General Discussion

Prophet 451

(9,796 posts)

88. Difficult to pick just one

Mon Jun 16, 2014, 08:13 PM

Jun 2014

Last edited Mon Jun 16, 2014, 10:52 PM - Edit history (1)

So I'm not even going to try. Some books which have had a big effect on me:

"The Tao Of Pooh" & "The Te Of Piglet" by Hoffman & Shepphard (explain Taoism through teh Winnie the Pooh books, beloved children's character here).

"The Devil's Apocrypha" by John deVito (my beliefs were mostly formed when I read this but it's the single best primer on Luciferian thought I've found)

Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, especially "Pyramids" and teh Death books

"Wrestling Reality" by Chris Kanyon & ghostwriter (chronicles Kanyon's struggle toward self-acceptance as a wrestler and a gay man; he died before it's publication)

"Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury (second part of my username is from that)

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What Book had the biggest influence on you? [View all] Quixote1818 Jun 2014 OP

The Rape of the A.P.E. by Allan Sherman CBGLuthier Jun 2014 #1

A classic hobbit709 Jun 2014 #206

I read that book when I was about 16 mockmonkey Jun 2014 #285

Zinn's People's History. mattclearing Jun 2014 #2

+1....me too. n/t jaysunb Jun 2014 #16

+1 Skeeter Barnes Jun 2014 #36

Black Beauty elleng Jun 2014 #3

That is my favorite book! femmocrat Jun 2014 #4

I preferred a different horse story... Scootaloo Jun 2014 #93

That one's nice too, elleng Jun 2014 #94

"Earth in the Balance" and "The Assault on Reason" Uncle Joe Jun 2014 #5

I loved 'My Side of the Mountain' so much. Bluenorthwest Jun 2014 #17

"Great Expectations" "The Grapes of Wrath" and Uncle Joe Jun 2014 #29

Grapes of Wrath. Read it in my early teens during the depression days. Struck home, although lumpy Jun 2014 #54

Three books: Maedhros Jun 2014 #6

"My First Reader". greatauntoftriplets Jun 2014 #7

Loved the catalogues my school would send home with us! Quixote1818 Jun 2014 #20

a toss up between Ed Abbey's Monkeywrench Gang and Desert Solitaire NightWatcher Jun 2014 #8

I was a monkey-wrencher before he wrote the book... Bigmack Jun 2014 #18

have you read Dave Foreman's Ecodefense? NightWatcher Jun 2014 #40

WC Hazlitt's Dictionary of Faith and Folklore My Good Babushka Jun 2014 #9

Your Money Or Your Life, by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. closeupready Jun 2014 #10

That is a good book indeed. Arugula Latte Jun 2014 #13

Ulysses - I realised that either I am not crazy or I am not the only crazy one. djean111 Jun 2014 #11

Chomsky's Propaganda and the Public Mind. n/t Whisp Jun 2014 #12

How To Solve It by Polya berni_mccoy Jun 2014 #14

I feel I missed out. I read that book literally 50 years ago and wasnt influenced. rhett o rick Jun 2014 #283

I could answer a thousand ways. But I go with 'Slaughterhouse Five or The Children's Crusade' Bluenorthwest Jun 2014 #15

I've read so many books, I can't point to just one Aerows Jun 2014 #19

The Giving Tree. Raine1967 Jun 2014 #21

The Happy Hocky Family. NuclearDem Jun 2014 #22

I used to read that to my kids (now 9 and 12.) ileus Jun 2014 #168

Whatever book I happen to be reading at the moment. justiceischeap Jun 2014 #23

Indeed, there have been so many books for so long. uppityperson Jun 2014 #256

"Silent Spring" & "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" n/t countryjake Jun 2014 #24

Mine too. I would just add Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin. LoisB Jun 2014 #163

Slaughterhouse Five perhaps tkmorris Jun 2014 #25

And Player Piano for me MannyGoldstein Jun 2014 #230

Player Piano gets badly neglected when it comes to dystopian scenarios. JVS Jun 2014 #279

