Has a book ever changed your life?

Green Witch--

Interesting question. I'm thinking--although the literary influences that come to my mind bend perception of reality, rather than reality.

Welcome to A2k.

I decided to major in bacteriology/microbiology in college after finishing Arrowsmith, by Sinclair Lewis...

Non-fiction but Dr. Wayne Dyer's "Your Erroneous Zones" and "Pulling Your Own String" made a huge impression on me in my early 20's.

the witch in every woman, Laurie Cabbot.

self explanitory reasons.
Welcome to a2k!
Blessed be.

I was talking about the following mental quirk earlier this week, so the example is on top of my head.

My sense of direction is woefully deficient. I'm prone to Thinking Beautiful Thoughts and missing turns on well known routes and navigating previously untraveled roads--the map might as well announce "Here be Tygers".

Two bits of literature are tangled in my mind where my bump of direction should be. The first is the opening chapter of L. Frank Baum's Road to Oz in which Dorothy comes to a Kansas crossroads and encounters a proliferation of turning, branching paths. One of these roads leads her to another adventure in Oz.

The second literary influence is Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi where he describes both the mutability of the river; the completely different views depending on the direction the paddlewheeler is travelling and the snags and shoals and other hidden dangers the pilot must avoid.

These snippets haven't "changed" my life, but they have organized and colored a corner of my mind.

I read "To Kill a Mockingbird" in seventh grade and it made me decide to be a gentleman, like Atticus Finch, and try to be kind to people no matter what. I've stuck to that, and it made me into the person I am. I would never go any other way. Of course, it seems that these days ours is a dying breed...

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, wow. More of a perception change than a reality change as said before.

Can you expand, Etruscia?


Atticus Finch is well worth striving to be like...

Caption on the back of the book "Teacher Seeks Student. Must have an earnest desire to save the world".

And thats what it is exactly about. Pretty much a guide to saving the world. Read it. It may be essential for all of us. (Despite what you may gather from the title, not a religiously affiliated book).

Funny, I just mentioned this book to another A2Ker a few weeks ago but many years back, 1977 to be exact, after my first major breakup, I found a little book called "How to Survive the Loss of a Love." That little book kept me sane and on steady ground until I was able to manage on my own and every boyfriend and breakup afterwards was less traumatic, I think, because of this book. Not that it turned the heart cold but it gave me insight into how much a breakup can hurt and that whatever you're feeling, it's okay, you'll move passed it. At 3am, after your heart has been ripped out and you're so down, your not sure you'll survive the night or even want to, you want this book on your nightstand.
I don't know how much of a mess I'd be today without having found that book so many years ago.

That is very interesting, Eoe.

Do you think it might be helpful for the sort of person who gets violent/and or stalks and so on in such circumstances - or do you need already to be pretty emotionally sophisticated to benefit???

Perhaps. The violence and the stalking are results of the pain but when it reaches that point, maybe it's time to call in the professionals?

Lol - I AM the professionals!!!!!

Always looking for illuminating books for people.

I love Dr. Dyers! Haven't read his books, but have heard him lecture several times on PBS.

In 7th grade I read Mary McCracken's "Lovey." It is about her work as a teacher with autistic children, and one of them she named "Lovey." I decided then that that was what I wanted to do. Follwed it through to college, but then several things happened that changed my course.

Even more life changeing for me has to be the writings of Dr. M. Scott Peck. I started with "The Road Less Traveled" and went "Further Along the Road Less Traveled" and on and on until I had consumed everything I could find that he had penned. "The People of the Lie" was very eye opening. Not sure if the books triggered it or if it was already there, waiting to happen, but Dr. Peck is now associated with a major upheaval and change for the better in my life. I was forced (very painfully) to accept some truths I had been denying.

Have hope and faith in humanity, revengeofthecow. I wrote an essay a few years ago positing there are far more Atticus Finches and Boo Radleys out there than there are Bob Ewells. And I still believe in that firmly despite the cynicism that comes with age.

My response to this thread is similar to yours. I read the novel when I was a young girl and have continued to re-read it every so often. It inspired me to study law and more importantly, to strive to be a kind compassionate human being.

Welcome, Voodoo!

A General Theory of Love by Lewis, Amini, and Lannon. I read it shorty after my daughter was born. I'm not sure that it changed my life in visible ways but it definitely reaffirmed some instincts I had and opened my eyes to the ways humans work.

It's about to change my life, and not in a positive way. I have to finish lots of thinks, project, tight deadlines and so on and, guess what: I started reading the Nine Princes of Amber (R.Zelasny). Well, I am going for the whole Chronicles. The action is great, the book is great (maybe not as detailed and deep as Tolkien, but with a great action line).

How is this book going to change my life? I will have big problems at work!!! Huge problems!

Btw, I have finished the NPoA, now I started Guns of Avalon. And I still have 8 books to go. )) I hope I can do it this week!

And my advice: don't ever let a book mess your life like it's now happening to me.

Hah, I love it, another person trapped in the snare of books!