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Old 05-19-2017, 08:09 PM
 
Location: Northern Maine
5,466 posts, read 3,038,703 times
Reputation: 8011

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Everything that Physicist Roger Penrose has written to date.
Everything CS Lewis wrote.
The Atheist delusion, Ray Comfort shows how sloppy Dawkins is.
7 Pillars of Wisdom by T.E Lawrence. (lawrence of Arabia).
Anything written by Emmit Fox, spiritual author.
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Old 05-20-2017, 08:42 PM
 
Location: Cochise County, AZ
1,399 posts, read 1,243,303 times
Reputation: 3052
So many of mine were already mentioned:

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand which I read while I was still in a public high school much to my mother's dismay. In fact, she called the librarian to complain that they should not have a novel written by an atheist!

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck which I also read in high school and then reread in my late 20's. Both my parents were depression era babies from large families and, while their family situation was not as dire as that portrayed for the Joads, this novel did provide understanding of difficult life was during the depression.

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

No one has mentioned:

The Devil's Advocate by Taylor Caldwell which I read during the early 1970's. This novel provided me with a true appreciation of my American personal rights and liberties. Some have called this an alternative history genre, but in my opinion this purpose of this novel was to awaken people, to make them aware that they should not take our rights for granted. Goodreads link

Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress. This novel made me really stop, think and firm up my feelings about genetics. Written within a decade of the first sheep cloning, this novel proved to be a real eye opener for me. Goodreads link

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov As we move forward with artificial intelligence and robotics, I sincerely hope that Isaac's robotic rules are implemented. Goodreads link

Ok so it's 6 books I've listed....ahem but 3 were already mentioned
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Old 05-21-2017, 11:16 AM
 
965 posts, read 931,440 times
Reputation: 1928
Alexander Dolgun's story - Alexander Dolgun

The Gulag archipelago - Aleksander Solzhenitsyn

Animal Farm - George Orwell

Paula - Isabel Allende

Love in the time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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Old 06-05-2017, 04:37 PM
 
417 posts, read 189,421 times
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Any book by Leo Buscaglia. Also known as "Dr Love". My favorite is Living, Loving and Learning. Sappy and naive maybe but it makes me feel hygge.
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Old 06-23-2017, 01:00 PM
 
Location: Middle America
10,955 posts, read 7,015,714 times
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The Omnivore's Dilemma (Pollan)
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Suzuki)
Time and the Soul (Needleman)
The Charisma Myth (Cabane)
Books by Mark Twain

Last edited by Thoreau424; 06-23-2017 at 01:08 PM..
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Old 06-23-2017, 08:42 PM
 
Location: Iowa, USA
6,542 posts, read 4,071,400 times
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I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't think I can name five...

I'll name a couple though:

1. The Human Condition by Hannah Arendt
It's a bit heavy and not necessarily the easiest of reads, but it is fascinating. The way she writes is just... it's hard to describe. Observations that are in many ways so simple reveal themselves to be deeply complex.

2. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
This one's pretty self explanatory. It's a somewhat satirical exploration of a dystopian future where pleasure is viewed as the highest good.

3. The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx
No, I am not a communist. At all. But I was surprised to find out that I really didn't have a solid grasp on what communism was about. I first read it in a history class, and the key thing to remember about it was the historical context; Marx was responding to an event. Much of history in politics is about responding to events. Perhaps I learned that from this more than I learned anything else.


Those are the only 3 I can really think of.

An honorable mention: Politics and Vision by Sheldon Wolin
It's not really world view changing, but rather world view explaining. It goes through the stages of Western politics, from the Platonic era down to post-modernism. It probably won't alter how you view the world (unless you've had essentially no exposure to politics) but it will help you understand how others view it. At least a little.
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Old 06-23-2017, 08:53 PM
 
3,423 posts, read 4,338,621 times
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1. The Sound and the Fury (novel) by W. Faulkner... epic about several generations of family dysfunction in the gothic South
2. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (novel)... eyewitness to colonial atrocities in 19th century Africa
3. Night (memoir) by Elie Wiesel... his experience surviving a Nazi concentration camp as a youth
4. The Second Sex (feminist theory) by Simone de Beauvoir... an introduction to existentialist philosophy and feminism for me
5. Frankenstein (novel) by Mary Shelley... the beginning of the modern horror novel, themes we still grapple with.
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Old 06-25-2017, 09:19 AM
 
13,498 posts, read 18,104,365 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KathrynAragon View Post
Oh my gosh, I have so many books. This is ridiculous. This thread is like book crack or something.
Indeed....glad not to be the only crack-head.

Last edited by kevxu; 06-25-2017 at 09:31 AM..
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Old 06-27-2017, 12:26 PM
 
1,026 posts, read 1,188,022 times
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1. Still Alice by Lisa Genova.
While fictional, this book touched, shocked, and terrified me. The author really captured what I imagine is the journey from the diagnosis to the final stages of Alzheimer's Disease. It is a beautifully written and frightening glimpse into the mind of a person who suffers from this terrible illness, and it has made me infinitely more patient with my aging parents as they struggle with memory issues.

2. Love Wins: The Lovers and Lawyers Who Fought the Landmark Case for Marriage Equality by Debbie Cenziper and Jim Obergefell.
The relationship between Jim Obergefell and John Arthur is an beautiful example of the true meaning of "in sickness and health." We should all be blessed to have a love that resilient and that deep. The lawyer that fought this case is a man who stood by what he thought was right and never gave up, even in the face of enormous personal cost. IMHO, this book clearly lays out the reasoning behind the Supreme Court decision, and the reasons why that decision impacts issues that go way beyond same sex marriage.

3. Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland by Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus.
Wow! The story of three brave and amazing women who faced unspeakable horrors. Ariel Castro controlled them physically, but he did not break their spirits, and I will never, ever forget their incredible strength.

I am sure there are others, but these are the three I have for now. I will do some thinking and add more later.
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Old 06-27-2017, 12:57 PM
 
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 32,887,193 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by raindrop101 View Post
1. Still Alice by Lisa Genova.
While fictional, this book touched, shocked, and terrified me. The author really captured what I imagine is the journey from the diagnosis to the final stages of Alzheimer's Disease. It is a beautifully written and frightening glimpse into the mind of a person who suffers from this terrible illness, and it has made me infinitely more patient with my aging parents as they struggle with memory issues.
If you liked that, you'll love this. I thought it was even better (actually, MUCH better) and I also liked the one that you mentioned. But this? Exceptional.

Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante
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