What are the five (5) most influential books you've read in your lifetime?
- Thread starter Peetz Pool Boy
- Start date
These 5 are after limited reflection and may change as I ponder the question further. They are in the order I recalled them.
1. Bible
2. A Man For All Seasons (the play) by Robert Bolt
3. Don Quoxite by Cervantes
4. The Art of War by Sun Tzu
5 The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck
1. Bible
2. A Man For All Seasons (the play) by Robert Bolt
3. Don Quoxite by Cervantes
4. The Art of War by Sun Tzu
5 The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck
It's okay for you to change your list over the life of this thread.
I'm still pondering mine. After "Go Dogs Go" I'm having difficultly selecting and prioritizing the next four.
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I think the problem will be that 5 is not enough. For example, I would put on a longer list Common Sense by Thomas Paine and The Federalist Papers by Hamilton, et al.
I will add another that greatly influenced me as a young lawyer. The Defense Never Rests by F. Lee Bailey.
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Instead of 5 books that I feel were influential, I will give you 3 that I really liked. In no particular order. 1) East of Eden by John Steinbeck 2) Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonneget Jr. 3) Watership Down by Richard Adam's.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Trinity
The Hunt for Red October
The Spiritual Teaching of Marcus Aurelius
The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous
Trinity
The Hunt for Red October
The Spiritual Teaching of Marcus Aurelius
The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous
Lord Of the Flies
To Kill a Mockingbird
Pearl
Old Man and the Sea
Bonfire of the Vanities
To Kill a Mockingbird
Pearl
Old Man and the Sea
Bonfire of the Vanities
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
If You Meet the Buddha On the Road, Kill Him
Small Is Beautiful
The Art of War
The Teachings of Don Juan
If You Meet the Buddha On the Road, Kill Him
Small Is Beautiful
The Art of War
The Teachings of Don Juan
Haven't reached five yet, but it's on my bucket list.
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The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature Steven Pinker
Why Don't Zebras Get Ulcers? Robert Sapolsky
Slaughterhouse Five Kurt Vonnegut
The World According to Garp John Irving
Guns, Germs, And Steel Jared Diamond
One on the list to be read: Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best And Worst: Robert Sapolsky
Why Don't Zebras Get Ulcers? Robert Sapolsky
Slaughterhouse Five Kurt Vonnegut
The World According to Garp John Irving
Guns, Germs, And Steel Jared Diamond
One on the list to be read: Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best And Worst: Robert Sapolsky
Here's some books I really liked, and that I reread from time to time, in no particular order:
--Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S Thompson;
--Sometimes a Great Notion, by Ken Kesey;
--For Whom the Bell Tolls, E. Hemingway;
--Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman; nonfiction
--CivilWarLand in Bad Decline, by George Saunders; short stories
--Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S Thompson;
--Sometimes a Great Notion, by Ken Kesey;
--For Whom the Bell Tolls, E. Hemingway;
--Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman; nonfiction
--CivilWarLand in Bad Decline, by George Saunders; short stories
Mark Twain Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer
Harvey Penick's Little Red Book
Hunter S THompson Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Tom Wolfe Bonfire of the Vanities
Robert Ludlum's Bourne Books in the 80's
Andy Weir The Martian
Harvey Penick's Little Red Book
Hunter S THompson Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Tom Wolfe Bonfire of the Vanities
Robert Ludlum's Bourne Books in the 80's
Andy Weir The Martian
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Stand (classic good v. evil)
We The Living
The Southampton Insurrection (Nonfiction account of Nat Turner)
The Catcher In The Rye
The Stand (classic good v. evil)
We The Living
The Southampton Insurrection (Nonfiction account of Nat Turner)
The Catcher In The Rye
The killer angels by Michael shaara. I was always into the civil war but this book really hooked me. I have read hundreds of history books since I first read this book. They started as civil war and then to different eras from Greece to Rome to ww2. Etc. i then read books about Kennedy, Reagan etc. it made me dig deeper as I then read the constitution, bill of rights etc. now I'm reading another history book. The Bible!
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
Hardly an intellectual but here's three: The Catcher in the Rye, The Tin Drum and Siddhartha. They stood the test of time. I found myself rereading them whenever I went through a transition. They should be on every young man's reading list. Now that I'm long in the tooth I'll probably never pick them up again.
since the original question was influential, I've left out several that are my favorites....
