# Books that changed your life



## Zeronewbury (Feb 20, 2009)

I'm looking for some sort of list, or at least input from the well-read members of this forum, of the *Books That Changed Your Life.*

It seems like we might all benefit from something like that. I'll admit to my personal top five


*The Lord of The Rings* Okay, it almost cliche now, but in 1970 I was an impressionable teenager in a broken home. Tolkien's Catholic Church influence rings strong in these novels and I found great inspiration in the tale of personal integrity and sacrifice. No Kindle version available


*Johnny Got His Gun* Amazing writing that will wrench your mind. No Kindle version available.


*Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance* Hell, I went out and bought a motorcycle. But that was 1976.


*James and the Giant Peach* I read this to my young siblings and two sets of children. I'll read it to any children who ask. No Kindle version available.


*Tales of Mystery and Imagination* Here is where I found my personal dark side. Nice to know everyone has one. I'm pretty sure you can find a Kindle version on feedbooks.


*The Book* Cracked open the door of self-awareness. No Kindle version.

Heck, how are people supposed to read these things if there are no Kindle versions available? Maybe a life changing book needs to be a DTB held in the hand and smelled and touched. I hope not.


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## chynared21 (Oct 28, 2008)

*Any of S E Hinton's books...I can't even remember how many times I have read her books but my favorite is The Outsiders. I can't say whether or not it or any of her books changed my life but this is still one of my favorites. I actually bought another copy last year and if it was Kindleized, I'd snap it up. Unfortunately none of her books are available for the Kindle. 









*


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

The books that changed my life did it at a very early age; a kept few cemented my love of reading and planted the seeds of wanting to be able to write the stories I loved so much.

Henry 2 and ...And Now, Miguel by Joesph Krumgold; John Christopher's Tripod series...those are books I'll never forget, and are a big chunk of why I headed off in the direction I did.


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## RJ Keller (Mar 9, 2009)

WOW what a great topic!!! Five for me:

The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery. My all-time favorite book.



Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery.



Candy, by Luke Davies. I'd written my book and was quite pleased with myself. Then I read "Candy." The writing was so poetic, yet so honest, so _raw_. It made me realize how much I'd held back in my own writing, and I was compelled to completely rewrite my book. It's not available on Kindle, unfortunately, but here's the link to the dead tree version.



Right Ho! Jeeves. P.G. Wodehouse was an absolute genius with words.



Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut.


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## Kindle Convert (Nov 8, 2008)

chynared21 said:


> *Any of S E Hinton's books...I can't even remember how many times I have read her books but my favorite is The Outsiders. I can't say whether or not it or any of her books changed my life but this is still one of my favorites. I actually bought another copy last year and if it was Kindleized, I'd snap it up. Unfortunately none of her books are available for the Kindle.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





chynared21 said:


> *Any of S E Hinton's books...I can't even remember how many times I have read her books but my favorite is The Outsiders. I can't say whether or not it or any of her books changed my life but this is still one of my favorites. I actually bought another copy last year and if it was Kindleized, I'd snap it up. Unfortunately none of her books are available for the Kindle.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I loved S.E. Hinton...it's a shame none of her books are on Kindle.


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

I was a kid with reading problems and just seeming to catch up in High School. The SPED teacher convinced me to read my first long book. I still remember it and it got me over the fear of long books.
Watership Down by Richard Adams

sylvia


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

Hmmmm...so many to choose from!  I don't know about "life changing" but these books helped to shape me, I think.  And I bet the list will grow as I think more about it...

Stephen King "The Eyes of the Dragon" because it was my first "adult" book that almost made me scream out loud when I was a teenager reading until 2am!  It amazed me that a book could do that: I mean cause that kind of reaction.

The Flowers In The Attic series by V.C. Andrews was cheesy but made me think.  It probably started my lifelong fascination with "train wrecks" (ie: America Next Top Model, American Idol, etc)

The Mitford series by Jan Karon.  That series is like comfort to me.  I love everything about it: the writing style, the characters, the plot, the spirituality, and the feel good feeling I get whenever I read them!!!


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## meljackson (Nov 19, 2008)

Flowers in the Attic changed my life too. I was about 10 when I started reading it and my mom took it away from me. It taught me to hide my books better lol. 

Melissa


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

Mel, my Mom didn't know much about it....I was safe.


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## egh34 (Jan 11, 2009)

Watership Down was the first "adult" book I read, and I remember being so proud. I think I was nine. Accomplishing that task opened up a world of books for me, I knew I would never settle again for "kid chapter books'.


