left-right dichotomy in favour of stasist vs dynamist.  A refreshing reorientation and a great base for a liberty-oriented decentralized political philosophy. Science and Sanity by Alfred Korzybski - I was reading about Scientology around the time of the original USENET scandal and read that L. Ron Hubbard had bastardized and ripped off loads of the interesting aspects of Dianetics from this book.  A subsequent  BA in Linguistics years later lead me back to this book and I wrote my honors thesis on it.  Dense and outdated in its science, I still find it unsurpassed as a guide to more rational thought. The Doom Patrol by Grant Morrison - I don't know if all of this has been republished as graphic novels but I happened into a collection of it in a $0.25 bin.  The first great surreal comic book.  Still most of Grant Morrison's best work. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut - After randomly finding Breakfast of Champions in high school I soon moved on to what i consider to be Vonnegut's perfect novel.  No damn cat, and no damn cradle. The Poliquin Principles by Charles Poliquin - This book had awful editing and even worse pictures.  All the same Poliquin taught me that going to the gym and planning workouts could be mentally stimulating and that being smart about it reaped big rewards.  I hadn't read a bodybuilding book previously that came with so much practical information and insight. The Mystery of Capital by Hernando de Soto - Why had Capitalism failed in the third world?  Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto introduced the notion that previous attempts to institute free markets had failed because there was too much focus placed on big picture items such as fiscal and monetary policy while ignoring the fact that most of the economy and property rights were informal and extra-legal.  A recognition that widespread and centralized property title took hundreds of years to develop in the West. The Cathedral and the Bazaar by Eric S Raymond - A lot of people like to diss ESR, but when all this Linux stuff was starting to make noise he provided a nice roadmap for someone trying to figure out how all this free software got made and fit together.  The essay's in the book get better as he gets more serious about it, and the Magic Cauldron at then end which examines the economics of open source has a part that so concisely explains why OSS is inevitable.  Inspiring enough to have me now running Debian as my primary Desktop OS for the last 5 years. Piles more; these are off the top of my head.  This list is long enough though.

• 5 years? by Richey, 03/07/2004 02:19:05 PM EST (none / 1)
• Well, I was muddling a long for a while too by kalin, 03/09/2004 05:20:26 AM EST (none / 0)
• 1997 by Garc, 03/07/2004 03:16:55 PM EST (none / 0)

Only one (none / 2) (#221) by Journeyman on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 07:28:59 AM EST "Gödel, Escher and Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid" by Douglas R. Hofstadter

my top 3 (none / 2) (#219) by pakje on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 07:01:03 AM EST - Atlas shrugged by Ayn Rand Not that I agree with ayn rands thoughts, but it did change my view on the world a lot. - Calculus, early transcendentals It really learns you to create mathematical equations on real life situations, if you like it or not. - The world according to Sophie It's written for girls I think, but still, the first book which really got my attention on the history of philosophy.

• The World According To.... by aude sapere, 03/07/2004 03:51:36 PM EST (none / 1)

My favorite books are... (none / 2) (#218) by Lockle on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 06:55:05 AM EST (adam [at] techendeavors.com) http://www.adambrown.ws Bridge to Terabithia - This book meant a lot to me and still does. The Little Prince also taught me a lot about the nature of adults and why I should try to be a child forever. Of course, Enders Game was important too. Those are the only books that come to the top of my head when I am asked the question.

My influential books list (2.50 / 4) (#217) by The Rizz on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 05:40:03 AM EST Here is a short list of books I found to be influencing, and the reasons behind these choices: Jude the Obscure: This is a book I was made to read in a high school english class. It is widely touted as a classic of literature. Simply put, reading this book was the single most important event to making me realize that just because someone decides something's a classic, doesn't mean it's good, interesting, fun to read, or anything else of the sort. It taught me that just because someone is supposedly an expert, doesn't mean they're right. This was cemented even further when my teacher said she was "so, so sorry" for making us read it. (She had not read the book - she assigned the book only because other teachers at the school did.) The Sandman series of graphic novels, by Neil Gaiman: Oddly enough, I was introduced to this series by the pastor at my church. An excellent series all-around, this made me realize that graphic novels can be so much more than just superheros. If you have not read this series, you definitely should: it is one of the best pieces of fantasy written in the last century (rivaling Tolkien, IMHO). V for Vendetta by Alan Moore: Another graphic novel, this time a post-WWIII look at a dystopian, big-brother fascist England. Filled with social and political commentary, this book was very influential in the formation of my current political ideology. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein: Another good social/political book, this one also was important in forming the way I look at politics. There any many more novels that had more minor effects on my life, such as some books starting reading trends for me (such as The Sandman, Book of Dreams causing me to get into reading short stories, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy compelling me to start reading scifi). I have not listed them all here, as that would be a very long list, indeed. --The Rizz "Everything is true. Everything anybody has ever thought." --Philip K. Dick

• V for vendetta by pik, 03/09/2004 05:18:13 PM EST (none / 0)
• -1 Philistine by r0b, 03/07/2004 04:29:11 PM EST (none / 0)

Bridge to Terabithia (none / 2) (#215) by Delirium on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 05:27:33 AM EST (delirium-k5@rufus.d2g.com) Is a very good book. Read my diary.

My wee list (3.00 / 4) (#213) by MOblongata on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 04:34:20 AM EST (m_oblongata@hotmail.com) http://www.m-oblongata.blogspot.com 1984 That's a good one, but will have to add Aldous Huxley's Brave New World also... the granddaddy of the dystopias. Peoples, Genes, and Languages by Luigi Luca Cavalli Sforza. A summary of all the cool genetic and linguistic research that has gone into tracing the migration of our species. Long live the Homo! Plus it's a good foundation for explaining very succinctly why all racists are jackasses. Apes, Language, and the Human Mind and Kanzi: An Ape on the Brink of the Human Mind both by Sue Savage-Rumbaugh... really cool stuff on primate cognition. The World I Live In by Helen Keller... just fascinates me--trying to grasp what that world might be like. Catch 22 -Joseph Heller... funny and clever. Cat's Cradle and Breakfast of Champions, both by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Twisted, funny, perverse..., and on that note... The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy. And finally, one more dork one: The Symbolic Species: The Co-evolution of Language and the Brain by Terrence W. Deacon. Lots of great stuff on neuroanatomy that linguists have uh... ignored? "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -Mohandas Gandhi

I like book (2.75 / 4) (#211) by bankind on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 04:12:03 AM EST (rap and punch) www.illmitch.com The book I think about everyday of my life: Pimp: the story of my life by Iceberg Slim Economics International Economics by Krugman and Obstfeld International Money by Paul De Grauwe Great Debates in Economics by Richard T Gill (all the unfinished debates in economics from Malthus v. Ricardo (on business cycles) to Solow v. Galbraith (on growth) Globalizing Capital by Barry Eichengreen The Worldly Philosophers by Robert Heilbroner (introduced me to Veblen). Theory of the Leisure Class by Thorstein Veblem Other non-fiction History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell (watch schools of philosophy destroyed with time) Obedience to Authority by Stanley Milgrim True Believer by Eric Hoffer Brother Enemy by Nayan Chanda The Origins of the Cultural Revolution (3 vol.) by Roderick MacFarquhar Governing China by Kenneth Lieberthal China: A history by John King Fairbank, Merle Goldman Anything by David Chandler The Mongols by Jeremieh Curtain Huey P. Long by T Harry Williams The Earl of Louisiana by Abbott Liebling Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius by Ray Monk Sihanouk: Prince of Light, Prince of Dark by Milton Osborn The LBJ Biographies by Robert Caro The Metaphysical Club by Louis Menand Alexander of Macedon by Peter Green Fiction Ham on Rye, Post Office, Factotum, and Women by Charles Bukowski Chinese classics: Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Outlaws of the Marsh (aka Water Margin The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh Collect works of Ho Xuan Huong Catch 22 by what's his face Confederacy of Dunces by what's his face Bill: the Galactic Hero and Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison The tentative list: 1945 by David Marr The Aubrey/Maurtin series by Patrick O'Brian The Elusive Quest for Growth by William Easterly "Insurgents are blowing up pipelines and police stations, geysers of sewage are erupting from the streets, and the electricity is off most of the time -- but we've given Iraq the gift of supply-side economics." -Krugman

• I'm crippled by my inability to read Chinese by Battle Troll, 03/08/2004 12:58:08 PM EST (none / 2)
• I'm no expert by bankind, 03/08/2004 09:58:56 PM EST (none / 0)

okay, why not (2.25 / 4) (#208) by livus on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 02:35:32 AM EST Here's mine, though I must add, the books that influenced me are not necessarily the books I would have wanted to influence me. Emmanuel Levinas Entre Nous Patrick White The Vivisector Laurence Goldstein, ed The Male Body: Features, Destinies, Exposures anonymous The Thousand Nights and One Night Michel Foucault The Order of Things Naomi Wolf The Beauty Myth Alexander Solzhenitsyn Cancer Ward Giles Deleuze Coldness and Cruelty -------- studies have shown: at least 63 percent of kurons would charge for sex if they could

• Charybdis, I'm disturbed by your rating by livus, 03/07/2004 09:43:42 PM EST (none / 1)

Book Experiences (none / 2) (#205) by zx4u on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 12:35:08 AM EST (zx4u@yahoo.com) Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography is " My Experiences with Truth." Some how I think people have stopped reading books and watching movies. I personally haven't read a complete book in a long time. Some of my favorite books for reading pleasure would be: Midnights Children By Salman Rushdie and The Poisonwood Bible By Barbara Kingslover. Writing is an expression of one's beliefs and prohibiting the sale of certain books is crazy. Maybe its ok to ban Mein Kampf by Adolph Hitler. However, a nation issuing a "fatwa" against a writer like Rushdie for a book like Satanic Verses should be condemned.

For a sense of perspective about everything. (none / 2) (#204) by Apuleius on Sun Mar 7th, 2004 at 12:20:32 AM EST http://www.mit.edu/~ocschwar Nicholas Monsarrat's book The Cruel Sea. It's an unpretentious account of the Battle of the Atlantic that makes every sling and arrow outrageous fortune shoots at you look like the nerf dart it really is. There is a time and a place for everything, and it's called college. (The South Park chef)

Nobody mentioned (none / 3) (#203) by Peaker on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 11:44:33 PM EST Lord of the Flies. A pretty damn good book.

Yet Another List (none / 3) (#202) by slashcart on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 11:32:02 PM EST My own list doesn't seem to overlap too much with the others. The Revolt of the Masses, Jose Ortega y Gassett. An analysis of social and political trends in the 1920's and 30's. Predicts the rise of fascism and socialism and explains the causes. Very forcefully argued. Economics in One Lesson, Henry Hazlitt. The title is misleading: this book is a defense of laissez-faire capitalism, written in an era when it was disbelieved. A witty, short, and entertaining read. The Primal Scream, Arthur Janov. This book is largely forgotten, which is regrettable since it's incredibly important. It lays out (perfectly clearly) the causes of neurosis and its sole cure. I'm quite confident this book will eventually be rediscovered. The Elimination of Metaphysics, Rudolph Carnap. This is actually an essay which can be found in a number of books, notably "Logical Positivism." Philosophical Investigations, Wittgenstein. The greatest work in the analytic tradition in philosophy. Not obscure in the least; presents clear & definitive solutions to various confusions and problems in philosophy.

• what? by Battle Troll, 03/08/2004 12:59:33 PM EST (none / 2)
• Sure... by slashcart, 03/15/2004 07:29:52 PM EST (none / 0)

Lately (2.75 / 4) (#201) by mikepence on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 11:13:13 PM EST (mikepence@NOSPAMyahoo.com) I find myself largely in line with John Sundaman's recommendations, which is interesting because I am at least 10 years -- probably 15 -- his junior. However, I would like to focus on the books that have influenced me lately, since we all loved Agatha Christie and Peanuts back in the 70's. (LOTR and the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant are assumed. My wedding ring is white gold for a reason.) I am taking this list from those items that I have taken the time to rate on Amazon. I am a big fan of their recommendation engine. In no particular order... The Catcher in the Rye Choke Fight Club Desert Solitaire 1984 The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay The Four Agreements Leaves of Grass The Future of Life On the Road On Human Nature

Read ZATAOMM online (none / 3) (#200) by MichaelCrawford on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 10:44:44 PM EST (crawford@goingware.com) http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/2/7/164754/2865 A couple of people have mentioned Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance early in my career as a programmer. It helped me in many ways, both to lift me from a depression I was experiencing, and to help me enjoy my work as a programmer. I've been thinking I should read it again soon. You can read it online. I've found a couple copies of the book around the web. -- Could you use my embedded systems development services?

