Which book had the biggest impact on you

Maccattack

It can be anything. One of the great classics, a self help book, a comic, a trashy novel, a history book, whatever you like. Im interested in hearing about books that have had a profound effect on your life, for whatever reason.


Lets have 'em...

turgon

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.

Encapsulates everything wrong about dictatorships in general, and European dictatorships specifically.

The way he devised news-speak, a language in which criticism of the government cannot be formed, was exceptionally well thought out.

Although maybe not as accessible as Animal Farm to those who are not familiar with history, it is far the superior novel in my opinion.

Valmont

Atlas Shrugged had a profound effect on the way I think about my morality and ideals. I ultimately adjusted them after reading this epic book. I found it very inspirational too.

Locamon

I think this was a great idea for a thread.
I had to really think about it because so many books have impacted the way I think and hopefully act.
I have to say the book that had the greatest impact, only mainly because I was quite young when I read it was Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. Everything I have read since adds to the way I think but this was a book that really challenged all the stuff they feed you at school on good and bad, the right way to do things and the wisdom of authority (ie. not much). It had an even bigger impact because I found myself laughing uncontrollably through every chapter and I always think if you can only make people laugh at the injustice and stupidity of how those in power often act you have a better chance of getting your message home.

Tillotson

Any answer other than the Bible is wrong.
Unless you don't live/didn't grow up in western europe/south america.

Mena

Tillotson wrote: »

Any answer other than the Bible is wrong.
Unless you don't live/didn't grow up in western europe.

Well, it's a fine, if brutal fantasy, but I preferred Lord of the Rings myself.

For me, it was On The Origin of Species. By far the book that has had the most impact on my life.

Edit: Or maybe "The Selfish Gene" or "A Brief History of Time"... can't make up my mind.

Locamon

Tillotson wrote: »

Any answer other than the Bible is wrong.
Unless you don't live/didn't grow up in western europe/south america.

Have to disagree here the OP poster asked which book had the greatest impact on me/you...it is true that certain unnamed people who read the Bible had a big impact on me growing up in Ireland but can't say that guilt etc. came direct from the good book.

Fletch123

Maybe the original question should be rephrased 'which book that you have read has had the greatest impact on you?' if the OP wants to discuss personal impact rather than a books impact on society?

I interpretted the OP as a personal question, so my answer would be Sophie's World. I read it not knowing what it was about when I was 11 and it really did change my outlook on life. At that age those philisophical questions hadn't occured to me yet and so it was interesting to ponder them without any outside influence.

damselnat

My World by Jonny Wilkinson:o
Read it during my LC year, was usually a very lazy student who did the minimum I had to scrape through, but Wilko was a huge hero of mine, and when I read his book I was so in awe of his focus, drive and dedication I felt rather ashamed of myself, got my head down, and worked my ar*e off for the rest of the year
So I guess that had a pretty important impact on my life. Cheers Jonny!:o

Dades

If anything, On The Road.
Read it relentlessly during my formative years.

That said I don't believe any one book has had a particularly big impact on my life as it is now.

Tillotson

Locamon wrote: »

Have to disagree here the OP poster asked which book had the greatest impact on me/you...it is true that certain unnamed people who read the Bible had a big impact on me growing up in Ireland but can't say that guilt etc. came direct from the good book.

I think you misinterrupted my post. It's not about whether or not you believe in the bible, it's about how you need the bible to get context and referance in western culture.

Like it or not our morals are either a reaction to or stem from the bible.

Dades

Tillotson wrote: »

Like it or not our morals are either a reaction to or stem from the bible.

But how many have actually read the bible? It's huge, meandering, conflicting and exceptionally boring for the most part. Most people's knowledge of the bible comes from snippets at mass, picturebooks as a child, or when the TV breaks in your hotel room.

I feel you're trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole here. As Fletch123 suggested, we're not talking about the book that has had the biggest influence on the society we live in. We're talking about the book that has had the biggest influence on you personally - which to me suggests that you have to have read it.

buck65

damselnat wrote: »

My World by Jonny Wilkinson:o
Read it during my LC year, was usually a very lazy student who did the minimum I had to scrape through, but Wilko was a huge hero of mine, and when I read his book I was so in awe of his focus, drive and dedication I felt rather ashamed of myself, got my head down, and worked my ar*e off for the rest of the year
So I guess that had a pretty important impact on my life. Cheers Jonny!:o

I read that too and got very motivated by it, actually it probably has made a difference in the way I apply myself to training since

Tillotson

And I say the bible influences the way we think and the way our society functions, of which we are part.....Agree to disagree?Sorry about dragging the tread off course.Anyway, Steinback's "The Pearl" influenced me a lot, mainly because of the age I was when I read it. When you read a book is a big factor.

Quaver

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. I first read it about 10 years ago, and the line "a Sophie-shaped hole in the universe" has always stuck with me. I've since re-read it countless number of times, and it has blown me away as much every time.

Red Hand

Well, I've said it many times on this forum, but Oryx and Crake is a book where I've compared every new book I've read to it.