Being a Rebel I am going with the Torah. dilby Jun 2014 #26

The Viet-Nam folly by Sen. Ernest Gruening louis c Jun 2014 #27

Excellent history of the early US involvement in Vietnam FuzzyRabbit Jun 2014 #37

"A Confederacy of Dunces"... that, or "Lord of the Rings" opiate69 Jun 2014 #28

"To Kill a Mockingbird". Puglover Jun 2014 #30

That and "The Social History of Art" by Arnold Hauser... CTyankee Jun 2014 #41

Me too. Lint Head Jun 2014 #57

Mine, too wryter2000 Jun 2014 #186

Catch 22 RGinNJ Jun 2014 #31

Excellent lark Jun 2014 #175

Yes an awesome read LiberalLovinLug Jun 2014 #226

If we are talking about greatest influence, "Catch 22" is high on my list. "Catcher in the Rye." rhett o rick Jun 2014 #280

Probably James Scott, Weapons of the Weak BainsBane Jun 2014 #32

As i explained in another post... Scootaloo Jun 2014 #33

My favorites as a child BainsBane Jun 2014 #146

Howards End- EM Forster. "....Only Connect" cali Jun 2014 #34

"The Jungle" MinneapolisMatt Jun 2014 #35

In my top ten for most influential. nm rhett o rick Jun 2014 #281

August 1956 issue of MAD magazne FuzzyRabbit Jun 2014 #38

welcome to DU and I will second that rurallib Jun 2014 #277

Actually, the Bible. nt kelliekat44 Jun 2014 #39

Silent Spring, Unequal Justice, PDJane Jun 2014 #42

This message was self-deleted by its author Warren DeMontague Jun 2014 #43

Riverside Shakespeare GusBob Jun 2014 #44

Thomas Paine's "Age of Reason" Skidmore Jun 2014 #45

The People's Almanac KamaAina Jun 2014 #46

The Tao Te Ching Warren DeMontague Jun 2014 #47

I would say The Tao Te Ching has had a profound impact on me as well. liberal_at_heart Jun 2014 #234

Catcher in the Rye edbermac Jun 2014 #48

I don't know what influence, exactly, Catcher in the Rye had on me, but I felt that Dark n Stormy Knight Jun 2014 #202

Whatever book confers cred upon me and makes me look hip and edgy, yet soulful. Dreamer Tatum Jun 2014 #49

You're a real jerk. japple Jun 2014 #71

You'd read 50 Shades of Grey to a roomful of orphans? You're sick, man. Real sick. Gravitycollapse Jun 2014 #83

Haha btrflykng9 Jun 2014 #97

My book is, and could be for you too is "Looking out for #1" by Robert J. Ringer nolabels Jun 2014 #102

Nothing would, for you. You're beyond that kind of help. Starry Messenger Jun 2014 #216

Cheerful fellow. hrmjustin Jun 2014 #218

You want a book that makes you look creddy and hedgeful? Warren DeMontague Jun 2014 #242

Whatever book conifers crud upon me and makes my hips look pudgy, yet slothful. betsuni Jun 2014 #244

Perhaps a book about overweight pinecones! Warren DeMontague Jun 2014 #245

We'll sign you up for "The Basketball Diaries" JVS Jun 2014 #273

Well well. Kingofalldems Jun 2014 #292

The books of Lois Lenski. My mother strongly encouraged reading. She would japple Jun 2014 #50

oh, Lois Lenski! grasswire Jun 2014 #60

Not yet, grasswire, but I still have my library card!!! Will check them out this week! japple Jun 2014 #69

the Moffat stories take place in the Depression. grasswire Jun 2014 #112

I loved Lois Lenski books when I was sufrommich Jun 2014 #118

What a find! You really were in the right place at the right time. japple Jun 2014 #152

"Warday" (1984) Newsjock Jun 2014 #51

"Warday" is a good book. James Kunetka and Whitley Strieber also wrote a book Louisiana1976 Jun 2014 #187