• Love-hate by MOblongata, 03/07/2004 04:46:58 AM EST (none / 0)
• I'll second that by fleece, 03/07/2004 03:15:49 AM EST (none / 0)

Richard Powers! (none / 2) (#199) by johnhollenbeck on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 10:12:35 PM EST http://jhollenbeck.com/ Wonderful books here. I'll add the author Richard Powers, a master of tales encompasing technology, music, current life, etc. My favorite is Plowing The Dark, which is a study of the many forms virtual realities can take. I still think a lot about this tale; moving and generative. Am currently reading The Time of our Singing. So far its haunting enough to make me reluctant to continue. Galatea 2.2 is a romp through AI and the humanities. Gain not as good, but moving. Aw heck, it didn't change my life, but The Horned Man by James Lasdun is a great break from your project of reading the whole Bible. Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance had the single biggest effect on me at that time of my live. Maybe it's time to read it again... -- "Stay close to your desks, never go to sea, and soon you'll be rulers of the queen's navy" - G&S

ah, childhood books (none / 2) (#198) by blisspix on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 09:56:56 PM EST http://www.blisspix.net My favourite books are pretty much all from my childhood, from long days of sitting on my bunk looking out the window on some rainy day. As the Waltz Was Ending - The first book I read about war. Not a great book, but it struck me hard when I was 10 reading about rations, rape, and bombs. Alice in Wonderland - I adored this book, absolutely treasured it. My parents gave me a copy after a dancing concert I performed in, I remember the drive home from the theatre, still in my tap shoes, opening up the magical package with this book in it. Magic Faraway Tree - I read it over and over again. I wished the tree was real so many times! Little Women - Made me wish I was born in another century. Microserfs - Helped me to accept my inner geek, ha. I can't help but LOL when I read certain sections of this book. :) The Great Gasby - My dad's ex-girlfriend gave this to me for Christmas one year. She had the best taste in everything. I love this book. Tibetan Book of Living and Dying - I'm not big on spiritual stuff, but this book was very helpful to me when my father-in-law died. I had read it several years earlier and it stuck with me until I needed it.

My Three (none / 3) (#196) by manifest void on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 08:54:05 PM EST (lelandpaul(at)gmail(dot)com) fromthemists.blogspot.com -"Demian", Herman Hesse I just read this recently, but even at first reading was amazed to find that it neatly summed up all my thinking on the world, in much more elonquent language than I could ever have used. A beautiful tale of self-discovery on the edge of WWI, and so much more. -"Parable of the Sower", Octavia Butler Ok, so admitedly not "high literature"... :) It's the only book I've found of Butler's that was worth-while, but was amazingly beautiful, and continues to influence my daily thinking. A tale of a woman who shares other people's pain, living in a near post-apocolyptic world. And finally, the top book on my list... -"Earth Abides", George Stewart I first read this book about three years ago. Since then, I've read it four times, generally something I never, ever do. Written in the 1940s by a professor of English at, I believe, UC Berkeley, this is the only one of his books still in print. He was best known for his nonfiction, in books like "The Donner Party" and "Interstate 40", but has also written some fiction... I love this book mainly because I identify so strongly with the main character, an Isherwood Williams. "Ish" is a rather intellectual, nerdy type (at least for the '40s), often fearful of social interaction. The story begins when he comes back from a long stay in the wilderness studying ecology for this thesis to find that in the last three weeks, nearly all of mankind has been wiped out by a plague. The story continues through his life in this desolate world. Even when I first read this, I could picture myself making the same choices as he does in the book, for good or for bad... I strongly recomend all of these books to all of you all. --Her palm was split with a flower, with a flame.--

Darkly Funny (none / 2) (#195) by gt384u on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 08:21:38 PM EST (gt384u@mail@gatech@edu) The following are my absolute favorites for their bitingly subversive and on point humor while maintaining a uniformly excellent quality of prose. If I could write like any of the following authors, I'd be a very happy man. The World According To Garp - John Irving American Psycho - Brett Easton Ellis Catch-22 - Joseph Heller

3 Fisted Tales of Bob (2.50 / 4) (#194) by chupacabra on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 08:12:09 PM EST (tex@78704.com) http://rawdeal.org And everything else from the Church of the Subgenius. Too many skeletons in other peoples closets.. Where did that baby goat go?

three books (none / 2) (#189) by il on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 06:51:07 PM EST (il@shyball.mad-hoes.com) The Idiot - Fyodor Dostoyevsky Debate in Tibetan Buddhism - Daniel Perdue Meditation on Emptiness - Jeffrey Hopkins

My books ... (none / 3) (#187) by Vilim on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 06:29:44 PM EST ([r]yan@jabberwock.ca remove the square brackets) http://jabberwock.ca Childhoods End - This book although probably the best sci fi book that I have ever read gets me really depressed each time I read it at the impotency of the human race. Our steps to Mars, and the Moon are mere glimpses of the world outside our playpen. What gets me depressed is the fact that I will most likely not live long enough to experiance interstellar flight, to be able to see the light of a star other than Sol from a reasonable distance. This was a top knotch piece of Sci Fi and shows that no matter how great the human races achievements are they still amount to little Enders Game - Although not a work of high level fiction I still found it to be a great book. The companion/sequel/whatever to it, Enders Shadow is a very intersting literary experiment, it tells the same story from another person. Overlapping in some places and forging a story of its own in others The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings - I first read this in grade 7 or so and have been enthralled with it ever since. That being said it is really the only work of Fantasy which I really enjoyed. I am much more a Science Fiction person. 1984 - The obligitory great book it fills me with a renewed sense of terror each time I reread it at the amount the world has progress to the world of 1984 in the time that passed since the last reread Brave New World - Still a good book in its own right however not as haunting as 1984. It makes me notice the superfluousness of our culture, one day we may end up like this (the way Hollywood is churning out movies we may wind up with "Feelies" bu late 2008 ;) ) Cities in Flight - For the same reasons as Childhoods End this makes me really depressed. A very interesting concept though

Kundera (none / 3) (#185) by city light on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 06:25:26 PM EST (matt at drownedinsound dot (gofigure)) http://www.drownedinsound.com/matt/ Slightly pretentious title I admit, but 'the unbearable lightness of being' by Milan Kundera... I first read it at 16 or 17 on the advice of some girl I had a stupid crush on at the time.. while that didn't stay with me the book did and seemed to carry new revelations about life and relationships every time I re-read it (which I have a lot of times). Kind of a growing-up book for me. Also seems to speak a lot more directly than some of his other books which I've found a little too clever-clever in their structure at times.

• Excellent choice by GenerationY, 03/07/2004 07:31:41 PM EST (none / 0)

My most influencial books. (none / 2) (#184) by firefox on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 06:14:10 PM EST In no particular order: red/blue/green mars trilogy, K.S.Robinson Plutarchs lives, Plutarch Thus spake zarathustra, Nietzsche 1984, George Orwell LOTR books, JRR Tolkien Some Biology series of books that I read as a young kid. Dune I've read many other books of coarse, these are just the ones that stuck the most.

• quick! by Battle Troll, 03/08/2004 12:45:31 PM EST (none / 1)
• barf by tkatchev, 03/06/2004 06:55:06 PM EST (none / 2)
• Could you be any more by firefox, 03/07/2004 09:34:35 PM EST (none / 0)
• no by tkatchev, 03/08/2004 06:16:21 AM EST (none / 0)

Good list (none / 2) (#182) by sanketh on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 06:11:32 PM EST I liked this piece, mostly because of the descriptions of the effect of the books on you. The Gandhi book is - My Experiments With Truth - I admire the willpower he shows, but I don't pretty much see the point, I think. You should try All The King's Men - the character of Jack Burden is a delightful exercise in cynicism (and the lack of purpose in life and so on and so forth) == Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.

the giver (none / 3) (#181) by auraslip on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 05:56:17 PM EST (shekillby@ (probally?)comcast.net) www.shelbyjenkins.com 124

• re: The Giver by amcox, 03/16/2004 04:38:10 AM EST (none / 0)
• The Reciever by Death Denied, 03/08/2004 10:13:37 PM EST (none / 0)

Dhalgren (none / 3) (#176) by Meatbomb on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 04:26:59 PM EST I first wanted to read it as a nine year old, scouring grandpa's scifi shelf in the library. He wouldn't let me, and just as well... When I finally got my hands on it at 15 or so, the sex and epistemology were still too heavy, but I knew this was a good book. I'm part way through my fifth sojourn in Belonna, and I thank Samuel R Delany for taking me there. It has been one of the most meaningful places I have visited in my life. _______________ [Meatbomb: 1.50, -6.62] Your one stop shop for BEE GEES info!

Apologia pro Lolita (3.00 / 12) (#174) by anonymous cowerd on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 03:49:12 PM EST (wkiernan@ij.net) http://www.uncharted.org/books/Schopenhauer/sip.html Oh, man. Books, oldest and best friends I ever had. When I was eight, for some odd reason I never understood my father gave me Essays and Sketches, three volumes hardcover, by Cardinal John Henry Newman as a Christmas gift. He told me that this was very good and I should read it right away. It was utterly incomprehensible to me; I made it halfway through one essay, about some far-off momentous historical event... here's one paragraph snipped out of it, for the flavor: Ambrose was eminently a popular bishop, as every one knows who has read ever so little of his history. His very promotion to the sacred office was owing to an unexpected movement of the populace. Auxentius, his Arian predecessor in the see of Milan, died, A.D. 374, upon which the bishops of the province wrote to the then Emperor, Valentinian the First, who was in Gaul, requesting him to name the person who was to succeed him. This was a prudent step on their part, Arianism having introduced such matter for discord and faction {343} among the Milanese, that it was dangerous to submit the election to the people at large, though the majority of them were orthodox. Valentinian, however, declined to avail himself of the permission thus given him; the choice was thrown upon the voices of the people, and the cathedral, which was the place of assembling, was soon a scene of disgraceful uproar, as the bishops had anticipated. Ambrose was at that time civil governor of the province of which Milan was the capital: and, the tumult increasing, he was obliged to interfere in person, with a view of preventing its ending in open sedition. He was a man of grave character, and had been in youth brought up with a sister, who had devoted herself to the service of God in a single life; but as yet was only a catechumen, though he was half way between thirty and forty. Arrived at the scene of tumult, he addressed the assembled crowds, exhorting them to peace and order. While he was speaking, a child's voice, as is reported, was heard in the midst of the crowd to say, "Ambrose is bishop;" the populace took up the cry, and both parties in the Church, Catholic and Arian, whether influenced by a sudden enthusiasm, or willing to take a man who was unconnected with party, voted unanimously for the election of Ambrose. Not only was the vocabulary out of reach and the length of the sentences pushed my attention span to the edge, but I had no background for any of this. (On top of which my family and I were not Catholics.) Nevertheless I learned a terrific and lasting lesson for a kid that age, which is that there exist Matters which are Way Over Your Head and that there exist People who are Much, Much Smarter than you will be for Decades to Come if Ever so no matter how smart a kid you may be, you have A Long, Long Way to Go. Eight year old kids raised on TV these days seem to think the ceiling's just a bit over their heads. My Dad made me look at vast mountains with crests behind fog, lifetime of training if you'd ever have a chance to climb them. This did me a world of good. That same year I found copies of Willy Ley's Rockets and Space Travel, and Isaac Asimov's The Stars Like Dust in the elementary school library. Boy, I understood those! The one is cool hard facts, the other romance, between them they bracketed all my dreams for the next few years. When I was about ten or so I read my father's paperback of H. L. Mencken's Prejudices, Sixth Series, which taught me the proper posture for considering eminent public figures, that is, looking down and laughing. I still love his music and his Olympian attitude. About that age, I used to read my mother's Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine every month. One day on the detective-story tip, I got hold of her paperback copy of Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita (the cover represented it as a murder mystery, you see). Again like Newman it went right over my head. (This, now, may be the only occasion in history anyone's had reason to compare the author of Apologia pro Vita Sua and Humbert Humbert's creator.) O the depth of the riches! I understood less than half of it (by contemporary standards, for a ten-year-old I was blankly ignorant about sex, too, though a bit less so once I'd finished it), but I sure knew by page thirty "this is what really excellent writing is," so I read it again several times. When I was twelve or thirteen (this would be 1966 or so) I stumbled on Philip Wylie's Generation of Vipers. That's one of my vividest memories, and one of the few happy ones, from that age. Every day after school I'd walk down Highland Avenue to downtown Clearwater. I had checked Vipers out from the school library and was reading it as I walked, tripping over all the out-of-level sidewalk cracks. About a quarter of the way through the book I actually yelled "yeah" out loud and jumped up in the air. It's hard to explain how good it felt, what a sense of pressure released it was, those days I had a sense that there was something grossly wrong with the world around me, or was it? it seemed I was the only one who felt that sense of pervading fucked-up-ness. Reading Vipers it clicked in, to my great relief, that no, I'm not nuts, that yes, this place is nuts. Back in Hi-skool Dayz, I went to a bookstore to buy a copy of one poem for a report I had to turn in in order not to flunk English. This salesman there forced me to purchase the entire Oxford Book of English Verse. It's embarrassing to confess before I read it, I thought poetry was strictly for wussies. Boy oh boy I got karmic payback right away, when as I carried it around for the next three weeks all my classmates who read the title off the spine addressed me as, "Hey fag! Hey, hey, you queer!" Ah, Happy Days! Other later memorable book moments: The first time I re-read Philip Dick's Martian Time-Slip. That great moment while wading through Gibbon's Decline and Fall - when I felt for the first time I had the picture of overall history big enough that all those atomic historical events could occupy a stable place and order and meaning. All those hours poring into Schaum's Outline Series Matrices, and Calculus by Ayers; Topics in Algebra, Professor I. N. Hernstein, University of Chicago; Surveying, Davis, Foote and Kelly. A cheery stroll down the beach at Treasure Island one fine day reading a collection of Arthur Schopenhauer's essays. On the lookout for stuff on the Great Depression, picking up Karl Polanyi's The Great Transformation in a storefront used book shop in Palm Harbor. One night in Tallahassee standing in the ticket line at a club, killing time reading a paperback Don Quixote, when this girl comes walking up from nowhere and tells me "Oh you like that, you should go read Jorge Luis Borges." "Boor hays?" sez I? She spelled it out for me. Yours WDK - WKiernan@ij.net Give me a woman that loves beer and I'll conquer the world - Kaiser Wilhelm