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## Kathy (Nov 5, 2008)

In high school my civics teacher had us read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. It was the first time that I realized what poor working conditions that existed.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Lvevels of Knowing and Existence, by Harry L. Weinberg. I reread it every few years and it never fails to inspire/inform me. Not for Kindle yet.

Mike


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## Maxx (Feb 24, 2009)

When I read Anne Frank Diary of a Young Girl, I couldn't believe that a kid could write a book like that and go through those experiences. It has never left me.



Another book that I was influenced by is Little Women


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

ak rain said:


> I was a kid with reading problems and just seeming to catch up in High School. The SPED teacher convinced me to read my first long book. I still remember it and it got me over the fear of long books.
> Watership Down by Richard Adams
> 
> sylvia


*Watership Down* is truly a life changing book. I read it for the first time in the summer of 1975 when I borrowed it from a camper. I wish it was on my Kindle. I would like to sit down and do a complete re-read.

L


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## Britt (Feb 8, 2009)

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen... I was going through a rough time in high school and when I read that book I identified with so much that she was feeling.

And Harry Potter, before which I don't think I was truly able to grasp the definition of "obsession"


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

This came up in an earlier thread today. Given the fact that I can quote huge chunks of this book, I guess that is life changing. This is a picture (taken this morning) of my original first edition copy that I bought in 5th grade.


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

A Wrinkle in Time (L'Engle) (Kindle) (6th grade)
The Metamorphosis (Kafka) (Kindle/mobipocket) (9th grade)
Johnny Got His Gun (Trumbo) (could not find any ebook format) (9th grade)
Atlas Shrugged (Rand) (could not find any format) (10th grade)
I Never Promised You A Rose Garden (Greenberg) (Kindle) (10th grade)


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

I have spent the last two days trying to determine what book changed my life.  I can't seem to come up with just one.

There is one book that I read when I was younger about a boy on a ship.  He was not treated very kindly.  I believe they were pirates.  I can see the cover, but cannot remember the name.  I am constantly looking in used book stores to see if I could find it.  I think I was about 3rd grade.  So it definitely was a memorable book since I'm still looking this many years later.


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

drenee said:


> I have spent the last two days trying to determine what book changed my life. I can't seem to come up with just one.
> 
> There is one book that I read when I was younger about a boy on a ship. He was not treated very kindly. I believe they were pirates. I can see the cover, but cannot remember the name. I am constantly looking in used book stores to see if I could find it. I think I was about 3rd grade. So it definitely was a memorable book since I'm still looking this many years later.


"Castaways of the flying Dutchman" by Brian Jacques ??


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Levels of Knowing and Existence, by Harry L. Weinberg comes closest. I reread it every few years and it never fails to inspire/inform me. Not for Kindle yet.

Mike


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## Rhiathame (Mar 12, 2009)

There are so many books that have impacted my life but here are a few that have stood out.


Not in Kindle format 


Not in Kindle format 


Not in Kindle format 
Dragonsong is one I have read and re-read. But the reason it has stuck with me is because it really launched me into fantasy books and I remember how I got introduced to it. At the time I listened to a kids radio program called Kids America that was on public radio. They had a segment where you could try and stump the host by sending in a riddle about a book. So, I sent in a riddle and they sent me back Dragonsong. Now, more than 25 year later I still remember getting the book and identifying with the characters and it started a live long love affair with Anne McAffery's books.


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## EllenR (Mar 31, 2009)

I'm not sure they changed my life, but two of the books that moved me a great deal were:

The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck

and

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

The Lord of the Rings trilogy was the first to really capture and enthrall me when I studied them in high school.


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Thank you. I looked up _Castaways of the Flying Dutchman_. It was published in 2001. I read this book in around 1968 or 1969.


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## Cowgirl (Nov 1, 2008)

For me it was "To Kill a Mockingbird" (read in Junior High)...I grew up in a homogeneous little town and was very naive to social injustice of any kind. It opened my eyes and I read it again every few years.


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## Zeronewbury (Feb 20, 2009)

drenee, could it have been Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson?


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

No, not Treasure Island.  Although a great book.  I think it was an obscure book.  I don't remember the other kids in school reading it.


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## egh34 (Jan 11, 2009)

The Stand by Stephen King, another one that made me look at the world differently.


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## lailamar (Dec 26, 2008)

One of many books, but this one changed my life, made me a more spiritually oriented person and made me believe in hope and love

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JQU8V6

QVO VADIS by Sienkiewicz that is available on kindle for FREE.....