It will be interesting to see whether this speculative book of fiction will be mirrored during the rest of my lifetime.

glitterbugs

Personally ive a soft spot for, to kill a mocking bird, part of my ancestry in part..also admit to being a huge harry potter fan:D

ChewChew

glitterbugs wrote: »

Personally ive a soft spot for, to kill a mocking bird

i loved this book when I read it in school many moons ago. But it never really made sense to me. so I waited a few years untill I was 'older' and really got into reading and I bought it again, and read it. And thoroughly enjoyed it.


the one book that really has left a mark on me is The Jester by James Patterson & Andrew Gross. best book I have ever read!

Gaspode

'Cosmos' by Carl Sagan had a big impact on setting perspective for me at a time in my life when I needed direction.
I also found Desmond Morris' book 'The Naked Ape' was an true eye-opener and helped me get a grip on what the hell was going on in this adult world I was entering into.

As stated before timing is everything, and both of those books I read in my mid teens, and helped set me on the particular course my life has taken.

I dont think any fictional works have impacted me greatly really, mainly because I much prefer humourous books to anything serious.

Blush_01

Jeremiah 16:1 wrote: »

Well, I've said it many times on this forum, but Oryx and Crake is a book where I've compared every new book I've read to it.

It will be interesting to see whether this speculative book of fiction will be mirrored during the rest of my lifetime.

I loved that novel. First Atwood novel I ever read. I've been working my way through her back catalogue since.

OP, that's a very tough question to answer. I read City of Joy - Dominique Lapierre when I was about 11 and it's stayed with me since in such a vivid way. It was probably the first novel to ever grab me in that way.

Denerick

Probably White Castle by Orhan Pamuk. Its only a small book, and its based off a real manuscript he discovered, but it simply blew me away. Imagine being enslaved and having your identity ripped away from you? (Won't go into more detail that that)

theCzar

Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Made me think "Christ, I'm a better writer than this guy, somebody give me a pen"

Denerick

theCzar wrote: »

Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Made me think think "Christ, I'm a better writer than this guy, somebody give me a pen"

Candidate for post of the year anyone?

nitrogen

Cosmos for me as well. Carl's perspective on our place in the universe, how we came to understand the world around us and discover science is told through beautiful poetry and makes one think of the bigger picture.

RonMexico

No One Here Gets Out Alive - Danny Sugarman

It is a biography of Jim Morrison and it is an amazing read. Afterwards I decided it was time I did what I want to do instead of what other people might want/expect. Then I discovered Hunter S. Thompson ...

Consider the influence of those two one after the other.

Locamon

RonMexico wrote: »

No One Here Gets Out Alive - Danny Sugarman
It is a biography of Jim Morrison and it is an amazing read. .

Read it when I was around sixteen fantastic music biography. Helped I was really into the Doors as the time.:cool:

Malached

The last thing I read and enjoyed :-P.
When I was about twelve. I picked up a copy of the Lord fo The Rings (full trilogy) and loved it. I suppose that must have had the biggest impact, 'cause I read whatever. Except that I have never been able to get through Ulyses.

Malached

Oh yeah, and read something by W Shakespeare.

im_invisible

not sure how to answer this one, 'The Elegant Universe' by Brian Greene really got me intrested in string theory and the universe and all that,

but i think theres only been one book where i had to put it down for a few hours, it just hit me like a punch in the face, or something. it was 'less than zero', by bret easton ellis, i had read american psycho, so i was expecting some gruesomeness, but the bit near the end with the girl... (although thinking about it now, american psycho was worse, but, you'd be expecting that). that, and some bits near the end of 'marabou stork nightmares' by irvine welsh

Devious

I just read The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I can't remember the last piece of fiction to move me like this, the sheer unrelenting despair of the thing is almost unbearable.

Cows Go µ

For me, it's definitely The Chronicles of Narnia series by CS Lewis. Mainly because it was the series that got me hugely in to reading when I was ten. I haven't really stopped since.

HalloweenJack

Cancer Ward by Solzhenitsyn.

One of the best books I've ever read. It helped me recover from depression as it showed me no matter how **** life is, it's still worth living.

TheQueen

Quaver wrote: »

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. I first read it about 10 years ago, and the line "a Sophie-shaped hole in the universe" has always stuck with me. I've since re-read it countless number of times, and it has blown me away as much every time.

Love this book, it makes my all time top ten

joeystrider

Cider House Rules by John Irving. Fantastic book and helped to from my views on ethical issues.

Also by John Irving A Prayer For Owen Meany. My favourite book because it pushed forward my interest in politics and political history. I focused in on the Vietnam War for a project in college because of this book.

Would recommend both these.

plonk

Fletch123 wrote: »

Maybe the original question should be rephrased 'which book that you have read has had the greatest impact on you?' if the OP wants to discuss personal impact rather than a books impact on society?