• Wow by jubal3, 03/07/2004 02:01:46 AM EST (none / 1)

Science and Sanity: (none / 2) (#171) by fhotg on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 03:19:39 PM EST (montado_1999@re.yahoo.move.com) An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics. (Alfred Korzybski) That book, I believe, is also purposefully designed to change your thinking. The change seems to be unreversible for me and others. You have been warned. ~~~ I am fucking busy, and vice versa

most important books (none / 3) (#168) by decon recon on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 02:56:03 PM EST http://www.livejournal.com/~praxes/ Many books have been very meaningful to me. The older ya get, the more important books there can be. Following are a list of books about spirituality, social science, philosophy, and science fiction that have been important to me.   Key books on integral spirituality, most recently important to me: Integral Psychology by Ken Wilber Anything else by Wilber. The best summary of this work is by Wilber himself, available online:  Outline of An Integral Psychology. Or: Waves, Streams, States, and Self--A Summary of My Psychological Model. http://wilber.shambhala.com/html/books/psych_model/psych_model1.cfm/ The Crystal and the Way of Light by Namkhai Norbu Dzogchen is the innermost yoga of the Nyingmapa lineage of vajrayana Buddhism, where the direct experience of nondual freedom is the path. Norbu Rinpoche is a gifted scholar and teacher, skilled at explanation and at inviting people to be liberated in their experience. There are a number of books on Dzogchen by realized lamas.  This is a very good one. Luminous Night's Journey, by A.H. Almaas This is one of the richest accounts I have read of a journey in enlightenment. The book evokes, for the reader, a feeling for the experience of enlightenment as it unfolds. Almaas founded the Diamond Approach, which is a wonderful synthesis of western depth psychology and Sufi, Gurdjieff, Tibetan Buddhist and other teachings. I am not currently doing this work, but I find the ideas very helpful. Here is an introductory passage from the book, online: http://ridhwan.org/lnj_intr.html "Elixir of Enlightenment" by A.H. Almaas This is the best essay I've read on spiritual teacher-student relationships. The essay is especially helpful on an important type of problem in spiritual relationships. In a nutshell, there a number of archetypal spiritual qualities or essences. Most spiritual teachers only manifest one or a few of these qualities. Skilled teachers know how to direct students to people with whom they need to work. Other important books by Almaas are: The Void, the Diamond Heart series. Other key books on spirituality in last 25 years: The Bhagavad Gita The Gita is rich in essential teachings about different types of yogic paths: karma, bhakti, jnana, meditative yoga, etc. Been reading this since 1980. Also enduring rich resources for inspiration and contemplation and insight for me are:  Patanjali's Yoga sutras, Narada's bhakti sutras and the Srimad Bhagavatam. Tao Te Ching, translation by Stephen Mitchell I really like Mitchell's translation.  Read this over and over during a time when Qi gong in mid-90s. Zen in America, by Helen Tworkov I converted to Mahayana Buddhism in 1990 based in part on the tales in this book. Tworkov writes about the adapting and expression of Buddhist teachings in western social contexts and processes. Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramahamsa Yogananda This inspired me deeply when I read it around 1983. I decided to study Kriya yoga of Yogananda at the time and eventually was initiated into the system. The Seth Material, by Jane Roberts This book opened up possibility of exploring spiritual reality through direct experience.  Read this around 1977. Roberts later books offer various explorations of and teachings about consciousness realms and phenomena.  Roberts aspect psychology (across time, simultaneous, multi-life incarnation processes and developments) is a necessary topic of study as an alternative and perhaps corrective to traditional western and eastern metaphysics. Others: The Magic of Findhorn, by Paul Hawken Ishmael, Daniel Quinn And dozens more. Some key social science and philosophy texts: Alternative Modernities; Transforming Technology, by Andrew Feenberg Monopoly Capital, by Harry Braverman CyberMarx, by Nick Dyer-Witheford From Margin to Center, by Bell Hooks Science in Action, by Bruno Latour The Philosophy of Social Ecology, by Murray Bookchin A People's History of the United States, Howard Zinn No Logo, Naomi Klein Social Construction of Reality, by Berger and Luckmann The End of Work, Jeremy Rifkin Communities Directory: A Guide to Intentional Communities and Cooperative Living Green Politics,  Charlene Spretnak and Fritjof Capra The Monkey Wrench Gang, Edward Abbey   Postmodern theory series, by Stephen Best and Doug Kellner One Dimensional Man, Marcuse Dialectic of Enlightenment, Adorno & Horkheimer Philosophical Investigations, Wittgenstein Meditations, Descartes Favorite science fiction works. Science fiction was my first love and has shaped my multi-dimensional view of reality. For ten of my favorite writers, I made brief summaries of works and website link. A number of this works shaped the way I see the world and/or my hopes and imaginings about our future: Ursula K. Le Guin, Left Hand of Darkness; Earthsea series; The Dispossessed Leguin weaves beautiful worlds. Her soft scifi is good fiction, period. The ambi-sexuality (persons able to be either sex based on hormones floating in air) in Left Hand of Darkness was formative in my wide-open gender concept in mid teens. The early books in Earthsea series are quite magical; the stories drag on a bit as series goes along. The anarchic society portrayed in The Dispossessed informed my political ideals. http://www.ursulakleguin.com/ Greg Egan, Diaspora Brilliant, hard scifi: starts with development of an AI and then a cosmic AI romp. Best to read this for ideas more than for coherence as many sub-plots/ideas go off in various directions. Some think his Permutation City, a story about a code copy of a person trying to find way back to a body, is his best novel. But, I love cosmic AI. http://gregegan.customer.netspace.net.au/ William Gibson, Neuromancer series Classic cyberpunk and very good fiction: techno-scientific intrigue, advanced AIs, gritty realism. http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com/ Kim Stanley Robinson Red Mars; Green Mars; and Blue Mars Best multi-dimensional near future hard sci-fi that I've read. Looks at development of human society on Mars and in solar system in geological, biological, political, and various social domains. Ponderous at first and at times, but great integral extrapolations. http://www.sfsite.com/lists/ksr.htm J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings trilogy; The Hobbit Grand fantasy and myth making. http://www.tolkiensociety.org ; http://www.tolkien-archives.com Robert Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land; The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress; etc. Heinlein's best works are inspirations. To grok this, one must read. http://www.wegrokit.com/ http://www.nitrosyncretic.com/rah/srah-archives.html Neal Stephenson, The Diamond Age; Snow Crash Stephenson creates zesty, colorful worlds, interlacing virtual reality, social permutations, and edgy science. Action-packed. http://www.nealstephenson.com/ ; http://www.well.com/user/neal/ Zenna Henderson, pilgrimage: The Book of the People; Holding Wonder; etc. Well spun tales of human-like species with psi powers trying to blend into human society. http://www.adherents.com/lit/bk_Zenna.html Kate Wilhelm, Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang Lyrical read. Small groups of human clones are raised to repopulate a world once destroyed. http://www.hycyber.com/SF/wilhelm_kate.html Robert Silverberg,  Son of Man; the Stochastic Man Psychedelic sci-fi. I like his 70s novels best. http://www.majipoor.com/ I made a list of my favorite 60 authors, but will skip including that. For more science fiction reading ideas, see... This site lists award wining science fiction works: http://www.dpsinfo.com/awardweb/ Best reads of the year at SF Site: http://www.sfsite.com/columns/best04.htm See bottom of page for previous years. These sites have lists of best sci-fi works: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/6113/top100.html (based on votes by over 3000 people) http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/topscifi/ (various lists) http://www.strangewords.com/weirdbooks/scifi100.html http://www.artsforge.com/film/scifi.html Gardner Dozois, Editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine, has been editing the Year's Best Science Fiction annual collections for many years. Each volume has an introduction with a review the year's best science fiction.

Mindfulness in Plain English (none / 1) (#167) by alevin on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 02:50:27 PM EST (ale0022@JUNK.hunter.cuny.edu) http://www.removethebatteries.org (empty) -- alevin

Laugh all you will (2.66 / 6) (#165) by Resident Geek on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 02:39:17 PM EST (skille1@umbc.edu) But Atlas Shrugged hit me at a very low point in my life, and I have been a better person for reading it. Not that I hold to Objectivist ideals by any stretch of imagination, but the story itself was quite parallel in many ways to my own life at the time, and caused me to look at things in a different way. There is a time for selfishness. Just can't let it turn into greed, or let it go away so much that you're simply another's tool. I really liked the story. It was cool. :) Say what you will about Ayn Rand, I'm no follower, but she wrote some neat stuff. -- Fighting the War on the War On Drugs

A couple additions (none / 2) (#164) by straw dog on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 02:33:30 PM EST (straw_dog at hotmail.com) http://www.cyberus.ca/~rbrooks Most of my choices are already listed somewhere here, but a couple more worth looking at: Fiction: The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami also The Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, by Murakami, although Windup bird is better. Ecstacy Club, by Douglas Rushkoff. Skin, by Kathe Koja And as for Ender's Game i recommend strongly you read the whole 6 books. I think the later books are very important to the whole story. oh, yeah, have people really not mentioned Gibson's Neuromancer yet? or did i just miss it Non-Fiction: Dreaming the Dark by Starhawk (yeah, the Spiral Dance is more significant, but this one really gripped me.) The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat: and other clinical tales - Oliver Sacks Consciousness Explained - Daniel Dennett The Vygotsky Reader (well really, just anything by Vygotsky) Codebreakers - David Kahn er, the obligatory computery type books, i guess... Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming by Peter Norvig Inverse Problem Theory by Albert Tarantola Drugs have taught an entire generation of American kids the metric system. --P. J. O'Rourke

• Murakami by kitten, 03/06/2004 04:27:25 PM EST (none / 1)
• murakami by straw dog, 03/06/2004 05:39:26 PM EST (none / 1)

I don't read books (2.25 / 3) (#162) by Worker Bee on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 01:43:36 PM EST But reading Kuro5hin has taught me, among other things, never to trust some random dude's promises in exchange for my hard-earned money. THE WEAK AMONG US CLAMOR ABOUT ETHICS BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY CHAIN THEY HAVE LEFT TO SHACKLE THE STRONG.

My list (3.00 / 4) (#160) by mister slim on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 01:39:10 PM EST (mister_slimENOUGHSPAMALREADY@hotmail.com) I've been mostly lurking for quite some time, but I can't pass this topic up. I wrote a reply to the "favorite SF books" story from the other day, but the story didn't survive the que. No worries this time. This is a similar list, but with some key changes. I have to start with the Dune series, by Frank Herbert. The influence of these books on me is immeasurable. I still reread them periodically. Especially the last two, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune, which I consider among the best written books ever published. Both are incredibly woven and layered together, setting up for a final book that Frank Herbert tragically did not live to write. I am still enraged by the thought of Kevin J. Anderson attempting to write Dune 7. Magister Ludi, or The Glass Bead Game, by Herman Hesse, and The Player of Games, by Ian M. Banks. These two books take games, a subject near to my heart, and construct vast complex metaphors from that topic. Magister Ludi was to be Hermann Hesse's masterwork, which it was not, but it is still a tremendous achievement. The Player of Games also revolves around a game that encodes an entire society, taking as a pivot point when such metaphor use is valid, and when it fails. Both are also very well written. Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Watchmen took the comic form and, to make a poor analogy, achieved similar results to taking an blueprint and converting it into a 3-D object. It demonstrated clearly how words and pictures working together could produce results neither words or pictures alone could create. Transmetropolitan, by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson. A brutal and angry yet honest and optimistic story, in comic form. Politics, journalism and science, hate, hope, and humanity fed into a meatgrinder and splattered onto the page, able to make you laugh and put you into deep shock (three dollars spent on issue 40 could be the best 3 bucks you've ever spent. I couldn't talk after I finished that story. I would compare it to Apocalypse Now or Requiem For A Dream or any other work that completely shatters your view of the world and forces you to rebuild). As a kid, Tunnel in the Sky, by Robert Heinlein, opened my eyes a lot. One of his juveniles, it's written well and is an exciting read, but also contains a lot of depth, with a nuanced ending. The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius, by Judd Winick. One of the funniest things you could possibly read, puking up laughter everywhere, with a brilliant suckerpunch in book four. Hunter S. Thompson, most anything by him, with my favorite being The Great Shark Hunt, for having the largest range of any of his books. From the Fearing and Loathing in Las Vegas style of the title story to some of the straightest journalism HST ever produced. Tenacity of the Cockroach, collected interviews from The Onion's AVClub. Within are excellent, educational interviews from some of the most interesting "fringe" personalities of our time. You've Got to Read This, edited by Ron Hansen and Jim Shephard. A collection of classic and less known short stories, selected by a variety of good authors, each with a introduction from the selecting author. The best are stories I might never have found otherwise, with illuminating introductions. It introduced me to some great authors and changed how I see several stories. The Love Affair as a Work of Art, by Dan Hofstadter. I didn't read this until well after taking one of his classes at Bennington College, but it's a book I can go back to and find something new every time, after countless readings. It looks at French literary personalities from the 1790's up to the 1920's, camparing and contrasting their love lives, their love letters, and their work. Brilliantly written, never taking itself too seriously, and filled with insight and information. Finally, Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson. A large and often messy book, filled with information, action, character and just the right amount of humor. I can only say this is the book I most often try to force upon people and the book of which I have given away the most copies. That ran a little long, my apologies. Now I must read through the replies and see what I should go pick up. __ "Fucking sheep, the lot of you. Yeah, and your little dogs too." -Rogerborg

