Hey book lovers! We all have that one book that left a lasting impression—whether it shifted your perspective, inspired a big change, or just stuck with you long after you finished it.
I’m curious:
Which book had the biggest impact on you?
What about it resonated so deeply?
Would you recommend it to others, and why?
Feel free to share quotes, stories, or even how it influenced your life decisions. Let’s create a thread full of powerful book recommendations and meaningful experiences!
by rifamajif
10 Comments
Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress by Christopher Ryan
It completely changed my perspective on human beings and why we as a species are the way we are. It’s super informative but there are so many interesting tidbits that it doesn’t get boring.
When I was young, The Giver. It really made me think about why bad memories are so crucial to who we become. The people in this society have no memory of anything bad or good, because emotions are so muted. But as our main character receives those painful emotions and learns to truly feel, he realizes he can never live the old way again. The memories have changed who he is, no matter how painful the process.
The Emperor Of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer By Siddhartha Mukherjee. It’s a fascinating book that I read while going through treatment for Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer. It read like a novel despite all the science and left me grateful to know how much more doctors know than they did just 40 yrs ago and how much they still dont know.
I am still here 6yr post treatment with a 23% chance to get her. Not that long ago it would have been a death sentence. If there weren’t so many books to read I would definitely read it again. But I never say never. 🙂
I know it is a cliche at this point and no I did not read it for school I’m not from the US
but 1984, my 17 year old self needed that pessimism
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Walk slowly with purpose
Absolutely changed my life and is ranked as one of the more inspirational reads, discover it, and just read the reviews ..
https://www.amazon.com/Walk-Slowly-Purpose-journey-inside-ebook/dp/B07NF6KC52
Eating Animals – it was the final push that made me go from vegetarian to vegan and I never looked back.
Humankind by Rutger Bregman – provided some much needed hope and fundamentally changed my perspective on well…humankind.
some fiction I read as a teenager shaped my taste in literature forever: among them The Magic Mountain (Mann), Steppenwolf (Hesse) and Notes from the Undergound (Dostoyevski). I can’t point to something specific, but I can say with certainty that I would not be the person I am today had I not read some of these books.
Obviously I recommend all of them.
Tom Burnams Dictionary of Misinformation. Led to a lifelong drive to ferret out things people think are true but aren’t and to correct them.
Also massive unpopularity and loneliness…
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey. Gave me a much greater appreciation for the value of natural places and opened my eyes to radical environmentalism.
I first read Catch 22 as a 14 year old. It’s kind of a book about PTSD, and I was living with an abusive, alcoholic parent at the time, so it really resonated with me. It made me feel better to read about someone else in a crazy, inescapable situation. And it definitely shaped a lot of my (dark) sense of humor.