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## lb505 (Feb 23, 2009)

This one came along during the time I realized I didn't have to continue to please everyone and be the perfect, "chosen child" I had been my whole life.

Twice Born: Memoirs of an Adopted Daughter
The reading audience is probably a select group but it's a great read. Not on Kindle though...

And the entire Nancy Drew series kept me company and encouraged my love of reading for many, many years


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm having a hard time coming up with a "life changing" book.  But Nancy Drew certainly influenced my life-long reading habits - I was a Nancy Drew kid, and while I've read lots of other stuff over the years (trashy romances, true crime stories, and others) I always come back to mystery/detective stories, especially series.


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## vwkitten (Apr 10, 2009)

I remember exactly what books changed my life in a vivid timeline and you folks have listed some of them already:

The Diary of Anne Frank (8th grade) -- The first book I ever read that made me want to read was The Diary of Anne Frank.  I didn't know books could be compelling before that one.  It made me really start reading.  I'll never forget sitting on the grass, waiting for my dad to finish some business, and realizing that I just didn't want to put the book down when he was ready to leave.  I can still feel the grass poking into my arm and elbow where I was leaning and not caring, not moving.

Fountainhead (Age 25) -- I'll never forgive my dad for making me read this one so young.  I gave up on being a talented, intelligent person for years.

Phule's Company -- Robert Asprin -- (Age 26) -- It taught me to laugh again, and just enjoy a book.

Atlas Shrugged (Age 29) -- It took me this long to pick up another book of any substance after Fountainhead.  Finally, I had hope again, and I went on strike... I wanted to be John Galt.

The Rowan Series -- Anne McAffrey (Age 30) -- I got my hope back and began to believe in myself again.

The Black Jewel Trilogy -- Anne Bishop (Age 35) -- Hey someone out there understood what it was like to be talented and called crazy for it.

Those were the big ah-ha moments in my life and they were defined by the books I read.  I think we all do that.  I'm turning 40 this year.  I'm writing books.  With the ability to publish my own works rather than work within the structure of "what will sell" I'm going to work up to writing a book that will be on this list even if I have to work in the slate mines while I do it.  Books help us dream; nightmares or daydreams; and for authors it lets us share the dreams.

Thanks for this thread... 
Trish Lamoree


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Meemo said:


> I'm having a hard time coming up with a "life changing" book. But Nancy Drew certainly influenced my life-long reading habits - *I was a Nancy Drew kid*, and while I've read lots of other stuff over the years (trashy romances, true crime stories, and others) I always come back to mystery/detective stories, especially series.


I like that. "Nancy Drew kid." I was a Nancy Drew kid, too, and now I collect them. Do you remember the first one you read? For me, it was *The Mystery of the Moss Covered Mansion*. Then I read *The Hidden Staircase* (2nd book in the series). For some reason, I didn't read *The Secret of the Old Clock* (1st book in the series) for a long time and it is actually one of my least favorite of the bunch.

L


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## Zeronewbury (Feb 20, 2009)

lb505, I'll seek out Twice Born.  My children are adopted siblings, and I am always interested in ways to understand their point of view.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Leslie said:


> I like that. "Nancy Drew kid." I was a Nancy Drew kid, too, and now I collect them. Do you remember the first one you read? For me, it was *The Mystery of the Moss Covered Mansion*. Then I read *The Hidden Staircase* (2nd book in the series). For some reason, I didn't read *The Secret of the Old Clock* (1st book in the series) for a long time and it is actually one of my least favorite of the bunch.
> 
> L


I wish I did remember the first one - I just remember devouring them - this was probably in the early 60's.

Did the same thing with John D MacDonald's Travis McGee series when I discovered it in the 70's (found most of them in the thrift shop on the base where we were stationed) - I found this on a website devoted to the books & it says it perfectly: "About a year ago a friend gave me a truly tacky-looking 1960's paperback and suggested I not judge the book by its cover. Once I got into it, I discovered amazingly excellent writing, with little gems of wisdom, humor, and compassion casually slipped-in among the preposterous and inevitable sex, murder and mayhem. Classy trash! A beach book for intelligent readers! John D. MacDonald's insights on issues like environmental degradation, overpopulation, irresponsible development, and mindless materialism are as urgently relevant today as they were thirty years ago."