I'm Suprised (none / 2) (#159) by virtualjay222 on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 01:37:38 PM EST No one has mentioned Slaughterhouse Five yet. --- I'm not in denial, I'm just selective about the reality I choose to accept. -Calvin and Hobbes

• hmmphh by mister slim, 03/06/2004 01:40:49 PM EST (none / 1)

Emphasis and addition (none / 3) (#158) by tetsuwan on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 01:35:10 PM EST (menisk<_at_>hotmail) emphasis Maus I & II by Art Spiegelmann Labyrinths (a collection of short stories) by Jorge Luis Borges. As was said: mindbending! additions GAS by Joakim Pirinen. It's a comic book for grown-ups and very brilliant. I've read it tens of times. Unfortunately, I don't know if there's an English version, the original is in Swedish. We by Evgenij Zamjatin. The ancestor of 1984. The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin. An inversion of the history of the US of A. The book of the new sun by Gene Wolfe sing along in the choir LOTR by JRR Tolkien 1984 by George Orwell Siddharta by Hermann Hesse excellent read, actually Disgrace by J M Coetzee

important books (none / 2) (#156) by Goldstein on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 01:25:22 PM EST The True Believer - Eric Hoffer A book that has gained in relevance in rececent years 1984 - George Orwell Animal Farm - George Orwell Darkness at Noon - Arthur Koestler (Although I later found that the author was not without serious faults) The Gulag Archipelego - A. Solzhenitsyn Inside the Third Reich - Albert Speer Wonderful Life - Stephen Jay Gould My System - Aron Nimzovich A classsic book on the game of Chess The Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder Radio Amateurs Handbook Radiotron Designeers Handbook RCA Tube Manual The Ascent of Man - Jacob Bronowski I was hooked on science and technology by the last four or five books

• agree with waxmop by bankind, 03/07/2004 03:13:54 AM EST (none / 0)
• The True Believer was great. by waxmop, 03/06/2004 01:29:47 PM EST (none / 1)

Kids books (none / 2) (#155) by cooldev on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 01:03:46 PM EST The most influential would have to be the ones I read as a kid: The Great Brain and sequels The Mad Scientists' Club series The Three Investigators series

• Spooky! by Polverone, 03/06/2004 04:04:15 PM EST (none / 1)
• Many, Many More Kids Books... by cribcage, 03/06/2004 03:30:40 PM EST (none / 0)

Father Kurt (2.00 / 5) (#154) by AnimalChin on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 12:59:34 PM EST (andyatdestroyallevildotcom) http://www.destroyallevil.com I read 'Breakfast of Champions' when I was fourteen, and realized I wasn't the only person in the world that thought this was all sad and ridiculous. The fact that 'The Hobbit' (which I also read as a child) is in so many of the lists here is...sad and ridiculous. I still don't get the allure of fantasy/sci-fi for the sake of fantasy. Have you seen him?

most have already been listed. (none / 3) (#148) by Garc on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 11:54:03 AM EST (jcg5@NOSPAMpo.cwru.edu) Siddhartha - Herman Hesse The Winter of Our Discontent - John Steinbeck The Razor's Edge - W. Somerset Maugham Notes from Underground - Fyodor Dostoevsky The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living - Dalai Lama, Howard Cutler I've read tons of books, but the ones above affected me much more than most. Don't think I could really explain why regards, garc -- Tomorrow is going to be wonderful because tonight I do not understand anything. -- Niels Bohr

My list (none / 3) (#147) by modmans2ndcoming on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 11:25:09 AM EST 2001: A Space Odessy 1984 Animal farm Black Holes and Time Warps Hyperspace A Breif History of Time

My little contribution (3.00 / 5) (#146) by nyri on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 11:18:23 AM EST (nyri[at]NOSPAM[d]iki[d]finland) Demian by Herman Hesse Hesses message is: respect yourself, know your responsibilites. Der Prozess (The trial) by Franz Kafka How much do you know all the things, peoples and their motives affecting your life? Not much. Your life is "Der Prozess" in a way. Novel with Cocaine by M. Ageyev An extremely impressive introspection from an unknown author. It's no wonder that the author is unknown: the book is very personal. If only I could analyze myself like him... Yes, Minister by BBC I have to add this TV series. Yes, Minister makes so much sense that I have to believe in every character and to the way it portraits political decisions making. Il barone rambarte (The Baron in the Trees) by Italo Calvino A guy spending his whole life in trees. You know, it's your life and you can choose to use it as you like. Het achterhuis by Anne Frank Some Existentialist philosophy from a hole with some very bright insights. She deserved to live, not to die by scarlet feaver. Maybe people should not judge others so easily. Live and let live. Media control (or something else) by Noam Chomsky Mr. Chosky shows the state of the world's most powerful propaganda and military body and the general ease of moral relativism. Jonathan Livigstone Seagull by Richard Bard A Children's book. There's no limit what you can do, if you only belive to yourself and be brave. Education of a Felony by Edward Bunker and A Million Jockers by Stephen Donaldson and Surveiller et punir by Michel Foucault So what is it really like in prisons? These writings tell it to you: prisons are bad places. Nobody should be put in a place like that. Realizing the futility of prisons and revenge was a major ethical leap for me. Animal Farm by Orwell Beats the 1984 hand down. 1984 is a bit heavy and is tangled with showing methods of totalitarian society, while Animal Farm is readable by children and shows the general property of power: it corrupts. It also contains the best sound bite I have red so far: "All animals are equal; some animals are more equal than others." Orwell was interested about language as a political weapon (see for example Politics and the English Language) and the sound bite is a prime example of how to bend words (BTW, I'm not from US and I have always wondered what happened to word "liberal"?; Disclaimer I'm not bashing America. We also have our own word games here in Finland and Europe). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn While reading this master piece I realized the limits of knowledge. It also coined the word "paradigma". Here is my favorite entertainment in no particular order: LOTR, Hyperion, Peter Hoeg's short stories, Dumas' books, Bugagov's Master i Margarita, Mika Valtari's historical novels, Philip K. Dick's novels, Asimov's novels, Russian short stories, Catch Me if You Can. -- Jari Mustonen P.S. Holy Bible has influenced my life. It's only because some jerk has hit me to head with it. But I think it doesn't count in this kind of lists.

• Italo Calvino by fsh, 03/07/2004 11:05:44 PM EST (none / 0)
• Liberalism in America by dcm266, 03/06/2004 08:01:48 PM EST (none / 2)

In what order I remember having red them (none / 2) (#144) by artis on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 10:46:13 AM EST http://arose.hopto.org I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. Ronia, the Robber's Daughter by Astrid Lindgren. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne. White Fang by Jack London. The Magellan Nebula by Stanislaw Lem The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Deathworld by Harry Harrison. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. Mūris by Alberts Bels. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. -- Dzīvot ir kaitīgi, no tā mirst.

• The Little Prince online... by dmw, 03/07/2004 02:45:19 PM EST (none / 2)
• Oh and... by artis, 03/06/2004 10:51:52 AM EST (none / 0)

On the Beach, The Fountainhead /nt (none / 2) (#143) by claes on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 10:41:06 AM EST

My list (3.00 / 5) (#141) by localroger on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 10:07:39 AM EST (localroger@hotmail.com) http://www.kuro5hin.org/prime-intellect/ It's a bit different. At Work in the Fields of the Bomb by Robert Del Tredici. I bought this book off the remainder table at Walden's for $1.00 on impulse about 15 years ago. AWITFOTB is a photo essay about the nuclear industry. The photos are almost clinical artsy B&W images of factories, structures, and individual people. My father is a nuclear scientist himself so I didn't expect this book to surprise me much. Then, about half-way through, I encountered the picture of Sadako Sasaki's parents. The next plate was of a handful of origami paper cranes, and was accompanied by the story of how Sadako had tried to fulfill an ancient Japanese legend that if you folded 1,000 of these cranes, you would be granted a wish. Her wish would be for her Little Boy-triggered leukemia to be cured. Trying to force her to concentrate on her treatment her parents and doctors tried to deny her paper for this project so she used discarded cigarette wrappers and other garbage. She folded about 600 of them before she died. Today there is a statue of Sadako at the Hiroshima Peace Park and every year schoolchildren send the park paper cranes, which are strung in garlands of 1000 in her honor. I was unable to finish reading the book that night, but starting the next day I proceeded to devour everything I could find about nuclear energy and the relationship between people and technology in general. Which brings us to... The Making of the Atomic Bomb and Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb by Richard Rhodes. In microcosm the story of atomic energy is the story of technology itself -- and if you haven't read these books you don't know anything about either atomic energy or where technology comes from. These books forced me into an epiphany of doubt about the relationship between humans and technology comparable to the eipiphany that had destroyed my faith in Christianity around the age of 15. Which led to... A Criminal History of Mankind by Colin Wilson, a thorough and mammoth exploration of the question "Why do humans kill one another?" by a lifelong writer of true crime nonfiction. Some of Wilson's ideas seem odd especially by scientific standards, but he puts his theories across with an authority that demands serious consideration if not absolute acceptance. Those are the books that had the greatest sudden effect on my world-view. One other deserves mention. Around the age of 10 or 11 I formed the idea (probably from reading too much science fiction) that the most worthwhile things to invent would be faster than light travel and artificial intelligence. I gradually realized I was never going to be deep enough into fundamental physics to go after FTL travel, and over the years I convinced myself that AI probably wasn't within our grasp either. The Creative Loop: How The Brain Makes a Mind by Dr. Erich Harth is the book that convinced me that AI is almost certainly possible after all. (Oddly, just like Del Tredici's book, this one called out to me inexplicably from a bargain bin.) Although Harth draws exactly the opposite conclusion in the final chapters, it was obvious from his opening arguments that relatively simple algorithms could explain some of the most puzzling and highly abstract human behaviors -- as emergent properties, not highly engineered responses. This has shaped much of my thinking in the last 10 years, and as computers get more powerful and cheaper the itch to code a couple of algorithms gets ever stronger. (I am aware that if I were to happen to be right about this, and if I were to actually be the first to build something that works, this arm of the galaxy would probably collapse into an irony quasar. But those are the risks you take when you push the envelope :-) What will people of the future think of us? Will they say, as Roger Williams said of some of the Massachusetts Indians, that we were wolves with the minds of men? That we resigned our humanity? They will have the right. -- C.P. Snow

• He looks like Spencer Tracy now by treefrog, 03/26/2004 09:36:08 AM EST (none / 0)
• Under the Cloud by cribcage, 03/06/2004 12:38:26 PM EST (none / 2)
• mmm.. by sudog, 03/06/2004 06:26:28 PM EST (none / 2)
• Lovely. by sudog, 03/07/2004 05:38:34 AM EST (none / 0)
• Not meant to be condescending by localroger, 03/06/2004 05:20:32 PM EST (none / 1)

Not Just Books (none / 3) (#139) by holdfast on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 08:56:53 AM EST (Scott@secret.address.in.the.uk) The Merchant of Venice - Shakespere. A nice story, but that anti-racist speech by Shylock predates all the facist/Communist cr4p of the 19th an 20th centuries. If an Elizibethan could write that, why do we still get the KKK, apartheid and all the other filth? Star Trek - well somebody had to mention it. A positive view of the future, technology and society. Yes, there will be problems, wars and all the problems we have now but it's good to think that there is hope... Aesops Fables I like small stories with morals. Some of them might seem trite nowadays. They are still valid reminders of some basics. Narnia - an entire set of books. Written by a friend of Tolkien so from a similar cutlural background. Good is Good and is opposed to bad. People can be brought back from wrong (forgiveness/redemption). Love is a good thing. I first came accross these when I was 6 and have now read them to my children. Brilliant! The whole Bible, but I have some favourite bits. Psalm 23 - A lot of the OT is hard going to modern Christians but this is a fine piece and easy (for me anyway) to understand. Sermon on the mount - pretty much sums it all up! Ressurection Narratives - this was not just a nice story, there are some serious facts in here. If you don't consider yourself a Christian, ask yourself how all that happened. Heinlein Asimov & Clarke - all full of interesting social concepts, what ifs and imagery. Also a lot of really good stories. I find Heinleins politics a bit iffy now but I suppose he was a child of his time. "Holy war is an oxymoron." Lazarus Long

Taleb: Fooled by Randomness (none / 2) (#135) by levsen on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 08:26:02 AM EST (kuro5hinREMOVETHIS@levsen.org) http://levsen.org This book is superficially about stock markets and why some people get rich on them (... and most don't), but implicity it's about the media that uncritically always celebrate the 'successful guy' while most of the time he got his money buy chance. You'll never look at TV or the paper the same way. This comment is printed on 100% recycled electrons.