The Quiet Man by Maurice Walsh
-First book I ever read cover to cover as a teen (didn't know the movie existed). The book does a far better job of capturing the intense, internal struggle faced by the main character, Sean Thornton.
The Roots of American Order by Russel Kirk.
-a line in the opening page grabbed me "...order is the first need of all, above even food and water..." or something like that...
Nearer My God by Bill Buckley
- I particularly enjoyed his recounting of the Knox-Lund debates
Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer
- the dichotomy between principled leadership and pure ambition. (with The Quiet Man, would be included as one of my favorites)
The Bible...sort of.
- as a young kid, there was a book containing a collection of stories/parables from both the Old and New Testaments. And it had pictures! I read it constantly. Never did get through the entire Old Testament in it's pure form, however.
The Quiet Man by Maurice Walsh
-First book I ever read cover to cover as a teen (didn't know the movie existed). The book does a far better job of capturing the intense, internal struggle faced by the main character, Sean Thornton.
The Roots of American Order by Russel Kirk.
-a line in the opening page grabbed me "...order is the first need of all, above even food and water..." or something like that...
Nearer My God by Bill Buckley
- I particularly enjoyed his recounting of the Knox-Lund debates
Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer
- the dichotomy between principled leadership and pure ambition. (with The Quiet Man, would be included as one of my favorites)
The Bible...sort of.
- as a young kid, there was a book containing a collection of stories/parables from both the Old and New Testaments. And it had pictures! I read it constantly. Never did get through the entire Old Testament in it's pure form, however.
Great Question:
- The Bible, just because
- Three Days of the Condor, first book I really read for entertainment.
- The Catcher in the Rye, so well done and an eye opener because it reads like a stream of consciousness.
- Rich Dad Poor Dad, because it taught me the difference between cash, savings, assets and taxation. Made a lot of money from that book.
- Into the Mist. Best nail biter based on a true story I've ever read.
I like some on the list so far, but I'll take a different take on some popular authors:
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S Thompson (without question, the most important analysis of American politics that still resonates today)
The Stand by Stephen King
Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky (the most brilliant psychological crime thriller - I'd also add The Brothers Karamazov and Notes From the Underground)
and my favorite novel is . . .
The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
a brilliant examination on the human condition, one of the most compelling insights on how we love, obsess, assume, react, and otherwise give in to our human failings to make a complete mess of our lives. The final paragraphs are heart wrenching, but so articulate.
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S Thompson (without question, the most important analysis of American politics that still resonates today)
The Stand by Stephen King
Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky (the most brilliant psychological crime thriller - I'd also add The Brothers Karamazov and Notes From the Underground)
and my favorite novel is . . .
The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
a brilliant examination on the human condition, one of the most compelling insights on how we love, obsess, assume, react, and otherwise give in to our human failings to make a complete mess of our lives. The final paragraphs are heart wrenching, but so articulate.
The Bonfire of the Vanities speaks of greed, self advancement, and manipulation of an event for personal gain and notoriety, including by the media covering the issues. It all got to the point that the core issue - a child being killed, was forgotten.
Basically, it is the entire Sandusky scandal in a nutshell.
Basically, it is the entire Sandusky scandal in a nutshell.
- Bible
- Mere Christianity- Lewis
- The Cross of Christ- Stott
- Knowing God- Packer
- The Cost of Discipleship- Bonhoeffer
What, no votes for "Recursive Methods In Economic Dynamics?" It changed my life by getting me to forgo a PhD and get a job. OK, it was meant to be funny, but there's a shred of truth there.
I love to reread "The Sun Also Rises," "The Catcher In The Rye," "Animal Farm," and "Zen And The Art..." but I wouldn't say they changed much.
I love to reread "The Sun Also Rises," "The Catcher In The Rye," "Animal Farm," and "Zen And The Art..." but I wouldn't say they changed much.
I'm a little surprised nobody has mentioned "Animal Farm"....
Edit: had opened thread earlier, walked away from computer and returned....made my post without refreshing. I see somebody did list Animal Farm at the very bottom of the current posted messages that I hadn't seen just before I had made my post.
