What book has had the greatest influence on your life & why?

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  • PShep17
    PShep17 Posts: 221 Member
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    Baaah! Posted in the wrong forum and can't delete! Ooops
  • TexanThom
    TexanThom Posts: 778
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    The Bible....
  • Josie_lifting_cats
    Josie_lifting_cats Posts: 949 Member
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    Oh goodness.....

    "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" when I was little. A story that really can make a young girl feel like she can do ANYTHING.

    "Anne of Green Gables", because it made me realize that my elaborate fantasy worlds and dramatic thoughts weren't completely abnormal.

    And now "Hypocrite in a White Poofy Dress".... finding the world of sarcastic/funny/real world memoirs seems like my "niche" - I could totally write this stuff. I just need the time to do it.
  • freder1ck
    freder1ck Posts: 44 Member
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    At the Origin of the Christian Claim by Luigi Giussani.

    Ordering one's instinct towards the goal (which is to say, the whole) is the fundamental gift of self to the whole, the so-called 'duty,' whose essence, then, cannot be but love, which is self-surrender. [...] But giving oneself is not human unless it is to a person. Loving is only human if one loves a person…"
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
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    In the Meantime by Iyanla Vanzant.

    Not everybody who comes into your life was meant to last a lifetime. It taught me to stop hanging on to toxic people in my life and to search for happiness. Don't settle for living in a 'in the meantime ' relationship



    So True!!!
  • BeanQueen3000
    BeanQueen3000 Posts: 161
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    Andrew Solomon's _The Noon Day Demon_- helped me understand areas of my depression, and continually helps me find ways to work around it.

    Sagan's _Pale Blue Dot_- still gives me perspective sometimes. Helped me better know my place in the universe, and how lucky I am to live here.

    Hitchens' _God Is Not Great_- His work really gave me the kick in the *kitten* that i needed to start enjoying my life and being a better person towards others. Life is too short to be an A**hole personally-- I try to channel my anger and frustration now towards more productive things.
  • faefaith
    faefaith Posts: 433 Member
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    Island of the Blue Dolphins and I'm in Charge of Celebrations. One is about surviving outside of your tribe the other is about finding joy joy in everyday experiences.
  • shiseido_faerie
    shiseido_faerie Posts: 771 Member
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    The alchemist by Paulo cohelo and peace is in every step by thich nhat Hahn
    Both came around at time in my life when I was feeling very anxious and lost and for some reason these two books just really clicked with me and helped me turn things around!
  • azsuzi
    azsuzi Posts: 1,169 Member
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    You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay - this book taught me to listen to my body and understand that pain and disease are only physical manifestations of negative thought patterns. In the most basic terms: if you can change your mind, you can change your life.
  • run4yourlife
    run4yourlife Posts: 379 Member
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    bump - I could use a good inspirational read.
  • octleigh
    octleigh Posts: 86 Member
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    The Bible...
  • ImKindOfABigDeal40
    ImKindOfABigDeal40 Posts: 807 Member
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    Green Eggs and Ham
  • Katie3784
    Katie3784 Posts: 543
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    'The God Delusion' by Richard Dawkins
  • interceptor311
    interceptor311 Posts: 980 Member
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    "Emotional survival for law enforcement: A guide for officers and their families" by Kevin M Gilmartin
  • octleigh
    octleigh Posts: 86 Member
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    Green Eggs and Ham

    Yes!! This one!! I still find myself quoting this book with my kids:)
  • vestarocks
    vestarocks Posts: 449 Member
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    Well this is going to sound super nerdy... but one day at Barnes and Noble my daughter asked me to ready "Oh the places you will go" by Dr seuss to her....

    No ****, that was the day I started to get my life and career back on track. Such a simple book made me realize that the choice is always mine!

    That is one of my all time favourite books and I've bought several copies for gifts. Great message.
  • coachblt
    coachblt Posts: 1,090
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    Life After Life


    Growing up, we didn't attend church very often. When we went, it was rare and I had no idea what was going on...I was just going through the motions.

    As I got older, I found this book, starting reading it and couldn't put it down. It was after that book that I started to research Biblical things. Needless to say, it inspired me.
  • herstrawberri
    herstrawberri Posts: 347 Member
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    The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.
  • LivetoRun07
    LivetoRun07 Posts: 183 Member
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    Unbearable Lightness
    by: Portia DeRossi

    I read this book not too long ago. It was actually over Christmas and the beginning of January of this year. It is about Portia's long struggle with anorexia/bulimia. I myself have struggled with mild to severe anorexia for about 7 years and I could really connect with her on a level I didn't think possible. Since I read this book I have maintained a healthier weight (not always my doctor's idea of healthy, but much better than I was), I've had a better attitude towards myself, and I have just been trying so much harder to keep a healthy mentality. It isn't always easy but that book is embedded into my brain and heart now and when things are going bad there are many parts of that book that'll surface into my thoughts and make me think again about what I'm doing. For anyone else who has struggled with an eating disorder I definitely suggest this book! Have a box of tissues next to you!!
  • snw_
    snw_ Posts: 237 Member
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    The kama sutra cause it taught me how to be bendy in all the right ways for all the right reasons.

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