For fuck's sake, people... (1.62 / 8) (#133) by James A C Joyce on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 07:48:11 AM EST (snbq6mx02_no_spam_@sneakemail.com) http://kuro5hin.org ...there is one and I do mean only one classic fiction book which is worth reading. All others are shitty and dull by comparison. This book is Something Happened by Joseph Heller. When you've read it, you might see what I mean. I bought this account on eBay

• What did you think of it? by GenerationY, 03/07/2004 07:35:53 PM EST (none / 1)
• I Beg to Differ by dcm266, 03/06/2004 08:08:36 PM EST (none / 0)
• Thank God. by Kenoubi, 03/08/2004 10:58:52 AM EST (none / 0)
• NO! STOP PUTTING DOSTOEVSKY ON A PEDESTAL! by James A C Joyce, 03/07/2004 07:09:03 PM EST (none / 0)
• I agree. by tkatchev, 03/08/2004 06:15:54 AM EST (none / 0)
• Not True by dcm266, 03/09/2004 12:09:04 AM EST (none / 1)
• boggle by Battle Troll, 03/10/2004 05:32:26 PM EST (none / 0)
• Simmer down, slavophile by antichrist stormtrooper, 03/09/2004 04:36:14 AM EST (none / 1)
• Hmmmm by dcm266, 03/09/2004 11:09:17 AM EST (none / 0)
• What? by MrHanky, 03/06/2004 06:43:41 PM EST (none / 0)
• NOT by tkatchev, 03/06/2004 12:08:19 PM EST (none / 0)

I should read more (none / 2) (#132) by elvstone on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 07:30:19 AM EST http://www.dose.se/ But this is my list, in no special order: The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Vingt mille lieues sous les mers by Jules Verne Crime and Punishment by Fjodor Dostojevskij Der process by Franz Kafka The lives of animals by John Maxwell Coetzee I probably forgot a bunch. -- dose.se

Books that influenced my life (2.00 / 5) (#129) by bigchris on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 02:25:07 AM EST (csherlock@nospam.mpx.com.au) The Bible (mainly the NIV translation) - so much profound truth in one book! amazing. The Book of Heroic Failures, and The Return of Heroic Failures - Stephen Pile. An absolute gem of a book - left me in stitches! C Pointers & Dynamic Memory Management, Michael Daconta. - Ah, the mysteries of pointer all cleared up for me in one book. Fantastic. What's So Amazing About Grace, Philip Yancey - excellent exposition on one of the most important themes of the Bible. Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky - such a dark and unrelenting book! left me feeling very odd for a week after reading it. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card - Fantastic book, read it and you'll see how great it is. Cisco CCNA Examination Certification Guide, Wendell Odom - yep, an examination book for cert junkies. Except this one actually helped me understand networking properly, not just helped me pass the exam! The Linux Pocketbook - very slim, superficial overview of how to install RedHat Linux 5.2, but got me into the new O/S and it's possibilities! High Fidelity, Nick Hornby - great book, exposes the way that guys relate to the world. Enjoyed every word of it, and suprisingly the movie was pretty accurate! The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, J.R.R. Tolkien - rip-roaring yarn and the best fantasy series I've ever read. He Died With a Felafel in His Hand, John Birmingham - an expedition into flatting squalor while living at Uni. I hope to never get to this level in my life! To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee - changed my understanding of racism - quite literally made me look very carefully at my views of race and changed me. This book made me a better person - not too many secular books I can say that about! Pieces of Intelligence: The Existential Poetry of Donald H. Rumsfield, compiled and edited by Hart Seely --- I Hate Jesus: -1: Bible thumper kpaul: YAAT. YHL. HAND. btw, YAHWEH wins ;) [mt]

a biology textbook (3.00 / 5) (#128) by danny on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 02:22:40 AM EST (entity(at)danny.oz.au) http://danny.oz.au/ When I was ten, friends of the family (both academics in the biological sciences) gave me a copy of the textbook Life: Cells, Organisms, Populations (E.O. Wilson et al.) for Christmas. That book was a major influence on me. Not only did it leave me with a life-long fascination with biology, but I acquired my basic sex education from it. Danny. [700 book reviews and other stuff]

Er.... (1.40 / 5) (#127) by bigchris on Sat Mar 6th, 2004 at 01:52:52 AM EST (csherlock@nospam.mpx.com.au) I doubt "illiterate" people will be voting in your poll... unless someone is reading the latest K5 poll out to them. --- I Hate Jesus: -1: Bible thumper kpaul: YAAT. YHL. HAND. btw, YAHWEH wins ;) [mt]

My Ten Cents (3.00 / 6) (#123) by cribcage on Fri Mar 5th, 2004 at 10:57:49 PM EST (cribcage@yahoo.com) http://www.BostonJournalism.org/ Here are my ten suggestions: Selling the Invisible, by Harry Beckwith. This book, along with its successors The Invisible Touch and What Clients Love, profoundly affected my ideas about business and customer service. From understanding clients' psychology, to identifying your target audience, to simply naming your business, Beckwith writes with authority and insight gained from years of direct experience. All three books are heavily laced with fascinating anecdotes. If you own your business, you need these books. The New Oxford Annotated NRSV Bible with the Apocrypha, Third Edition. Folks below have suggested the Bible for a variety of reasons. In my case, it wasn't until my twenties (years after my Catholic schooling) that I discovered inspiration in the Bible. It's a tremendous work of Man. Putting all religion aside, there are countless Biblical passages that offer wisdom and beauty unmatched elsewhere in literature. And I'm repeating this suggestion that others have made specifically because, as a speechwriter, it's important that I keep onhand a good version of the Bible. So if you're going to buy one: The New Oxford edition is excellent, and includes the Apocryphal books which are absent from most versions. Dressing the Man, by Alan Flusser. As a musician, I spent a decade wearing black clothes and no one noticed. But when I decided to grow up and act professional, I needed to learn how to dress. This book was an excellent guide. Its principles are classic and timeless, and the writing avoids fashion jargon and metaphor. Flusser distinguishes between styles of dress for different settings, and provides plenty of history. It's a straightforward book for straight guys who want to learn how to dress well without watching Bravo. Two Worlds, One People, by Ammiel Hirsch and Yosef Reinman. This book is subtitled, "A Reform Rabbi and an Orthodox Rabbi Explore the Issues That Divide Them." I found this book engaging, both for the volatile disagreements and the articulate defense of their principles. The authors address a variety of topics, always with intelligence and remarkable insight. There were a few points where the rhetoric adopted an air of superiority -- not over each other, but with regard to Gentiles -- but for the most part, it was a thought-provoking book which holds relevance to anyone of principle, Jewish or otherwise. The Shaping Forces In Music, by Ernst Toch. This book may not interest non-musicians, but it certainly affected my life. In simple terms, it helped give my music direction, and helped me to codify my ideas as a composer. Today I'm a speechwriter, and my musical concepts of cadence, rhythm and counterpoint give me a unique advantage over my peers. The Ten Commandments, by William Barclay. This book offers an interesting, scholastic approach to the Ten Commandments. Barclay examines each commandment from various perspectives, including its relevance to modern society. Whether or not you're a religious person, you'll find Barclay's analysis is more concerned with practical morality than with religious principles. The Ten Commandments are fundamental to our society, and this book provides a unique look at them. A People's History of the Supreme Court, by Peter Irons. The first section of this book includes the best history of the Constitution that I've read. Then, from the Court's first cases, Irons addresses various decisions the Court has made. He delves into the Court's history with power and detail. Far beyond a cursory examination of the Court, this book will give you a poignant understanding of our country's Constitutional authority. Irons has also edited three volumes of collected oral arguments from landmark Supreme Court cases, which were published as the May It Please the Court series. A Pattern Language, by Christopher Alexander. This is an architecture book for everyone. It details 253 "patterns," principles of architecture that Alexander and his co-authors lay out for rooms, houses, buildings, towns and cities. Whether you read it cover to cover, or flip through a few pages every month, you'll find fascinating bits of advice and food for thought. You don't have to be an architect to appreciate this book; it will help you choose a house, plan a room, or even decide where you want to live. Fire in the Streets: America in the 1960's, by Milton Viorst. My favorite high school teacher used this book to teach her classes about the Civil Rights Movement. Though it was out-of-print, she photocopied chapters for each student every semester, at her own expense. It was worth it, though, because it had a real impact on all of us. To this day, every so often, I'll buy a copy for a friend or relative. If you're looking for a single book that covers this era, read this one. You can buy a copy on Amazon for less than a dollar. The Lost Art of the Great Speech, by Richard Dowis. I'm a professional speechwriter, and I've read dozens of books instructing readers how to write and how to deliver speeches. In my opinion, this is the best. Dowis offers concrete advice rather than ethereal generalizations. He walks you step-by-step through the process of preparing your speech, and he addresses nearly every scenario, message or audience. I hate to say it, but: If you want to save yourself the expense of hiring someone like me, read this book. Those aren't necessarily my Top Ten suggestions, but it's as good a place as any to stop. They're all books that have impacted my life, and each is a book that I would recommend to someone else. I look forward to reading through other folks' responses to this thread over the coming weekend. crib Please don't read my journal.

Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" (2.20 / 5) (#122) by lvogel on Fri Mar 5th, 2004 at 10:05:49 PM EST Put it all into proper perspective. Long live capitalism! -- ---------------------- "When you're on the internet, nobody knows you're a dog!" -a dog

• fuck capitalism by Resident Geek, 03/06/2004 02:43:14 PM EST (none / 1)

Anne Coulter's wonderful "Treason" (1.75 / 12) (#121) by sellison on Fri Mar 5th, 2004 at 09:26:23 PM EST http://www.stemcellresearch.org I found this book to be a wealth of knowledge of historical perspectives that I had never heard in school, certainly not the liberal university I attended. If you want to learn about what REALLY happened to Joe McCarthy, what he himself went through, and the validation of his work this is a good book for you. Ann writes with a high degree of intellectualism, yet her style is enjoyably witty. Basing on the simple merits of the book it is a valuable addition to any library of those who really seek the truth and seek to understand how society is teetering toward entropy as it is now. I read the whole book, I did not speed read it, flip through it, but I studied it. It is well documented, everything is backed up, and it is an important sociological commentary. Some of the last two paragraphs of the book are the most important and critical to understanding just why our Country is falling under extreme liberal and anarchic assault, as they state what the fundamental flaw is concerning liberty, our constitution, and the way it was supposed to work. Additionally, she has a great sense of humor that I find not only refreshing but rewarding. Liberals, nihilists, anarchists, or socialist apparatchiks will not like this book. It sheds light down on their dark little holes that they dwell in and effectively blunts many of their arguments. Coulter's amazingly well written and researched book is filled with nothing but fact after fact about McCarthyism (and how he was right about everyone he accused of being a spy. They really were spies and Coulter can prove it), and how Liberal failures led to the expansion of the Soviet Union during nearly every Democratic presidency (on the other hand, the Soviet Union did not expand at all during Republican presidencies, and in fact, collapsed due to Ronald Reagan's policies of one-upism on building up our nuclear arsenal. He drove them to ruin when they attempted to keep up with us). I'm sure the liberals who scour this sight to knock down every review praising the book will do the same to mine, but trust me...if you're looking for an enlightening book about the little dark secrets of liberalism, this is it. What many people fail to realize about communism is that the modus operandi of the party was to infiltrate key positions within governments and other political parties and then take over from within. In Russia, the overthrow of the Tzar was done not by the bolsheviks but the mensheviks. In the Spanish civil war, the communists usurped Republic control with Stalinist aid. In America, it is entirely plausible, and probible that members of our government and press were communists or even KGB agents. Even today, the stated foreign policy objectives of many countries include breaking American power. Yet this is rarely if ever discussed in the mainstream media. Why is that? Why is this so hard to believe for many people? Elia Kazan was told by many people in Hollywood that they were communists and he is still hated by many in Hollywood to this day for trying to help his country. People need to understand that being a communist didn't just mean that you were some idealogue. It meant that you were either in contact with Soviet agents, or someone you knew was. The truth of the matter is that communists had infiltrated many levels of our government. Henry Wallace, Vice President under Roosevelt, once said that if he had been Vice President at the time of Roosevelt's death, he would have named Laurence Duggan Secretary of State, and Harry Dexter White the Secretary of the Treasury. Both of these men were Soviet agents. For those of you who think I'm some right-wing whack-job, do some research on Mitrokhin. I think you'll find some interesting facts. Fortunatly, Saint Anne has done alot of this work for you, you just have to read her and try to open your liberal media infected mind! And of course, the Bible! The only solution for the left in 2004: Go Nader!

• "conservtive" is a bad word by davros4269, 03/08/2004 08:14:46 PM EST (none / 0)
• The bible fucking sucks by aphex, 03/06/2004 09:48:24 PM EST (none / 0)
• Wow, U R the rock star's rock star. by tkatchev, 03/07/2004 04:25:50 AM EST (none / 0)
• do you support a theocracy? (nt) by phred, 03/10/2004 05:29:47 PM EST (none / 0)
• yes. /nt by Battle Troll, 03/11/2004 11:07:02 AM EST (none / 2)

Didn't we discuss this already? (1.00 / 4) (#120) by sudog on Fri Mar 5th, 2004 at 08:16:14 PM EST I thought we already went over your objections to the Bible itself and concluded it was the people teaching it to you that turned you off it, not the material itself?

