Comments on: EIGHT BOOKS THAT CHANGED THINGS FOR ME

By: Georgia

Georgia — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 22:34:58 +0000

Deep in the archives, I know, but I’ve been meaning to write a post on my blog about two books that completely changed my perspective on two cultures that, while different in every way, are totally similar in that, not having been a part of it, we have a hard time relating. Those books are Maus by Art Spiegelman, a graphic novel telling the father of the author’s story of the Holocaust, and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, which is the story of the lives of two dynamic woman in Afghanistan. Both brilliant, heartbreaking books.

By: Jey

Jey — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 21:42:35 +0000

My picks are mostly non-fiction also. I grew up in a house full of fiction, but am now far more fascinated by information on the world itself. I still do love young-adult novels, though. Often they are so much more complex and painful than anything written for adults.

- The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury – the loneliest book in the world
- Sex and the Origins of Death, William R Clark – the first book to get me interested in science writing
- Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian – I read this first when I was about 11, and still read once in awhile over 20 years later, and still cry and cry
- Last Chance to See, Douglas Adams & Mark Cawardine – their search for species on the edge of extinction (and the best book ever written by Douglas Adams)
- (Since Eve Ate Apples) Much Depends on Dinner, Margaret Visser – one of the best examples of social-historical writing (and on of the earlier books about the hidden lives of the foods we eat)
- A Summer to Die, Lois Lowry – her first book; so moving and sweet and tragic all at once
- Climbing Mount Improbable, Richard Dawkins – I don’t have much interest in his books about/against religion, but his books about biology are clearly written and easy to understand without being a biologist, but never patronize the reader
- One-way Street/Berlin Chronicle/Berlin Childhood Around 1900/Central Park, Walter Benjamin – some of the best essays by one of the most creative minds of the 20th century; his writing is lovingly crafted, delicate, incisive, insightful and illuminates his own thought process for others to witness.

(Nerd-o-rama list, stopping now!)

By: Dawn Bandor

Dawn Bandor — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 02:11:57 +0000

The Madwoman in the Attic by Gilbert and Gubar–I was 19 and had never read literary criticism of any sort(much less feminist lit crit), aside from the forwards to Penguin classics. For me Jane Eyre was like fire and these essays were like the rush of oxygen from an open door that sends the blaze roaring down the hallway shaft.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:02:39 +0000

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov

The Owlstone Crown by X.J. Kennedy

By: Kathy

Kathy — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:25:32 +0000

I love, love, love Jane Kenyon. She manages to find power in pain.

My list? Off the top of my head, but I’m sure it will change tomorrow:

1. Closer by Dennis Cooper. Never has a novel actually made me feel ill before, and I love him for that.

2. Backlash by Susan Faludi. My entry into feminism as a college freshman.

3. Reasons to Live by Amy Hempel. If I could write, I’d write like this.

4. The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing. This took forever for me to read, but I’m glad I did. (Needs a re-read)

5. Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion. Particularly her essay “On Keeping a Notebook.”

6. Becoming a Writer – Dorthea Brande. Still relevant, even after all these years.

By: Naomi

Naomi — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 03:50:27 +0000

The Artists Way by Julia Cameron.

By: James

James — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 02:05:35 +0000

-Night, by Elie Wiesel. The most transforming experience I have ever had while reading. The sadness and beauty of it still haunt me, years later.
-Running in the Family, by Michael Ondaatje. His writing draws you into the autobiographical struggle of a son to understand his father and come to terms with himself. For anybody who’s ever tried to understand their parents.
-The Russian Album, by Michael Ignatieff. Similar to Running in the Family, this book is a loving ode to Ignatieff’s history even as he tries to reconcile his maternal and paternal heritages.
-Fifth Business, by Robertson Davies. The language is just so ornate and poetic, the characters enthralling.
-The Rights Revolution, by Michael Ignatieff. A must read for anybody who wants to come close to understanding the complex realm of rights talk in Canada.
-Love is a Mix Tape, by Rob Sheffield. Absolutely heartbreaking. Every time I read it, I weep like a baby. The first book I recommend to anybody.

By: Keri

Keri — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:56:49 +0000

Tuesdays with Morrie. It is a fairly short book but it packs quite a punch – and it is definitely worth reading. It taught me so much about what it means to live a life that is actually worthy of living! I fell in love with Morrie and his sweet spirit… and I wish that I could be more like him.

By: Kate

Kate — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 19:20:56 +0000

1) The Handmaid’s Tale: Margaret Atwood.

Someone said it above, but it’s so true for me too. I read The Handmaid’s Tale when I was about 12 and that was me, signed on to feminism, for good.

2) Discipline and Punish: Michele Foucault.

I worked in corrections education for a while. This book made articulated why all the things that felt broken or sick about the place I worked actually are sick and broken.

I am a Happy Endings kind of reader, but these two Volumes of Dystopia are so important to me.

By: Bookratt

Bookratt — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:19:42 +0000

To Kill a Mockingbird– It was the perfect book for someone, age 11, trying to understand right versus wrong, racism and love. When I grew older and re-read it, I thought the book had some choppy parts in it, some preachy parts, too–but it is one I still think of as a favorite. The movie’s pretty damn amazing, too.

Bully for Brontosaurus–I never knew other people, let alone adults, worried as much as I did about WHY things were and needed to understand the world around them, simply to be able to live in it. RIP, Stephen Jay Gould.

The Death of Grass–Kick-started my lifelong love of GOOD sci-fi/apocolyptic fiction and led me to The Veldt, by Ray Bradbury, one of my favorite short stories.

A poetry anthology with ‘Ariel’ by Sylvia Plath and ‘Born Yesterday’ by Philip Larkin in it; it blew my mind wide open and I still have not recovered. I wish I could find that title again!

The Family of Man–I got myself a copy a few years ago, but my mom had it when it first came out. I pored over every page when I was a kid, and as an adult, became friends (unknowingly) with someone who happens to be in it. I look through it sometimes still, and every time, I am in awe of the idea and scope of what they did with it. Sparked my own interest in photography and capturing in a split second, what is essential in a person.