Soul on Ice ~ Eldridge Cleaver

The Bell Jar ~ Sylvia Plath

Long Walk to Freedom ~ Nelson Mandela

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee ~ Dee Brown

Night ~ Elie Wiesel

American Foreign Policy Since WWII

and the first book I read (probably in 2nd grade) without pictures. I remember being very disappointed that there were no illustrations. I sometimes think that's part of the reason I studied art history: every art history book is full of pictures! (Art is the illustrations to the history of the world.)

ZombieKitten said:

i still have conversations about nature v nurture with my sister.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

mostbeautifulboy said:

Cheers i will order that from Amazon today


I have just looked him up what do you recommend Babylon, Omon Ra or the Clay machine gun?

[Edited 6/26/09 6:11am]
[Edited 6/26/09 6:38am]

Some great titles here.



Changed? Not many. Influenced? Lots...

The Bible, the Nag Hammadi library and a handful of other noncanonical Jewish/Christian books, the Autobiography of Malcolm X, Edith Hamilton's Mythology, Dracula and Frankenstein, Le Petit Prince, The Velveteen Rabbit, Webster's Revised Unabridged (English) Dictionary (I used to just read it ), Where the Sidewalk Ends, Orlando, the Art Linkletter Picture Encyclopedia for Boys and Girls, the Essential Gay Mystics, Curious Myths of the Middle Ages, assorted astronomy books... and Alpha Flight and the Uncanny X-Men.

Lammastide said:

trying to further educate yourself is nothing to be embarassed about
[Edited 6/26/09 8:12am]

angelcat said:

Ha Jin is his name. He's a great writer. I've read most of this work.

angelcat said:

Hear, hear.

endymion said:

The Clay machine gun, although Omon Ra is good as well.

The Bible

Where the Wild Things Are (First book i ever read on my own)

The Art of War

A Fighters Heart (Made me decide to try fighting)

The Football Coaches Bible by the American Coaches Association (Took my coaching to the next level)

and so many ohers, I am an English teacher! Books are my passion!

jstar69 said:

i didn't think this book would be my style at first, then i read that it was an end-of-the-world/post-apocalypse story, and weirdo that i am, i love those kinds of stories. so i'm gonna have to check it out before the movie hits!

Anxiety said:

Reading your posts feels like the end of the world is coming!

This Present Darkness

that damn book did to me what the Trilogy of Terror did to me at age 7 with that little demon idol thingy....

Imago said:

Reading your posts feels like the world ended and was re-colonized by damn dirty apes.

A few that come to mind.




...Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison




...Black Like Me - John Howard Griffin




...A Higher Form Of Killing - Robert Harris & Jeremy Paxman




...Notes of a Hanging Judge - Stanley Crouch




...Preferential Policies - Thomas Sowell



tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431
[Edited 6/26/09 19:58pm]

theAudience said:

I had forgotten this one. Definitely a fav. Id recommend it to anybody.
I once wrote a university paper about it, I must try and read it again sometime.

The Catcher in the Rye & 1984.

Definitely this one too:

Aelis said:

I need to read that one.

Out of curiosity, can you guys tell how the books you chose chnged your life or changed the way you saw the world?...Would be interesting to hear, I think.

Byron said:

Well maybe it would be too much to say that they changed my life but they definitely influenced the way I see the world now.
For example "Infidel" gave me so much information about Islam that I have changed the way I perceived religions in general.
Joseph Murphey's book about our subconscious mind made me aware of the huge power that's inside of our heads.
"Crime and Punishment"...wow... Even though I knew things aren't black or white that book made me think of several things I haven't thought of before.
"Don Quijote"... Brilliant. I loved his enthusiasm, he showed me the importance of fighting for what we see as the right thing, regardless of what others may say.
Excuse my English, I wrote this in a bit of a hurry...

Aelis said:

Great response, and your english was just fine.

Byron said:

I explained in my response how my reading my first book without pictures changed my life -- I think it was part of the reason I became an art historian.

Soul on Ice, Long Walk to Freedom, Night, & Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee made me more aware of the struggles people have gone through and how horribly people treat those who are different. As someone who grew up in a very homogenous, very small town, you don't really learn those things.

Soul on Ice has one of the most beautiful paragraphs I've ever read (check my profile for it). In college I had the opportunity to hear Eldridge speak, and I got him to autograph my book. I felt sort of weird about it, because in the book he talks about how he would practice raping black girls so that he could then rape white girls to get back at the Man and there I was, a white girl, asking for this guy's autograph -- was I being a hypocrite? would he even sign it? He did, and he wrote, "Thank you for this opportunity to sign this book for a beautiful lady. Good luck. Right on!"

I think the main lesson I learned was that people can truly change, and even though we all have our difference, if people are open minded enough, there is the chance (the tiny spark inside) that we can get along despite those differences.