• I can't really remember. by Kasreyn, 03/06/2004 01:05:56 AM EST (none / 1)
• Yep, it was you. by sudog, 03/06/2004 02:31:50 AM EST (none / 2)
• Big pimpin' by fenix down, 03/07/2004 09:30:14 PM EST (none / 2)
• Nice try but no cigar for you.. by sudog, 03/07/2004 11:57:33 PM EST (none / 1)
• What? by fenix down, 03/08/2004 02:10:24 AM EST (none / 0)
• ... still wrong. by sudog, 03/08/2004 01:31:14 PM EST (none / 0)
• ... sigh ... by sudog, 03/08/2004 01:24:31 PM EST (none / 0)
• get a grip by Battle Troll, 03/08/2004 01:01:51 PM EST (none / 1)
• Duh! by asdf 101, 03/06/2004 03:06:59 PM EST (none / 0)
• Nice of you to chime in.. by sudog, 03/06/2004 05:20:11 PM EST (none / 1)
• Theology 101 by cribcage, 03/06/2004 12:27:09 PM EST (none / 2)
• More elitism, but fine, let's discuss. by sudog, 03/06/2004 06:11:58 PM EST (none / 2)

my choices (2.66 / 6) (#119) by sesquiped on Fri Mar 5th, 2004 at 07:20:36 PM EST I'm tempted to say "all of them", because if any one particular book hadn't been written, even if I personally haven't read it yet, my life would almost certainly be different in some way or other (due to chaos theory and related ideas). But that's a cop-out, so I'll make a list like the rest of you. First stuff that I haven't seen mentioned: Tolstoy: The Death of Ivan Ilych, Dostoevsky: Crime and Punishment, Notes from Underground, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man - The last especially is an incredibly powerful short story. But all are quite powerful and shook up my somewhat-materialistic worldview at the time a bit. Gogol: The Nose, Diary of a Madman - I'm not sure what to say here. You just have to read them. Vonnegut: Cat's Cradle, Harrison Bergeron - Another incredible short story, and the novella is pretty good too. There'd probably be more if I had read more Vonnegut. Sartre: No Exit, Camus: The Stranger, Dostoevesky: The Grand Inquisitor, Becket: Waiting for Godot - I'm only grouping these because I read them for the same class, not because I got the same thing out of each of them. The're all "existential", I suppose, but quite different, and all worth reading. Miller: Death of a Salesman - There might be another one or too here if I had read more Miller, too. Borges: assorted short stories - I can't name any particular influence here, but the mind-bending I've gotten from some of these has surely had some effect. Asimov: The Foundation Series - While the whole thing was great, the parts that had the most lasting influence on my thinking, particularly about life, was the bits at the end about Gaia. Now some more popular choices, mostly academic: Dune - Yeah, another popular choice. Influenced my thinking on time and space, the body and the mind, drugs, politics, and probably more. The Selfish Gene - A slightly different but very convincing way of looking at evolution. The Fabric of Reality - Interesting connections among fields like physics and computer science. The Language Instinct - An incredible book discussing most of what we currently know about linguistics and how language works in the brain very clearly, plus his position on some current controversies. GEB - A bunch of people have listed this. I'll just add that in addition to giving me a consistent and convincing picture of how the mind works, and how we might begin to build artificial intelligences, it also started my interest in Zen, which I'm now pursuing slowly and sporadically. I say it influenced my life because it made me interested in AI for a while, and although I didn't go on to study AI at all, I at least did end up studying computer science. And since we're on academic interests, I should mention these: Mathematical Puzzlements, and a bunch of books by Ivars Peterson - for keeping me interested in math through years of boring math classes in school. Some random book on programming in BASIC that came with our Apple IIgs, for teaching me to program. Probably one of the worst possible introductions to the topic, but I think I turned out pretty well.

-1, limp-wristed diary material (1.28 / 14) (#118) by Hide The Hamster on Fri Mar 5th, 2004 at 07:18:40 PM EST (creative[underscore[hack@hotmail.com) http://www.wired.com/news/images/0,2334,56409-5520,00.html hi! how are you? whats ur fav. color? ror. have any cats?! Free spirits are a liability.

How to Want What You Have (none / 3) (#111) by MichaelCrawford on Fri Mar 5th, 2004 at 05:28:55 PM EST (crawford@goingware.com) http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/2/7/164754/2865 Most people aren't satisfied with what they have, and perpetually want More. How to Want What You Have: Discovering the Magic and Grandeur of Ordinary Existence explains that the quest for more comes from our genetics as produced by evolution, and shows a way that one can be happy with what one already has. -- Could you use my embedded systems development services?

• Conquerer vs. Defeated by cdguru, 03/06/2004 02:59:32 PM EST (none / 1)
• Potentially disastrous, please elaborate by Baldrson Neutralizer, 03/05/2004 06:48:22 PM EST (none / 0)
• Acceptance? by mindstrm, 03/06/2004 10:32:29 AM EST (none / 1)
• I don't see it black and white by Baldrson Neutralizer, 03/08/2004 06:51:08 PM EST (none / 0)
• Tomorrow... by MichaelCrawford, 03/06/2004 12:10:50 AM EST (none / 1)

I have given this a lot of thought. (2.50 / 8) (#105) by SIGNOR SPAGHETTI on Fri Mar 5th, 2004 at 02:45:32 PM EST (I AM Bagpipes NOT SIGNOR SPAGHETTI) http://www.bagpiper.com/ Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid, Douglas Hofstadter Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams I Robot, Isaac Asimov Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein JUST KIDDING! LOL! -- "I'm George Bush, and I approve SIGNOR SPAGHETTI's message."

• heh by Battle Troll, 03/08/2004 01:03:07 PM EST (none / 1)
• Neal Stephenson by jup, 03/06/2004 12:52:35 PM EST (none / 1)
• Ah, there. by gyan, 03/05/2004 04:54:08 PM EST (none / 0)

Books (2.50 / 4) (#104) by Kenoubi on Fri Mar 5th, 2004 at 02:18:39 PM EST http://ragnar.nilmop.org/kenn/default.html I can't say I'm all that surprised that no one has listed The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas yet, but I am slightly disappointed.  I think I can say at this point that the book has had a major effect on my life, but even aside from that, it's just an absolutely amazing story. From my childhood there are the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.  Somewhat after that, I read 1984 by George Orwell, and later Brave New World by Aldous Huxley; these both echoed and reinforced a deep suspicion of authority on my part. I know Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand has its critics, but in my opinion it's a tour de force, and I can't deny that it's had a significant effect on my life.  The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse definitely did something for me. Then there are some books that, while possessing the requisite quality to be life-changing experiences, did not really do that for me because I didn't need the lessons they taught quite as badly at the times I read them.  Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig and Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson would fall into this category.

• Damn right Magister Ludi! (nt) by mister slim, 03/06/2004 01:53:17 PM EST (none / 0)

Poll too narrow: what about ... (none / 3) (#102) by marinel on Fri Mar 5th, 2004 at 01:16:39 PM EST Although the post is about books, the poll does not have to be limited to books, especially if the topic is things that "have influenced my personality." For example, for some people, more than books, life experiences, ideas and people have more influence than books. My past in an Eastern-European country in the '80s as a teen, my teachers, my parents and a thirst for knowledge impacted my life more than any particular book I've read. As to books that influenced my life (to a smaller extent than the above mentioned), they are the Greek myths, Arabian Nights and other fairy/folk tales. There is more wisdom in them about the true nature of man (i.e. wankerosophy) than all the philosophical musings of the past two millenia. The Schmoly Babble and its history only reinforced this view. -- Proud supporter of Students for an Orwellian Society

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. (3.00 / 5) (#99) by waxmop on Fri Mar 5th, 2004 at 11:44:20 AM EST (waxmop at overlook d0t homelinux d0t net) I read it in sixth grade, and I probably didn't understand half of it, but it was the first book I had read that laid out the horrible things that people* do to each other without trying to put a spin that it was all for the best in the long run. By the end of that book, I had a pretty low opinion of humanity. [*]Not just whiteys, either; inter-tribal warfare didn't always tend to follow the Geneva convention (yeah, I know it didn't exist yet). -- The threat of losing all of your shiny possessions is what keeps us slaves to the machine. --deagol

Story of the Eye by Georges Bataille (2.00 / 4) (#97) by Nigga on Fri Mar 5th, 2004 at 10:54:06 AM EST available in its entirety here -------- all I know is we finally have proof

My checkbook (2.45 / 11) (#96) by godix on Fri Mar 5th, 2004 at 10:42:27 AM EST (buggeroff@goaway.screwoff) Without a doubt that's the most influencial book in my life. It's dawned on me that Zero Tolerance only seems to mean putting extra police in poor, run-down areas, and not in the Stock Exchange. - Terry Pratchett

mine: (2.25 / 4) (#89) by llimllib on Fri Mar 5th, 2004 at 08:40:56 AM EST (llimllib at f2o .. org) In something resembling an order: Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig The Bible the Bourne Series - Robert Ludlum (cheesy? yeah. But being a kid wouldn't have been the same without them for me) Peace.

• THHGTTG? by Psychopath, 03/06/2004 08:53:51 AM EST (none / 0)
• 42 by llimllib, 03/06/2004 03:20:16 PM EST (none / 0)
• llibllik's by bob6, 03/05/2004 09:03:11 AM EST (none / 0)

What book (none / 2) (#87) by OldCoder on Fri Mar 5th, 2004 at 01:54:37 AM EST What is the name of this book. Out of print, but worth it if you can find it. Smullyan has several similar books out. See this amazon page for info. -- By reading this signature, you have agreed. Copyright © 2003 OldCoder

I'm surprised (none / 3) (#86) by enthalpyX on Fri Mar 5th, 2004 at 01:47:04 AM EST (dwb<at>umd<dot>edu) http://www.wam.umd.edu/~dwb/ I haven't seen anyone mention Ishamel.

• I met Daniel Quinn before he got famous. by waxmop, 03/05/2004 11:48:36 AM EST (none / 1)
• That's disappointing by enthalpyX, 03/08/2004 09:19:30 AM EST (none / 0)

My list (2.75 / 3) (#85) by adiffer on Fri Mar 5th, 2004 at 01:32:38 AM EST (com at adiffer dot jpaerospace) http://www.jpaerospace.com In no particular order... Dune (whole series) [Frank Herbert] A number of science fact books by Isaac Asimov (hard to put my finger on just one) Megatrends [John Naisbitt] Time Enough for Love [Robert Heinlein] Godel, Escher, Bach [Douglas Hofstadter] 2001: A Space Odyssey [Arthur C Clarke] Classical Electrodynamics [J D Jackson] New Foundations for Classical Mechanics [David Hestenes] (1986 edition only) I could go on with the physics and math text books as they each had a definite impact on me and how I think.  However, I've been stuffing my shelves with other books lately.  I'm less into fiction and physics nowadays and more into economics and other dynamical systems studies.   I find it very interesting that once a mathematical tool is developed, we begin to translate the evidence around us into predictive models.  Math development is proceeding at a good clip right now, so it is very absorbing. -Dream Big. --Grow Up.

• Jackson?! by bunsen, 03/07/2004 07:22:39 AM EST (none / 0)
• a bit of both by adiffer, 03/19/2004 12:35:58 AM EST (none / 0)

Depends (none / 1) (#84) by Kasreyn on Fri Mar 5th, 2004 at 12:58:31 AM EST (kasreynDONT@arqSPAM.netTHIS or check bio for AIM) http://www.livejournal.com/users/kasreyn Was it one of those lame-o radio style productions, where they have cheesy third-rate music and take out all the "he said" and "she said"'s and have different actors reading the lines? Or is it just a single very good reader, usually with a slight British accent, reading the words exactly as printed with no music? In case of the former, no, it doesn't count. In case of the latter, I don't see why it shouldn't. -Kasreyn P.S. "Books on Tape" is a good publisher of these. At least, the ones I have heard. Quidquid Latine dictum sit, altum viditur. Stage 3

Some... (2.66 / 6) (#80) by enterfornone on Fri Mar 5th, 2004 at 12:24:18 AM EST (spam@enterfornone.com) http://www.enterfornone.net/ The Bible for the same reasons you give. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand for ending my faith in capitalism - it might work in the fantasy world of her novels, pity we don't live there. Woman Hating by Andrea Dworkin, not that I agree with everything she has to say but it certainly made me look at a lot of things differently. As a (wanabee) writer, Poetics by Aristotle. Probably others but that's all I can think about right now. -- efn 26/m/syd Will sponsor new accounts for porn.