Yup, I have that one, too Newsjock Jun 2014 #193

Death of a Salesman elephant hunter Jun 2014 #52

Sartre's "Nausea" betsuni Jun 2014 #53

Autobiography of a Yogi. nt WhiteTara Jun 2014 #55

' The Painted Bird ' Jerzey Kosinski ' . orpupilofnature57 Jun 2014 #56

It's been years since I thought about that book mokawanis Jun 2014 #182

The Iliad. Iggo Jun 2014 #58

Moby Dick. pnwmom Jun 2014 #59

Moby Dick is an awesome book. JVS Jun 2014 #274

Paul Foster Case- all of his writing. KittyWampus Jun 2014 #61

"Be Here Now" by Ram Dass. scarletwoman Jun 2014 #62

Yes, yesphan Jun 2014 #272

Fire in the Lake: The Vietnamese and the Americans in Vietnam OutNow Jun 2014 #63

Dr. Seuss did it for me. GeorgeGist Jun 2014 #64

G.G. Simpson's The Meaning of Evolution HereSince1628 Jun 2014 #65

Proving I am not an intellectual .... etherealtruth Jun 2014 #66

The Fall by Camus. kairos12 Jun 2014 #133

Get Shorty TeamPooka Jun 2014 #67

Siddhartha kentuck Jun 2014 #68

I won't say that's my favorite, or had the 'biggest' influence on me Erich Bloodaxe BSN Jun 2014 #92

The reason it influenced me so much... kentuck Jun 2014 #293

Great pick. nt Mojorabbit Jun 2014 #170

That and ' Steppenwolf ' as a young man were mindblowing . orpupilofnature57 Jun 2014 #188

Yes, Steppenwolf was life changing for me LiberalLovinLug Jun 2014 #222

Yep G_j Jun 2014 #221

The Chalice and the Blade by Riane Eisler, read as an adult. Hekate Jun 2014 #70

That is one of mine too. Squinch Jun 2014 #101

One of my favorites, too. scarletwoman Jun 2014 #104

I have quite a few shelves in my library keeping Chalice company. It was a wonderful time for me. Hekate Jun 2014 #115

I can very much relate. Yes, it makes sense to me. scarletwoman Jun 2014 #121

spiritual midwifery - ina may gaskin hopemountain Jun 2014 #195

Ah, yes! That book was my guide when I had my 2nd child at home with midwives, after my 1st child scarletwoman Jun 2014 #196

wonderful! hopemountain Jun 2014 #197

If I had only known enough when I had my 1st child, I think I might have been able to avoid scarletwoman Jun 2014 #198

The Encyclopedia of Women's Myths and Secrets is a "must-have" IMHO Coventina Jun 2014 #297

Loved that one. Along with the following: Coventina Jun 2014 #296

Three off the bat... malokvale77 Jun 2014 #72

The 3 volume biography of Lord Byron by Leslie Marchand. randome Jun 2014 #73

Fifty Shades of Grey ohheckyeah Jun 2014 #74

For a Twlight fanfic.... moriah Jun 2014 #84

There is a really interesting book by William Pitt and Scott Ritter madinmaryland Jun 2014 #75

What's the title? btrflykng9 Jun 2014 #99

Here you go: Art_from_Ark Jun 2014 #144

Thanks so much ! btrflykng9 Jun 2014 #169

Thom Hartmann. yourout Jun 2014 #76

"What Would Jefferson Do." rhett o rick Jun 2014 #282

Horton Hears a Who The Blue Flower Jun 2014 #77

Gravity's Rainbow for fiction. The History of Sexuality for non-fiction. Gravitycollapse Jun 2014 #78