Much the same with Robert B Parker's Spenser series in the 80's (I'd seen Parker interviewed on TV & thought "I want to read this guy" just based on that interview) - went to the bookstore to look for them (we were overseas again) and ran into a guy who offered me a bag full of the Spenser books. I inhaled them - not good to get that many all at once. It was like crack, I couldn't stop reading. I think I went into withdrawal when I ran out of those books!

Then I discovered Sue Grafton's series in the 90's (don't even remember how, probably in a library somewhere). And Janet Evanovich more recently after reading a lot recommendations. Yep, I love a good series - and Nancy Drew gets all the credit (or blame).


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## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

I know that most of these have already been mentioned, but for me there would be three:
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
They were all books that I adored as a kid and that helped to turn me into the reader that I am today. I also love the rest of the books in each of the series and still re-read them frequently.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

This is such a great thread, thanks!

I was NOT a Nancy Drew kid, couldn't identify with the (as it seemed to me then) rich kid driving around in her convertible.  I was always drawn to the series about working women, Cherry Ames, Student Nurse; Vicki-whatshername, Flight Attendant; and Trixie Belden whose upbringing more closely resembled mine (except for the Dude Ranch book; I've wanted to go to a Dude Ranch ever since..  Still haven't read any more Nancy Drew, might have to.  My sister-in-law loved 'em, but then they HAD a maid, my grandmother WAS a maid, LOL!

I can't say any book really changed my life, loving to read changed my life, my voracious reading habits that were encouraged by my parents really are the basis for everything I've achieved.  My reading made me successful in school (goodness knows it wasn't the homework I didn't do) and has given me a breadth of knowledge I wouldn't have gotten any other way.

Atlas Shrugged was definitely a milestone book, as was the Jungle by Sinclair Lewis and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Betsy


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## Figment (Oct 27, 2008)

Henry David Thoreau's _Walden_...particularly this quote: "If a man does not keep pace with his 
companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."

I think it gave me the freedom to just be me!


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## vwkitten (Apr 10, 2009)

Figment said:


> Henry David Thoreau's _Walden_...particularly this quote: "If a man does not keep pace with his
> companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."


That's a beautiful quote. Thanks for sharing it.


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## jgbex (Mar 6, 2009)

A Child Called It. This book left an impression on my heart. I just find it unbelievable. I have told my nephews that this is one book that they all should read. Or any teenager for that matter.


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## TheFallGuy (Apr 9, 2009)

In all honesty, I'll have to throw down to my earliest years of reading.

In kindergarten it was Alphabet Island. It was really a lesson plan designed to teach kids the alphabet. I remember the adventures and the story of it all. That was one thing that really enthralled me and was probably one of the earliest books/lessons that changed my life.

The next would have to be _Frog and Toad are Friends_ by Arnold Lobel. It was one of the first books I remember reading on my own.


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## Zeronewbury (Feb 20, 2009)

The early ones shape your life


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

In no particular order:

*Flowers for Algernon* (aka Charlie): Taught me to appreciate intelligence and never take it for granted; period.
*The Glass Menagerie*: I learned that "Odd*=*Unique"
*Mrs. Piggle Wiggle* series: Laughter is the best medicine
*Little Women*: 100 reasons and then some
*Scrabble Dictionary*:  Love the game; love the book; love all things Scrabble  (its invention--absolute genius)
*The Glass Castle*: Made my childhood and my parents seem *GOLDEN*
Many more: but those were the few which came to mind first.

****NEVER* take intelligence for granted: I know a lovely man who was in his last year of residency to become a doctor who, today, can barely put together a thought to form a complete sentence.


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## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

Not a complete list, but for now these books come to mind, all for different reasons, and in no particular order:

The Holy Bible
Same Kind of Different as Me
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle Series
Black Beauty

I'm sure many more are escaping me and I'll post later, but how's this for diversity?  Yikes.


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## Guest (Apr 16, 2009)

Yikes! There are so many books that I've loved ... but which ones actually changed my life? I may add to this list as I think about it, but two spring to mind.

*Steppenwolf* - Hermann Hesse
*The Body of Myth* - J. Nigro Sansonese

As a very young child, I read and reread both:

*The Black Stallion* (Series) - William Farley 
*White Fang* - Jack London

Both books started in me a lifelong love affair with animals that still exists today. (Proud servant to one cat.)


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Oh, I loved the Black Stallion series.  Loaned them to my horse crazy granddaughter.  Still have the first one.