• Atlas Shrugged by bluebox, 03/06/2004 08:44:33 AM EST (none / 2)
• Ayn Rand by JyZude, 03/05/2004 05:53:02 PM EST (none / 0)

Ender's Game - Orscot Scott Card - link (none / 1) (#78) by SaintPort on Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 11:53:31 PM EST http://www.SaintPort.com Thanks for the tip, enjoyed it, here it is online...  http://www.hatrack.com/osc/stories/enders-game.shtml -- Search the Scriptures at BibleGateway or NET Bible

• what you read... by jacoplane, 03/05/2004 07:02:32 AM EST (none / 0)
• k3wl by SaintPort, 03/05/2004 02:46:25 PM EST (none / 0)

What influenced me (2.00 / 4) (#77) by strlen on Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 10:49:15 PM EST (strlen) Lot of Jules Vernes and other books of similar genre, similar age books: got me interested in science. Surely you're joking, Mr Feynman - Richard Feynman Ender's Game - Orscot Scott Card Brave New World - Huxley Anything by Leo Tolstoy Some of Pushkin's prose And of course K&R's C book and the Perl Cookbook, and earlier (some years before I moved to UNIX/C land) some Russian language Pascal books (which provided examples that dealt with graphics, sound and the like, which really sparked my interest in programming and led me to move beyond hello world). -- FATMOUSE + YOU = FATMOUSE

• pushkin's prose? by sesquiped, 03/06/2004 03:29:36 AM EST (none / 0)
• Well by strlen, 03/06/2004 07:36:35 PM EST (none / 0)
• thanks by sesquiped, 03/08/2004 04:37:59 AM EST (none / 0)

subject to change without notice (2.92 / 14) (#76) by johnny on Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 10:42:18 PM EST (anyoldthing@myhomepage) http://www.wetmachine.com and including periodicals, asterisks ** marking most influential as it seems to me tonight but guaranteed to change by tomorrow: Childhood (before age 6) ** Weekly Reader Childrend' Digest Grade School Fun With Dick and Jane Mad Magazine ** Peanuts (various books; Charles Schulz) The Colt of the Alacan Road (??) Animal Farm (Orwell) various books, mostly about dogs, by Jim Kyelgarrd (sp?) most notably Big Red. 1984 (Orwell) Hell on Ice (?? author ?? story of arctic mission gone bad) The Great Escape (??author??) Maneaters of Kumayon (?? author ?? about hunting tigers in India) High School Lord of the Rings -- Tolkein; Read it over a week when sick & feverish. Catch 22 -- Joseph Heller ** Gospels -- various Life magazine Popular Science magazine Popular Mechanics magazine Autobiograhy of Mohandus Ghandi National Geographic magazine Paris Match magazine College ** Howl -- Allan Ginsberg Collected Plays -- Shakespeare Collected Poems -- Ezra pound American Economic History -- (??author?? )-- a textbook Tristes Tropiques -- Claude Levi-Strauss Leaves of Grass -- Walt Whitman Magic, Science and Religion -- Bronislaw Malinowski Cultural Anthropology -- (??authors- husband and wife ??) textbook Heart of Darkness -- Joseph Conrad Pentagon Papers -- various In His Own Write & A Spaniard in the Works -- John Lennon Peace Corps Malay Trilogy (The Long Day Wanes) -- Anthony Burgess Collected Stories -- Turgenev Collected Stories -- Checkov L'Aventure Ambigue -- (??Author??) Brothers Karamazov -- Doestoyevsky The Voice that is Great Within Us: 20th Century American Poetry --Randall Jarrell, ed. **Naked Lunch -- William Burroughs Gravity's Rainbow -- Thomas Pynchon Grad School Theory of Interest -- Fischer Price Theory -- Milton Friedman A la Recherche du Temps Passe -- Proust **The Unexpurgated Code -- J.P. Donleavy Operations Analysis -- (??author??) textbook about linear and quadratic programming Under the Volcano -- Malcom Lowry Statistics -- (??author??) Graduate level statistics text Penthouse Letters -- magazine American Journal of Agricultural Economics Early Married Life/Parenthood Goodnight Moon -- Margaret Wise Brown The Runaway Bunny -- Margaret Wise Brown Goodnight Richard Rabbit -- Robert Kraus **Peter Rabbit and other tales -- Beatrix Potter Dozens more, lost in foggy mists of time, like Nicole Kidman in "The Others". . . Byte magazine Datamation Ten Years Married Number the Stars- Lois Lowry The Diary of Anne Frank -- Anne Frank Neuromancer- William Gibson The Stupids -- ??I forget?? **Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding -- Arnold Schwarzenegger Several dozen other books that I seem to have gone blank on right now. . . Twenty Years Married Jump Start Your Book Sales -- Ross & Ross The Self-Publishing Manual -- Poynter Don Quixote -- (translated) Cervantes And in conclusion The book that had the biggest influence on my life, or in any event my day-to-day life over the last ten years or so, is Acts of the Apostles, by John F.X. Sundman. If I weren't so lazy, and the time so late, I would provide a link to the essay I wrote about how that novel nearly ruined my life. But, etc. Cheap Complex Devices, by John Compton Sundman, had a big influence on me as well: Its publication occasioned my self-identification as a writer. But of all the hundreds --more than a thousand, closer to two thousand, I figure -- of books I've ever read, the most profound book that I've read in nearly fifty years of reading is Maus (parts I & II), by Art Spiegelman. yr frn, jrs Get your free download of prizewinning novels Acts of the Apostles and Cheap Complex Devices.

• Gandhi's autobiography by crushinghellhammer, 03/05/2004 03:17:53 PM EST (none / 1)
• right you are, and by johnny, 03/05/2004 05:39:40 PM EST (none / 0)
• Corbett by crushinghellhammer, 03/05/2004 07:16:53 PM EST (none / 0)

My book list (2.66 / 9) (#75) by SaintPort on Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 10:28:33 PM EST http://www.SaintPort.com Some of these texts were mind expanding at the time of reading. I felt my perception changing. Others were more subtle. Childhood: The House at Pooh Corner by Milne, Shepard Happiness Is A Warm Puppy by Charles M. Schulz Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual by Franz Joseph Wolf Cub Scout Book by Boy Scouts of America Staff The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck The Jungle by Upton Sinclair A Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield, and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Faith: (all recommended) NIV Holy Bible by Zondervan Bible Publishers The Chronicles of Narnia, Out of the Silent Planet, The Screwtape Letters, Miracles, God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics, Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis Where Is God When It Hurts? and Disappointment with God by Philip Yancey The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino The Source by James A. Michener The Apocrapha In His Steps by Charles Sheldon Tech Beginnings: The Principle of Relativity by Albert Einstein Mix Power C manual and the Microsoft BASIC manual Birth of a cynic: (all recommended) Animal Farm and 1984 by George Orwell Brave New World and Ape and Essence by Aldous Huxley Lord of the Flies by William Gerald Golding The Unseen Hand by A. Ralph Epperson The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli Money and capitalism: Wealth Without Risk by Charles Givens The Millionaire Next Door by Stanley, Danko Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Kiyosaki, Lechter Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (recommended) Expanded Philosophy: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill - not recommended Necronomicon by Ed Simon  - not recommended Games People Play : The basic handbook of transactional analysis by M.D. Eric Berne The Republic by Plato Touched my thinking: The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham The Stand by Stephen King (read most of his stuff, and am affected by all of it, but this one stands out as the beginning of my King addiction) The Day the Universe Changed by James Burke The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Billions & Billions by Carl Sagan The One Minute Manager by Blanchard Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People by Covey How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Fisher, Ury, Patton Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive by Harvey Mackay What They Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School by Mark H. McCormack ...yeah, I listed a lot, but I'm quite impressionable. I feel sure I've left off some very important titles (I did last time!). Many of the above are repeats for this story, but the links provide added value. While dwelling on this I realized just what a debt I owe to authors. Unmentioned here are countless short stories, articles, etc. If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants -- Sir Isaac Newton -- Search the Scriptures at BibleGateway or NET Bible

• Rand and the Bible? by crayz, 03/09/2004 12:01:50 PM EST (none / 2)
• Rand and the Bible - cognitive dissonance to go by SaintPort, 03/12/2004 10:35:59 PM EST (none / 1)
• Star Fleet Technical Manual? by ZorbaTHut, 03/07/2004 02:05:28 PM EST (none / 1)
• Actually this is very personal by SaintPort, 03/08/2004 02:41:24 PM EST (none / 0)
• *nods* by ZorbaTHut, 03/08/2004 03:11:54 PM EST (none / 1)
• That evil Plato by nyri, 03/06/2004 09:15:48 AM EST (none / 1)
• or a blind spot by Norwegian Blue, 03/08/2004 06:02:25 PM EST (none / 0)

yes (nt) (none / 0) (#74) by mami on Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 09:29:41 PM EST (mami@papi.org) http://www.homeless-mamis.net

Tolkien:Lewis::Heinlein: (1.62 / 8) (#73) by Lode Runner on Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 08:49:44 PM EST (runnerlode@hotmail.com) Hubbard Dianetics, by Elrond Hubbard, set me on the path to becoming a clear. Once I got rid of those body thetans, my mind stopped reacting and started acting. Who says good science doesn't come out of soft sci-fi? To help others, I've been removing copies of Dianetics from public libraries and used bookstores. Sometime authorities reprimand me for "theft", but the Church's legal team has always come through for me. If people won't make the initial monetary commitment, they'll never discipline themselves to engage the text. p.s. - Kasreyn, I find it difficult to believe you weren't moved by C.S. Lewis, whose Screwtape Letters are the first revelation of Christ, Scientician. p.p.s. - runner-up: State of the Art by Iain "the future is bright red" Embanks because it supports my position that communism the highest form of naturalism.

• Bite, munch munch, gulp, buuuurp. by Kasreyn, 03/05/2004 12:55:28 AM EST (none / 3)
• If you're familiar with Lewis, by Lode Runner, 03/07/2004 08:50:08 PM EST (none / 0)

Hey! (none / 1) (#71) by johnny on Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 08:13:03 PM EST (anyoldthing@myhomepage) http://www.wetmachine.com yr frn, jrs Get your free download of prizewinning novels Acts of the Apostles and Cheap Complex Devices.

My List (none / 3) (#70) by 123456789 on Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 07:53:39 PM EST In no particular order: The Fabric of Reality by David Duetch (nonfiction) I, Robot by Isaac Asimov Metapatterns by Tyler Volk (nonfiction) Data Structures and Algorithms (textbook) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter Thompson Some biography of Van Gogh All of the books by Richard Fineman (nonfiction) Oh, and all the people who said "Ender's Game" are lame... /troll --- People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid. - Soren Kierkegaard

• Richard P Feynman, was a Fine-man :) n/t by aperick, 03/07/2004 01:47:58 AM EST (none / 1)

Tintin, don't laugh (2.75 / 4) (#67) by jongleur on Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 07:28:19 PM EST I realized awhile ago how much I internalized Tintin and I swear, he's still there. Chronicles of Narnia Farther up and further in baby Lots of other good books helped lay out a point of view, sharpen a sensibility, underlined the value of something else but, as for being detectably still with you they fade out fast in comparison to the above.  The younger you read them the more they influence you, probably. Why Socialism? - Einstein

• Chronicles of Narnia, agreed [nt] by Attercop, 03/20/2004 07:40:48 AM EST (none / 0)

My List (2.75 / 4) (#49) by virg on Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 03:35:25 PM EST The list of influential books, eh? A tough one, but not too tough. Watership Down by Richard Adams. I read this when I was young, and even then I knew it was literature. By the time I got to the end of it I didn't give a damn that the protagonists were rabbits. I cared about them like I did my friends in real life. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. Another book from my youth that still stands out now that I'm old enough to really appreciate it. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins. This was my first exposure to a book that was serious and yet written in a readable fashion. This one precipitated my ability and desire to read The Catcher in the Rye and Slaughterhouse Five, but since it was the first and drove me to those others, I figure it's higher on my list of influential books. The Bible. Like a surprising number of others, actually reading the Bible was the event that made me an atheist. Cosmos by Carl Sagan. While I enjoyed reading The Demon Haunted World more, this first foray into Sagan's mind was the reason I became interested in science and math to begin with. As long as you remember that its best audience is 13-year-olds, it stands out as one of the best science primers ever written. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Reading this book caused me, for the first time in my life, to look at Jim and wonder, "why do they treat him differently because of his color?" My mom told me years later that one of the proudest moments in raising me was when I asked her, in all innocence, "why do they call Jim a nigger when they like him so much?" The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. This saga is the reason I got into fantasy and sci-fi. Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. I learned about this book by playing the Avalon Hill game of the same name, and when I read this, I expected a rousing sci-fi story. What I got was an eye-opening look at what patriotism is really about. Shortly after reading this, I watched my first political debate, and actually cared about what was being said. That's the short list. This isn't meant to be a list of favorite readings, which would be MUCH larger, but a list of books that actually changed my views of the world in some way. Virg "with their super, secret, holy, magical, mormon, underpants..." - Theranthrope

• Hey Virg by imrdkl, 03/04/2004 07:45:22 PM EST (none / 2)

My List (2.25 / 4) (#41) by virg on Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 02:42:47 PM EST The list of influential books, eh? A tough one, but not too tough. Watership Down by Richard Adams. I read this when I was young, and even then I knew it was literature. By the time I got to the end of it I didn't give a damn that the protagonists were rabbits. I cared about them like I did my friends in real life. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. Another book from my youth that still stands out now that I'm old enough to really appreciate it. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins. This was my first exposure to a book that was serious and yet written in a readable fashion. This one precipitated my ability and desire to read The Catcher in the Rye and Slaughterhouse Five, but since it was the first and drove me to those others, I figure it's higher on my list of influential books. The Bible. Like a surprising number of others, actually reading the Bible was the event that made me an atheist. Cosmos by Carl Sagan. While I enjoyed reading The Demon Haunted World more, this first foray into Sagan's mind was the reason I became interested in science and math to begin with. As long as you remember that its best audience is 13-year-olds, it stands out as one of the best science primers ever written. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Reading this book caused me, for the first time in my life, to look at Jim and wonder, "why do they treat him differently because of his color?" My mom told me years later that the proudest moment in raising me was when I asked her, in all innocence, "why do they call Jim a nigger when they like him so much?" The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. This saga is the reason I got into fantasy and sci-fi. Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. When I read this, I expected a rousing sci-fi story. What I got was an eye-opening look at what patriotism is really about. Shortly after reading this, I watched my first political debate, and actually cared about what was being said. That's the short list. This isn't meant to be a list of favorite readings, which would be MUCH larger, but a list of books that actually changed my views of the world in some way. Virg "with their super, secret, holy, magical, mormon, underpants..." - Theranthrope

This Is A Topical Comment (2.40 / 10) (#29) by CheeseburgerBrown on Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 01:37:29 PM EST (cheeseburgerbrown+gmail:com) http://mfdh.ca/cheeseburgerbrown Something Happened, by Joseph Heller The Stars, My Destination (a.k.a. Tiger, Tiger!) by Alfred Bester Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess The Brothers Karamazov, by Dead Russian Pretentious Name-Dropping Fyodor Ivannatinkle Dostoevsky Le Petit Prince, by Antoine de St. Exupery Breakfast of Champions, or Goodbye Blue Monday! by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. The Diviners, by Margaret Laurence The Lorax, by Dr Seuss Penthouse Letters, by Xaviera Hollander ___ I am from a small, unknown country in the north called Ca-na-da. We are a simple, grease-loving people who enjoy le weekend de ski. Personally, I prefer a cheeseburger.