If It is Only One Book it Would Have to be the Bible, On the Road Jun 2014 #79

Dick, Jane & Sally. Puff & Spot too. catbyte Jun 2014 #80

1984. A work of genius. immoderate Jun 2014 #81

All Quiet on tthe Western Front CanonRay Jun 2014 #82

I really liked that one too A Little Weird Jun 2014 #123

Good one. Another, Johnny Got His Gun. Hoyt Jun 2014 #192

Autobiographies have always fascinated me davidpdx Jun 2014 #85

Cats Cradle abelenkpe Jun 2014 #86

Thoreau's "Walden" MineralMan Jun 2014 #87

I have a small edition of "Walden," truly a pocket book (3" x 4.5"). . . Journeyman Jun 2014 #127

Difficult to pick just one Prophet 451 Jun 2014 #88

Probably "The Grapes of Wrath" by Steinbeck... Wounded Bear Jun 2014 #89

Diet for a Small Planet roody Jun 2014 #90

+1 Make7 Jun 2014 #260

Cosmos n/t Shankapotomus Jun 2014 #91

Ditto.... JohnnyRingo Jun 2014 #235

The World According To Garp... The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test... Childhood's End...Cosmos... WillyT Jun 2014 #95

Wow, Electric Kool Aid Acid Test lark Jun 2014 #176

"A Tale of Two Cities"..Charles Dickens and "No No Boy"... John Okada... Tikki Jun 2014 #96

" A tale of two cities" Texasgal Jun 2014 #120

the bible Puzzledtraveller Jun 2014 #98

The bible Stryst Jun 2014 #209

Acts, In particular the stoning of Stephen and Saul's conversion. Puzzledtraveller Jun 2014 #217

Gotta go with the cop out answer Erich Bloodaxe BSN Jun 2014 #100

It's hard to pick just one. Blue_In_AK Jun 2014 #103

The Communist Manifesto - TBF Jun 2014 #105

Autobiography of Malcolm X H2O Man Jun 2014 #106

This is the one I always think of first. bigmonkey Jun 2014 #190

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. RandySF Jun 2014 #107

All Quiet on the Western Front, Benton D Struckcheon Jun 2014 #108

Catch-22 and War and Peace. Tierra_y_Libertad Jun 2014 #109

The Jungle - Upton Sinclair Gemini Cat Jun 2014 #110

Stephen King's IT. Drunken Irishman Jun 2014 #111

Grapes of Wrath. I read the book in high school. Autumn Jun 2014 #113

Revolutionary Non-Violence, by Dave Dellenger was one of them. Zorra Jun 2014 #114

'The Art of Loving' by Erich Fromm, given to me by my dad at age 12. freshwest Jun 2014 #116

Influence-wise, it would have to be "Sophie's Choice". blue neen Jun 2014 #117

I would have to say every Laura Ingalls Wilder sufrommich Jun 2014 #119

I was obsessed with those books! betsuni Jun 2014 #122

Roget's thesaurus. nt valerief Jun 2014 #124

1984 / Atlas Shrugged / Starship Troopers / The Jungle / Winning Through Intimidation ... Demo_Chris Jun 2014 #125

Maybe I shouldn't make this comment... BillZBubb Jun 2014 #129

Fair enough. You have to consider it in context... Demo_Chris Jun 2014 #143

I'll back you up Chris, but it was Fountainhead for me LiberalLovinLug Jun 2014 #229

I disagree. Although not influential it is an important book to read. rhett o rick Jun 2014 #284

I can't believe anyone here would admit ... oldhippie Jun 2014 #130

Most Democrats aren't afraid of ideas, and if it did... Demo_Chris Jun 2014 #140

I read Atlas Shrugged JVS Jun 2014 #275

"The Peg-Legged Pirate of Sulu" . . . Journeyman Jun 2014 #126

Lord Foul's Bane. KG Jun 2014 #128

I love Donaldson Stryst Jun 2014 #207

Alcoholics Anonymous Lil Missy Jun 2014 #131

The Sunlight Dialogs by John Gardner... Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold farmbo Jun 2014 #132