Byron said:

Thank you

Byron said:

&

The Super Coupon Shopping System by Susan J. Samtur

Anxiety said:

I like those, have you tried Earth Abides George R. Stewart, it was written in the 50's so a bit dated but worth a read

SirPsycho said:

my lady gave me this book when we met after reading a blog i wrote stressin bout life. she said my thoughts sounded a lot like the main character and she thought i should read it. it just seemed to come at the perfect time and encouraged me to move forward in pursuit of my dreams even as the road got more and more perilsome. everytime my heart beats out "fear" - in regards to my passion/future- i try to observe it as a positive sign and a signal to press on. this book was intrumental in presenting that notion.

SirPsycho said:

this was the first book i read in which the author attempted to discredit or invalidate the notion of God. I stole it from a school library actually in AL. I've spent my entire life in the church and Freud (who I've always been a semi fan of- in regards to what little i've heard about his theories) helped provide an outside account of the neurological activity behind my own personal faith process. in his challenging all faith it allowed me to put my faith to the test and step away with a stronger base/knowledge of what i DO believe. also the spong books I later read referenced this book as well. but anyway, it helped me understand theism through an atheists eyes, and that type of impartial analysis is crucial to the growth of the church I believe.

SirPsycho said:

this was the first out of three spong books i read. i found it in barnes and noble one day and it just jumped out at me. i prob read it in a few short days and i loved it. spong seemed to point out alot of both my greviances with the church, and my reasons for not abandoning it. he identified many conflicting ideaologies within my faith and the prophet we claim to follow and it feel like a relief to read it in the words of a bishop, because many of the things he pointed out and questioned, i had observed since i was very very little. this book helped me better understand the history of my faith, the current state, and the possible futures- as well as my place in it- which apparently isnt an uncommon one. plus its always nice to hear a non-fundamentalist discuss christianity- especially these days where the media presents us all in a monolithic fashion.

SirPsycho said:

this is another book that jumped out at me while roaming the isles. it was on display actually, and the title kinda summed up my life. art. and fear. so i bought it. devoured it. and LOVE it. im actually re-reading it now and taking notes. the thing is, i think it brought the idea of the talented artist back into a human realm. which apparently we seem to forget when regarding admired artists and our own works. it spoke alot (like the alchemist) of fear not always being a negative quality [especially since its unavoidable] and it went into great depth in considering the universal process of artmakers of any medium. it just reminded me i no less than anyone else, including the greats. its just up to me and my dedication to my legacy (which is something van hunt said to me too now that i think of it). anyway, great book. its in my bag now.

SirPsycho said:

...well...long story short, i was comin off of mega heartbreak and this was to be my revenge and retribution. i'd become a don juan of sorts. but simply put, by placing seduction into various settlings (political, historical, philisophical, ect.) it helped me better understand my own propensitiy to fall deeply, and my own potenial to sweep others and strongly as i had been slept. this book is no joke- i remember reading this outside and i would look up and see people interecting and i could call them by type and predict the outcome. i started to read faces better and it just heightened my sesnativity a bit when it came to romance. GREAT book. a little dark at times, but as with any message its all in the hands of the user.

SirPsycho said:

the second spong book i read. kinda just accentuated a spritual renewual taking place within me begining with FOI and WCMCOD. it pretty much goes down the line of oft cited passages used to justify: male-supremecy, slavery, homophobia, child abuse, ect. all the sickness' in the world that people claim they can support with scripture. the book invited the reader to consider the context in which all of these quotes were written (time, place, people, setting) and also to consider the surrounding passages. in doing this, spong reaffirms that the God he serves is still very much a God of love, even as those who commit evil have done so in his name since the begining of time. all of spongs book cover simliar ground (i read another) but none the less, he provides imo a clearer understanding of how far we as a faith have to come and and how jesus' teaching still have not been fully realized by his followers though it is possible.

SirPsycho said:

this book kinda jump started my interest in psychology (and a slight fascination with serial killers, ed gein specifically ) it was just riviting. i read it in 7th grade and my mother was freaking the fuck out cuz i started looking pictures of ed geins victims and whatnot. but it was just so wonderfully twisted. i loved it.

SirPsycho said:

the bluest eye just seemed to resonate with my blackness. i know no other way to put it. i read it sophmore year in highschool around the same time i began to learn more about our american history and so on and so on. the account of a little girl and her desire for blue eyes just kinda sat with me. it kinda tied in everything else i was reading/listening to at the time into a neat little narration.

and i read this in high school cuz i overheard women (girls to be exact ) saying men wouldnt get it

SirPsycho said:

like TAOS ...this just helped me better understand the thoughts of women...at least i think so. funny book anyway.

I have no mouth and i must scream

By Harlan Ellison

is really really memorable certainly effects how you feel about the idea of sentient technology (i know that sounds shite but its good honest )

http://data.antonindanek....scream.pdf

you can read it there

It's only takes 20 minutes or so and definitely one you won't forget in a hurry



shite edit
[Edited 6/29/09 8:08am]

Thanks jone and SirPsycho ...it's cool reading what each of you felt was signficant about the books you chose...might cause some of us to pick up a copy.