• Gully Foyle is my name by Gully Foyle, 03/05/2004 09:10:14 AM EST (none / 2)
• The Happy Hooker by johnny, 03/04/2004 08:15:18 PM EST (none / 1)

My wankage. (2.83 / 6) (#27) by fn0rd on Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 01:35:50 PM EST (kurobot@smitty.mailFUCK_SPAMshell.com) An incomplete list, in no particular order: Gödel, Escher, Bach. Doug Hofstadter. The Illuminatis Trilogy. R. Shea and RA Wilson. 1984. George Orwell. Sirens of Titan. Kurt Vonnegut. Watership Down. Richard Adams. (c'mon, I was fricken 7 years old, alright?) The Hobbit/LOTR. Tolkein VALIS/Radio Free Albemuth. Phil Dick. Les Chants de Maldoror. Comte de Lautréamont (Isidore Ducasse). Ulysses. James Joyce. The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster. Richard Brautigan. Cities of the Red Night/The Place of Dead Roads/The Western Lands. William Burroughs. The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills. Charles Bukowski. Dhalgren. Samuel R. Delaney Scamp "The Adventures of a Little Puppy". Author lost to the mists of time. The first book I ever read. This fatwa brought to you by the Agnostic Jihad

• Fnord! [n/t] by roybean, 03/06/2004 12:12:10 PM EST (none / 0)
• Shit, how could I forget by fn0rd, 03/04/2004 02:14:31 PM EST (none / 2)
• Count his money and laugh? by godix, 03/04/2004 04:17:54 PM EST (none / 1)
• Watership Down Rocks [nt] by CheeseburgerBrown, 03/04/2004 01:39:47 PM EST (none / 2)
• I'll probably read it again in a few years, by fn0rd, 03/04/2004 01:47:13 PM EST (none / 2)

off the top of my head (2.66 / 6) (#21) by banffbug on Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 11:43:51 AM EST The origin of conciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral mind, julian jaynes: what a grade A mindfuck. The history he constructs is near irrefutable, his facts and research deep (I don't think he's cropping his findings, only subjectively). His predictions flop for me, not reaching far enough into our future, claiming the 'voices of the gods' are fading, and going away for good. To me they play an important role in humanity's future, the dreaming and imagining powers beyond logic and reason we possess shouldn't be underestimated; a unity of the two chambers of the brain will be the next epoch, an antithesis to the 'analog I'. Only if you've read the book will this possibly make sense, but hopefully I've interested you. The Koran, Prophet Mohammad: While islam bases itself on one book by one author, giving it a false fishy mormon smell, the descriptions of god are vivid, teaching meditation upon His divine creation. At the core it embraces all relgions previous (as the book was written 600 ADish) teaching a way of coexistance and compatibility, pointing out it's the same god everyone worships. despite all the emphasized wrath onto unbelievers, love is of course the central message. Many contradictions and surprises with my orthodox /roman catholic uprbringing present themselves, A god who i stopped taking seriously around the time of my confirmation. The history surrounding islam's conception, and it's societal development is also facinating. When rome fell, western science and knowledge seemingly lost was preserved in the middle east, furthered, and returned to europe as she emerges from the dark ages. The people of the deer, Farley Mowat: Huh? what book is that? It's a first hand account of a man's travels to the edge of the tundra lands where he meets up with a native tribe who's chief sustenance are an enormous herd of caribou. Mowat lives amoung them for two years in the late forties, spinning a tale of raw uncomprimising human survival, motivated by an urgent cry for help through truer understanding, mainly as retribution for ignorance and ill-treatment by white men in the past, which sadly never comes. worth mentioning: The Book of Disquiet, a collection of Fernando Pessoa's disturbing musings, translated from spanish (i'm sure the mother-tounge version steamrolls it's counterpart). His insanely nilistic worldview is so exteme it prompts you to consider cheering the fuck up. and Self, Yann Martel. Also the author of Life of Pi which won the Man Booker Prize, Self is his first published work. I've only recently finished reading the book, so it's hard to say how lasting an impression it will leave on me, Martel's style blows me away, I was unaware you could tell a story in such a fashion. Emotional, at times you feel like a vouyer in the protagonist's life. If Pi floated your boat, don't hesitate in picking up Self.

• Being picky... by Vesperto, 03/07/2004 07:32:32 AM EST (none / 0)
• irrefutable by abeyer, 03/04/2004 06:26:36 PM EST (none / 0)
• corrections by banffbug, 03/04/2004 03:43:47 PM EST (none / 0)

For me... (2.60 / 5) (#13) by skyknight on Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 10:42:26 AM EST in no particular order... Atlas Shrugged Catch 22 1984 Brave New World Lord of the Rings Cryptonomicon Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Guns, Germs and Steel Billions and Billions Consilience Several of P. J. O'Rourke's books, including Parliament of Whores, Eat the Rich, and All the Trouble in the World If my memory serves me, Carl Sagan's Billions and Billions was to me what the Holy Bible was to you. His refusal to accept the existence of a God, and his acceptance of the coming obliteration of his consciousness, even while facing certain death as cancer ravaged his body, spoke a great deal to me. A One Act Play

• ack! by banffbug, 03/04/2004 03:18:50 PM EST (none / 0)
• Kinda puts a price on... by skyknight, 03/04/2004 05:08:18 PM EST (none / 2)

Some books (2.62 / 8) (#7) by Scrymarch on Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 08:59:51 AM EST (scrymarched aht yahoo dt com) Firstly, A Previous Round Of This, from 2002.  Via K4. These aren't the best books I've ever read, or even necessarily the favourite books, but after I read them they would invade my memories and change my thoughts; I couldn't think the same after I read them. Journey To The Centre of the Earth, Verne.  Not only a fantastic adventure story, but I remember being struck at the time and afterwards by how Verne bothered to base it on a alternative theory of geology, and that made it feel real, even or especially if the theory had since been exploded. The Hitch-hiker's Guide To The Galaxy, Adams.  It's not obvious, because it's so easy to read, but the first book has such a flippant intensity of ideas, jokes and disasters that it infected me; this was the filter through which I saw almost my entire adolescence. The Road To Wigan Pier, Orwell.  It was at some point during this book that I asked myself the question - where do we see these living conditions and this disparity today?  Between the rich and poor parts of the world, not within rich nations.  (Orwell might not agree; he was much more radical than the people that these days quote him.  Homage to Catalonia is a better book.) Dialling up the pretension, Nostromo, Conrad.  Not exactly an enjoyable read, but I've never read a truer work of fiction.  Again, Costaguana annexed my head. Philosophical Investigations, Wittgenstein.  Context, meaning as an emergent property of language-games played between people, the ease of forming meaningless questions, and buried in there somewhere, an obliquely stated theory of the mind, which I don't understand. Wir müssen trinken. Wir werden trinken. -- After Hilbert

• Orwell by wiredog, 03/04/2004 02:48:10 PM EST (none / 0)
• Orwell's Victory? by Scrymarch, 03/04/2004 03:11:05 PM EST (none / 0)
• Why Orwell Matters by wiredog, 03/04/2004 06:46:47 PM EST (none / 0)

+1, Huck Finn (2.33 / 6) (#6) by bob6 on Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 07:30:34 AM EST (asms@multiple.org) http://www.google.com I suspect most people and unfortunately most Americans don't realize how good writer, storyteller and humorist was Mark Twain. Huck Finn is truly an international classic, for the quality of the composition and the relevance of the testimony of his culture and his time. Cheers.

• agreed (as a non American) by Attercop, 03/20/2004 07:36:13 AM EST (none / 0)

My two cents (3.00 / 7) (#5) by FishBait on Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 05:39:05 AM EST (andrew-stephens@paradise.net.nz) http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/~andrew-1 Oddly enough, I am in total agreement with your first two choices. I read both the Hobbit and LotR when I was about 9. This got me into fantasy in a big way, which lead to DnD in high school and the causal Magic the Gathering tournament I have just returned from. As for the Bible, buoyed by my success at reading LotR I vowed to read each book in the Bible over the course of a summer holiday (I was rather earnest as 10 year old). Totally by random I picked the book of Job ... and that was the end of that. Along with another book on comparative religion(put out by some Church group ironically, although I can't remember anything else about it) lead to me becoming an unbeliever by my teens. I read Ender's Game in my late teens, and although I enjoyed it, it has always struck me as a little unpleasant. You are not the first to list it as a formative reading experience, but I always am a little wary of people who identify with Ender too much. I never much cared for the Thomas Covenant books either. For myself, I was greatly influenced in my thinking by "Life on Earth" by David Attenborough and "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins. Both of these gave a solid understanding of natural history and I found the chapters on computer simulation in The Selfish Gene fascinating. This lead to me getting part way through a degree in Zoology before bouncing to computer sciece. Speaking of computers, there was a series of books on programming 8-bit micros for children put out by Osborne. During my childhood I had nearly all of them, and they kindled my lifelong love of computers. They covered everything from writing games in BASIC, to quite complex assembler .There doesn't seem to be anything like them for children today, which is a shame.

• Osborne computer books by styrotech, 03/07/2004 07:19:05 PM EST (none / 0)
• LOTR at 9 by jongleur, 03/04/2004 07:47:02 PM EST (none / 1)
• OSC's writing style... by curunir, 03/08/2004 07:58:38 PM EST (none / 1)
• RE: LOTR at 9 by FishBait, 03/05/2004 12:57:27 AM EST (none / 1)
• I read it at 9, too. by fn0rd, 03/05/2004 11:23:21 AM EST (none / 0)
• Read it at 4 by lordDogma, 03/08/2004 03:08:42 AM EST (none / 2)
• Ender's game as a deep influence by Baldrson Neutralizer, 03/04/2004 04:18:10 PM EST (none / 3)
• That wasn't Ender's lesson by Gully Foyle, 03/05/2004 08:53:37 AM EST (none / 0)
• That's one lesson... by Baldrson Neutralizer, 03/05/2004 06:02:56 PM EST (none / 1)
• Entry point in the series... by Gooba42, 03/08/2004 08:57:49 PM EST (none / 1)
• How very well put <nt> by GenerationY, 03/08/2004 10:00:27 AM EST (none / 0)
• Hmm by ZorbaTHut, 03/07/2004 02:08:54 PM EST (none / 1)
• why do you have to be smarter than everyone else? by Baldrson Neutralizer, 03/08/2004 06:01:59 PM EST (none / 0)
• Because it's true? by ZorbaTHut, 03/10/2004 01:32:45 PM EST (none / 0)
• awareness of ones abilities by Baldrson Neutralizer, 03/14/2004 02:26:17 AM EST (none / 0)
• You skipped the best part by unknownlamer, 03/04/2004 01:31:18 PM EST (3.00 / 7)
• Thanks for the recomendation by FishBait, 03/06/2004 08:07:06 AM EST (none / 0)

I'd like to claim LOTR and scifi and whateverelse (1.80 / 5) (#4) by dimaq on Thu Mar 4th, 2004 at 04:45:30 AM EST (nobody@dev.null.org) the truth is, when someone takes a goo objective look at me, books like "ABC" and "native toungue 1" probably influenced my life the most. that is not to say they influenced my life [much], rather that everything else is [mostly] meaningless procrastination. pretty sad, isn't it?

What Books have Influenced Your Life? | 416 comments (367 topical, 49 editorial, 2 hidden)

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Erik Benson is a deadbeat.

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