Carlos Castaneda...several books. elias49 Jun 2014 #134

"Generations" by William Strauss and Neil Howe. SheilaT Jun 2014 #135

3 books gwheezie Jun 2014 #136

Various Chilton's manuals Throd Jun 2014 #137

Yeah, I would never have rebuilt that 70 Maverick without it. WCLinolVir Jun 2014 #227

the Dictionary kentauros Jun 2014 #138

Be Here Now by Ram Dass KaryninMiami Jun 2014 #139

Jane Roberts' Seth Books PADemD Jun 2014 #141

Proudhon's "What is Property?" joshcryer Jun 2014 #142

Songs of the Doomed, by Hunter S. Thompson jmowreader Jun 2014 #145

The Giving Tree and To Kill a Mockingbird Bettie Jun 2014 #147

Truth be known, "A Child's History of the World" in 2nd grade. Began my life-long Anglophilia AND WinkyDink Jun 2014 #148

If I had to pick only one, it would be "Slaughterhouse-5" deutsey Jun 2014 #149

Wayyyyyyy back in time dixiegrrrrl Jun 2014 #150

"The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark" - Sagan scheming daemons Jun 2014 #151

The dialogues of Plato. nt ladjf Jun 2014 #153

The Ugly American RoverSuswade Jun 2014 #154

Battlefield Earth... JCMach1 Jun 2014 #155

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. Skinner Jun 2014 #156

So many to choose from, really! pipi_k Jun 2014 #157

Off The Top RobinA Jun 2014 #158

I remember "The Lottery" DFW Jun 2014 #184

Jitterbug Perfume and Shibumi DFW Jun 2014 #185

jitterbug perfume is on my list, as well hopemountain Jun 2014 #201

That book had SO many great passages DFW Jun 2014 #231

"Godel, Escher, Bach" by Hofstadter was an important one 0rganism Jun 2014 #159

What do you tell people if/when they ask what GEB is about? Taitertots Jun 2014 #213

The true test of the immediate greatness of text is when its contents evade summation. Gravitycollapse Jun 2014 #214

Rise and Fall of the Great Powers by Paul Kennedy. LanternWaste Jun 2014 #160

A couple of obsurities... Atman Jun 2014 #161

I remember 21 Balloons. As for Herlihy, RufusTFirefly Jun 2014 #252

Thank you for that great recommendation!! I will get it! And thanks for the Jefferson quote. DesertDiamond Jun 2014 #162

You're welcome. nt Quixote1818 Jun 2014 #180

Grapes of Wrath, F&L in Las Vegas and Slaughterhouse Five. raouldukelives Jun 2014 #164

Back when I was just out of school, I read "Fahrenheit 451" It turned me into a reader. alfredo Jun 2014 #165

As I read through all of these great books, panader0 Jun 2014 #250

A friend gave us Bukowski as a wedding gift. Being newlyweds, we wrote our own Bukowski. alfredo Jun 2014 #257

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance stranger81 Jun 2014 #166

High on my list. nm rhett o rick Jun 2014 #286

Like others here... freebrew Jun 2014 #167

The Boat Rocker by Terrence Mann RedSpartan Jun 2014 #171

Most political influence: The Jungle LeftInTX Jun 2014 #172

'The Lords of Discipline,' Pat Conroy shenmue Jun 2014 #173

That would probably have been my number three DFW Jun 2014 #183

Be Here Now lark Jun 2014 #174

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. nt arthritisR_US Jun 2014 #177

Where the Red Fern Grows. N/T deathrind Jun 2014 #178

Tarzan of the Apes exboyfil Jun 2014 #179

This classic nadinbrzezinski Jun 2014 #181

'The Sound and the Fury' (Faulkner), 'The Metamorphosis' (Kafka). nomorenomore08 Jun 2014 #189

"The Sound and the Fury" is one of my favorites, too. LuvNewcastle Jun 2014 #239

He could do epic tragedy ('SatF,' 'Absalom Absalom!') or dark comedy ('As I Lay Dying') equally well nomorenomore08 Jun 2014 #243

Black Like Me. (2) - Atlas Shrugged in that it illustrated how dreary right wingers' Hoyt Jun 2014 #191