I interpretted the OP as a personal question, so my answer would be Sophie's World. I read it not knowing what it was about when I was 11 and it really did change my outlook on life. At that age those philisophical questions hadn't occured to me yet and so it was interesting to ponder them without any outside influence.

I am just reading this at the moment and have to say I wish I had read it at a much younger age. Pretty good book

pauline fayne

The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne by Brian Moore.

I read it about 30 years ago ....If only i could write like that !

eZe^

Funnily enough, 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' by Bill Bryson really persuaded me that doing 4 sciences for the L.C was the way to go. I was worried the workload would be too much, now I'm an undergraduate physicist.... So I guess that'd be my choice.

Cows Go µ wrote: »

For me, it's definitely The Chronicles of Narnia series by CS Lewis. Mainly because it was the series that got me hugely in to reading when I was ten. I haven't really stopped since.

First proper books I ever read too. The reason I started reading books instead of watching t.v as a youngin...

tfitzgerald

playboy only the articles of course:D

DeVore

The Selfish Gene by Dawkins... it explained why people are how they are plus a lot of other things.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory... I read it when I was very young and it gave me an interest in reading for the rest of my life. Plus Dahl is awesome

DeV.

silverwater

Well...
As a child, the big ones were Goodnight Moon and Guess How Much I Love You, which have stuck with me.
Never finished Narnia, got bored by number five and it was such a chore...

In my adult life it's easily The Stand by Stephen King.
It has everything. My favourite book and one that convinced me to work creatively.

Denerick

Actually, if I were to say which book had the biggest impact on me as opposed to which book I liked most, it wouldn't be a book at all. The Asterix and Obelisk comics really got me into reading and into history when I was about 8 or 9. From the first time I read any of it I strove to learn why the Romans wanted that little Gaulish village so badly... Which led me on to Julius Caesar, and well, everything else!

Valmont

Cows Go µ wrote: »

For me, it's definitely The Chronicles of Narnia series by CS Lewis. Mainly because it was the series that got me hugely in to reading when I was ten. I haven't really stopped since.

Same here, I had a wonderful hardback collection. It's funny that while I know that they helped me get into reading as a kid, I have absolutely no recollection of what any of them were about besides a wardrobe and aslan. I read all of them too!

zesman

The Moon On My Back by Patrick Tierney, though I'd doubt if many people will have read it. The redemptive power of literature.

sogood

Jeremiah 16:1 wrote: »

Well, I've said it many times on this forum, but Oryx and Crake is a book where I've compared every new book I've read to it.

It will be interesting to see whether this speculative book of fiction will be mirrored during the rest of my lifetime.

As a big Atwood fan I tend to agree, reading The Blind Assassin at the moment. Handmaids Tale also worth a look see.

sogood

Going back in time to my teens, Catcher in the rye was my bible and I finished up reading all of Salingers work as a result. I tend to do this when I find an author that I like, dont stop until I've read all they've written, usually with something like a bio humming away on the side. Wally Lambs' " I know this much is true" also a great read, but he's only written 3 books, but all worth looking into, if you're interested in "the human condition" and interaction between people and within a person, if you get my drift.....

Kai

Dades wrote: »

If anything, On The Road.
Read it relentlessly during my formative years.

That said I don't believe any one book has had a particularly big impact on my life as it is now.

Interesting, I have read about 70% of the book and gave up. It just seemed to be him travelling here and talking to these people and then traveling somewhere else and talking to someone else. I couldnt connect with it at all for some reason. Can you tell me what im missing?

Amberjack

J.D Salinger's - The Catcher in the Rye is a great read.
Also enjoyed The DaVinci Code - it really got me thinking about the whole Catholic Church and their cover ups.

Denerick

Amberjack wrote: »

The DaVinci Code - it really got me thinking about the whole Catholic Church and their cover ups.

You may regret making such a comment amidst literary snobs such as ourselves here.

godspal

I know its cliched but there is one that stands out as the most influential in my life:
Catcher in the Rye (I know this has been mentioned before) this book represented a change in my thinking, Holden Caulfied's disillusionment began my question of sincerity in people. So it is the book that corrupted me.

However there have been a couple books that have been quiet influential in my life since then:

The Great Gatsby.
I read this the summer before the last year of my B.A.. Afterwards I began to shed some of the pretentious ideas I had myself (which I picked up through my degree) It also started a passion in me for literature, simply because it was written so beautifully written. Fitzgerald quickly became my favourite writer too.

Mrs Dalloway.
I found myself struggling with an existential problem of being miserable and being responsible for my misery when I read this. This book convinced me to keep true to myself despite the cost.

ZorbaTehZ

Robinson Crusoe. My father gave it to me when I was about 11/12 and it was the book that got me interested in literature. Still read it again the odd time I'm short of a book.

Funglegunk

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.

Swept away any remaining cobwebs and turned me from a deist to an atheist. Perhaps also God Is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens for in two words describing what religion always felt like to me: white noise.

For fiction I agree with an earlier post mentioning the Stand by Stephen King. Read it as a teenager, probably the first book I read where the characters felt like real people.