Edit: had opened thread earlier, walked away from computer and returned....made my post without refreshing. I see somebody did list Animal Farm at the very bottom of the current posted messages that I hadn't seen just before I had made my post.
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I'm not really a book reader. That said:
The Bible
Power on Ice (Denis Potvin biography)
Boss ((Mike Bossy biography)
One in a Million (Ron Leflore biography)
A Child Called "It"
The Bible
Power on Ice (Denis Potvin biography)
Boss ((Mike Bossy biography)
One in a Million (Ron Leflore biography)
A Child Called "It"
David Halberstam's Power Trilogy:
The Best and the Brightest
The Reckoning
The Powers that Be
4) Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin
5) The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer
The Best and the Brightest
The Reckoning
The Powers that Be
4) Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin
5) The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer
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A
anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
One other - Catch 22. The absurdity of war, peace, and everything else - brilliant.
Yes, I edited my post to that effect and why I hadn't seen them minutes after my response "posted" (message says my post was made 43 minutes ago as I'm responding, my edit was made 36 minutes ago and your post 31 minutes ago)....IOW, your response was posted 5 minutes after my edit explaining that I had not refreshed the thread, left thread open and responded after leaving computer for half hour or so. OP made post last night at 11-something and the first 22 posts through 10AM this morning had no Animal Farm....
The Bible is obviously one of if not the most influential book ever written so I'm not including on my list of 5 books...which is a very small number so I'm just going to type without thinking and see what comes out.
The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas - taught me the extreme's of personality types and both the good and evil that comes from all types
Time of the Turtle - Jack Rudloe - changed my way of thinking about the environmen
The Goal - Eliyahu Goldratt - a book on problem solving that should be read by everyone
Love - Leo Buscaglia - a book about Love and it's power.
The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien - this book really sparked my desire to read
The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas - taught me the extreme's of personality types and both the good and evil that comes from all types
Time of the Turtle - Jack Rudloe - changed my way of thinking about the environmen
The Goal - Eliyahu Goldratt - a book on problem solving that should be read by everyone
Love - Leo Buscaglia - a book about Love and it's power.
The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien - this book really sparked my desire to read
Just for fun, I'm looking at the bookcases in our den to see what's on the shelves. I haven't looked at it in a few years. Some notable titles:
Benjamin Franklin - Walter Isaacson
We Seven - by the astronauts themselves
Several Len Deighton spy novels
Several Daniel Silva spy novels
Several Jeff Shaara historical fiction novel
Tuesdays with Morrie -Mitch Albom
All of the Harry Potter books
The Dark Side of Camlot - Seymour Hersh
Poland - James Michener
Several travel books
Football My Way - Joe Paterno
A Knight at the Opera - Sir Rudolpg Bing
The Dilbert Principle - Scott Adams
Ann of Green Gables
Billy Bathgate - E. l. Doctorow
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
A Three Volume set of the comedies, the histories and the tragedies by William Shakespeare
Several political books that I won't list
Benjamin Franklin - Walter Isaacson
We Seven - by the astronauts themselves
Several Len Deighton spy novels
Several Daniel Silva spy novels
Several Jeff Shaara historical fiction novel
Tuesdays with Morrie -Mitch Albom
All of the Harry Potter books
The Dark Side of Camlot - Seymour Hersh
Poland - James Michener
Several travel books
Football My Way - Joe Paterno
A Knight at the Opera - Sir Rudolpg Bing
The Dilbert Principle - Scott Adams
Ann of Green Gables
Billy Bathgate - E. l. Doctorow
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
A Three Volume set of the comedies, the histories and the tragedies by William Shakespeare
Several political books that I won't list
not to be contentious, buuuuuuut . . .
when people say "The Bible", what do you mean? there are several dozen ENGLISH translations, some of which interpret the Scripture in a significantly different manner . . .
when people say "The Bible", what do you mean? there are several dozen ENGLISH translations, some of which interpret the Scripture in a significantly different manner . . .
not to be contentious, buuuuuuut . . .
when people say "The Bible", what do you mean? there are several dozen ENGLISH translations, some of which interpret the Scripture in a significantly different manner . . .
Roman Catholic...
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