Read Griffen when I was 12. malthaussen Jun 2014 #204

I was 12 when BLMe was first published. Didn't read it until probably around 68. Hoyt Jun 2014 #228

The Glorious Burden secondvariety Jun 2014 #194

The Secret Life of Dust Agony Jun 2014 #199

Godel Escher Bach Taitertots Jun 2014 #200

I began reading I am a Strange Loop about a year ago and stopped. Gravitycollapse Jun 2014 #215

I recently bought I am a strange loop and I've stalled out on it too Taitertots Jun 2014 #223

Probably Steiner's Treblinka, since I take my sig from there. malthaussen Jun 2014 #203

The Bible, yes, and a few more Nonhlanhla Jun 2014 #205

Tough choice between Stryst Jun 2014 #208

Be Here Now by Ram Dass bananas Jun 2014 #210

What a difficult question. 3catwoman3 Jun 2014 #211

Anything by George Orwell antiGOPin294 Jun 2014 #212

Olaf Stapledon-Last And First Men hobbit709 Jun 2014 #219

There's a growing list of books that have influenced me... elzenmahn Jun 2014 #220

What a tough question. So many good reads. WCLinolVir Jun 2014 #224

I love "Notes From Underground." betsuni Jun 2014 #237

What a great idea. WCLinolVir Jul 2014 #298

Three standouts LiberalLovinLug Jun 2014 #225

My pet goat The Straight Story Jun 2014 #232

The Pali Canon liberal_at_heart Jun 2014 #233

Spiderman by Stan Lee Midnight Writer Jun 2014 #236

Book, or wilderness area? grahamhgreen Jun 2014 #238

The Complete Plays of William Shakespeare. snot Jun 2014 #240

When I think about it, a few very different ones come to mind. LuvNewcastle Jun 2014 #241

Les Miserables... Godot51 Jun 2014 #246

Since it is Not mentioned I have to say that one of the books that so influenced me was fasttense Jun 2014 #247

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish eShirl Jun 2014 #248

The Sneetches and Other Stories, by Dr. Seuss. Really RufusTFirefly Jun 2014 #249

One of the first I remember.... panader0 Jun 2014 #251

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues - Tom Robbins angel823 Jun 2014 #253

A Tale of Two Cities..... bowens43 Jun 2014 #254

Cannibals and Kings: Origins of Cultures -- by Marvin Harris Petrushka Jun 2014 #255

Marvin Harris' books should be required reading in high school betsuni Jun 2014 #267

The Findhorn Garden ~ toby jo Jun 2014 #258

Hustler - I know a magazine but close enough! Exposethefrauds Jun 2014 #259

Green Eggs and Ham Dr. Seuss bobGandolf Jun 2014 #261

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainance" and "Another Roadsie Attraction" Armstead Jun 2014 #262

Salem's Lot by Stephen King SomethingFishy Jun 2014 #263

"Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee" ismnotwasm Jun 2014 #264

50 Simple Things You Can Do To Save The Earth WatermelonRat Jun 2014 #265

biggest influence... kardonb Jun 2014 #266

Don Quixote... (kidding)... "Man's Search for Meaning", maybe? devils chaplain Jun 2014 #268

Tom Corbett and the Space Cadets. Rozlee Jun 2014 #269

Illusions by Richrd Bach icarusxat Jun 2014 #270

Baby Steps Shankapotomus Jun 2014 #271

I'm sailing, I'm really sailing.... giftedgirl77 Jun 2014 #278

LOL. I approve. nm rhett o rick Jun 2014 #287

The Chemical Rubber Tables rogerashton Jun 2014 #276

"The Shock Doctrine" is high on my list. nm rhett o rick Jun 2014 #288

Many! KatyMan Jun 2014 #289

Cavett by Dick Cavett mockmonkey Jun 2014 #290

Swiss Family Robinson dem in texas Jun 2014 #291

The Cosmos...Carl Sagan. nt clarice Jun 2014 #294

As a child: The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis Coventina Jun 2014 #295