Betsy


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

sjc said:


> ****NEVER* take intelligence for granted: I know a lovely man who was in his last year of residency to become a doctor who, today, can barely put together a thought to form a complete sentence.


So true. TBI can change the course of your life in a hurry.


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## Guest (Apr 16, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Oh, I loved the Black Stallion series. Loaned them to my horse crazy granddaughter. Still have the first one.
> 
> Betsy


You, too!!!!

Those books were so well-written!!! I could just feel myself on that island ... and in the race ... and everywhere else!!!

I don't have my original copies - envy you that you held onto yours!!!


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Wendy:

Many books have changed my life at different points, but I would say the one that had the most impact was, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. I have read that book every year since high school (1966) until 2001, when I replaced it by reading The Dark Tower Series (another powerful work). I'm remiss and should give LOTR's another read through. Since I'm 62 years old, I guess I've read it 35 times. What has always shook me is the prosaic use of language that somehow moves the spirit to lofty and grand images and thoughts. It has also become my inspiration for writing (the many unsubtle structural lessons Tolkien taught, and he wasn't a schooled novelist and broke all the rules - and I guess that's the point). The big themes are all achieved through character development, and yet the characters remain pristine. The tale, as complex as it may appear, is simplistic and yet reaches beyond itself. And the journey . . . well the road goes forever on . . .

Now I could list many books that have also effected me (and maybe I will in later posts), but from a sheer global and continual impact, the Don of Oxford still walks beside me and whispers in my ear: "Last night I met a new character in Ithilien, who I'm not sure how he will impact the story, but somehow he is impervious to the ring. Odd. And his name is Faramir, and I think he'll be important . . ." or so says C. Tolkien in a letter from his father. It's all about perfecting the imaginative process, and Tolkien lays it before me, so I may effectively move my own readers.

Edward C. Patterson
authors of stuff


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## EllenR (Mar 31, 2009)

sjc said:


> *Flowers for Algernon* (aka Charlie): Taught me to appreciate intelligence and never take it for granted; period.


OMG. I completely forgot that book. I did read that in Junior High (I think?) and was moved beyond words. That was most definitely a transformational book. I can't believe I forgot about it. Thanks for reminding me.

EllenR


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## Guest (Apr 16, 2009)

edwpat said:


> Wendy:
> 
> Many books have changed my life at different points, but I would say the one that had the most impact was, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. I have read that book every year since high school (1966) until 2001, when I replaced it by reading The Dark Tower Series (another powerful work). I'm remiss and should give LOTR's another read through. Since I'm 62 years old, I guess I've read it 35 times. What has always shook me is the prosaic use of language that somehow moves the spirit to lofty and grand images and thoughts. It has also become my inspiration for writing (the many unsubtle structural lessons Tolkien taught, and he wasn't a schooled novelist and broke all the rules - and I guess that's the point). The big themes are all achieved through character development, and yet the characters remain pristine. The tale, as complex as it may appear, is simplistic and yet reaches beyond itself. And the journey . . . well the road goes forever on . . .
> 
> ...


Ed -

Definitely have to agree about different books changing you at different times in your life. Sometimes it's the right book ... at just the right time! That's why I listed books from all different points in my life: from childhood, young adult. right to being at a full-fledged adult. And I would hope adults never stop growing. If you think about the drastic changes we go through from 1 to 20 ... or even 10 to 20, why should 30 to 40 be any different? Or 50 to 60? It's still 10 glorious years that we have to find enlightenment and stretch and explore uncharted territories!

LOTR was a favorite book of mine, no doubt!!! I can definitely see someone being changed by it.

Wonderful choice!

I'm still trying to think of books per se. I can think of subjects I've explored that have changed me, but it was cumulative and not directly from one source.


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

EllenR


> OMG. I completely forgot that book. I did read that in Junior High (I think?) and was moved beyond words. That was most definitely a transformational book. I can't believe I forgot about it. Thanks for reminding me.


You are entirely welcome. That book impacted me in so many ways. It made such an impression on me in the 6th grade. I remember reading it and bawling hysterically afterwards. I don't think I ever took anyone's intelligence, or lack thereof, for granted ever again. Years later, an acquaintance, while riding his bicycle (a health nut) to work, was struck by a van from behind and the driver took off. He suffered a brain injury (had helmet on thank God) and had to give up his life's ambition to be a doctor. Between the book and that incident; I was a changed person.

There are many books which impact a person's life...reading is a journey. I can't picture my life without that precious gift. I always thank my lucky stars that I love to read and have the ability to do so.


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