Book's That Have Changed Your Pov
Sirus
Join Date: 2002-11-13 Member: 8466Members, NS1 Playtester, Constellation
Join Date: 2002-11-13 Member: 8466Members, NS1 Playtester, Constellation
in Discussions
<div class="IPBDescription">Spin-Off of the movie topic.</div> I'm not expecting alot of people to be avid readers, I wouldn't say I would be one of them, but I have a tendency to read every night, even if only for a half hour.
Unlike the movie thread where the topic was what changed your <i>life</i>, what book changed your opinion on something?
I'll get the topic rolling.
John Grisham - The Chamber
Before reading this book I was an advocate of the death penalty, I wouldn't say I believed it was the best option or the only option, but I believed it was acceptable. However, after reading this book, I realized that the death penalty isn't just punishment for the criminal but for everyone who knows them, especially family. So, now I believe that instead, for heinous crimes, criminals should spend ten hours of hard labor everyday for their sentence. Their work will pay for the costs of sustaining him, as well as punishment.
Unlike the movie thread where the topic was what changed your <i>life</i>, what book changed your opinion on something?
I'll get the topic rolling.
John Grisham - The Chamber
Before reading this book I was an advocate of the death penalty, I wouldn't say I believed it was the best option or the only option, but I believed it was acceptable. However, after reading this book, I realized that the death penalty isn't just punishment for the criminal but for everyone who knows them, especially family. So, now I believe that instead, for heinous crimes, criminals should spend ten hours of hard labor everyday for their sentence. Their work will pay for the costs of sustaining him, as well as punishment.
Comments
This is a very tough title to find, I had to borrow it from my cousin. It explains the general principle of the Ninja of the Iga region in Japan, as well as some history and "mythology" of how the world came to be. Whether you are fan of martial arts or not, I recommend this title to you if you can ever possibly find it.
Buying a copy will run you at least $60 US <!--emo&???--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'><!--endemo--> But to me, it would be worth the price...see if you can find it at a flea market or consignment book shop, or even a library (one that is very varying, not a school library).
There is also plenty of poetry included in the pages, and black/white pictures of the Iga region and peoples. If you have an interest in philosophy, then by all means try to get a copy of this book, as it is one of the best ones out there.
Well, maybe "The stranger" ("L'étranger") by Albert Camus. A brilliant book, very recommendable. What does a person that has never felt anything for anyone feel the night before his death?
<i>Dune</i>,<i>Dune Messiah</i>, <i>Children of Dune</i>, <i>God Emperor of Dune</i>, <i>Heretics of Dune</i>, <i>Chapterhouse:Dune</i> - all of them for the impact they've had on my philosophy on humanity. if you haven't read them, I recommend them. Don't bother with the ones by Brian Herbert though
<i>Ender's Game</i>, <i>Speaker For The Dead</i>, <i>Xenocide</i>, <i>Children of The Mind</i>, <i>Ender's Shadow</i>, <i>Shadow of The Hegemon</i>, <i>Shadow Puppets</i> - a very good series. Speaker, Xenocide and Children deal with human philosophy more and the Shadow's deal with the issue of genetics.
<i>Rendevouz With Rama</i>, <i>Rama II</i>, <i>The Garden of Rama</i>, <i>Rama Revealed</i> - Very effectively discusses and thinks about human tendency towards Xenophobia. Very good
<i>Shogun</i> - Got me hooked on Feudal japanese culture and Honor.
<i>The Golden Compass</i>, <i>The Suble Knife</i>, <i>The Amber Spyglass</i> - deals with Religion and how sometimes people do despicable things under the pretense of religion.
The Authors, respectively to the order I wrote the books
Frank Herbert
Orson Scott Card
Arthur C. Clarke
James Clavelle
Philip Pullman
leet book , though I was quite horrified reading it sometimes...
Albert Camus , Boris Vian and Jean-Paul Sartre wrote very original books in the 50's. Also lighter than the average reading.
1984 by George Orwell is a must. Truly helps understanding our modern world (its thesis goes far beyond stalinism , and applies to the most important powers)
The Bible. Who'da thunk it? Not really a novel, but it's a book so it counts <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->.
And, of course, Dune. Because it's cool...
Oh, and nothing freaks a person out more when you're charging them in paintball if you yell the whole "Fear is the mindkiller" speech at the top of your lungs as you charge them, marker blazing.
The series itself is very well written, and targetted more towards an adult audience rather than teens or kids. The base storyline has been slightly stretched out over the past few books, but it's still a very good read. Every book portrays new challenges, and not one of them comes across as being "just some situation thought up to move the storyline along".
Also, every book has a "Wizard's Rule", which are basically unique interpretations of how to react in, and view, certain situations. A lot of them seem simple or trivial, but when interpreted the right way, they can be very beneficial to how one thinks and acts. The books give the reader a fairly clear way of interpreting the rules, and I find myself thinking differently in many situations due to some of them.
I can truthfully say I've read the series thus far <i>at least</i> a dozen times. Book eight is expected out early this summer.
[<i>edit1</i>]: typo
Fear is the Mindkiller. Fear is the little death. I will face my fear. I will let my fear pass through me and only I will remain.
or something like that.
All of the Dune's are cool, though some may be offended by the God Emperor's religious overtones.
John Grisham happens to be my favorite, read like 4 of his books in one day.
And I could finish a book in one sitting, it's just a problem because most of my books range from 600-1300 pages. Average is about 850 pages...which is about 850 minutes for me to read.
[edit] on weekends I go to bed about 3:00am. I fall asleep about 5-5:30am ish because of books. Weekdays, I go to bed about 12:00am. I fall asleep an average of 1:30am[/edit]
Also, one can't forget the <i>Harry Potter</i> series. They aren't life-altering but the simplicity and enjoyment one can get from reading them is immense.
The Mars Trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars) is a great read. Kim Stanley Robinson is the author. Gives a really interesting perspective on humanity, both as it is and as a more modern race expands its reaches. Sci-fi, but damn good.
I've been reading "Killing Monsters: Why Children NEED Fantasy, Super Heroes, and Make-Believe Violence." It's written by Gerard Jones, a (quoted from the inside of the jacket) "former comic-book and screen writer whose credits include Batman, Spider-Man, and Pokemon [we'll forgive him for that one], and whose own creations have been turned into video games and cartoon series." He also has spoken at the University of Chicago and MIT as a guest lecturer on subjects of aggression and the media. It's a fantastic read for anyone who enjoys violent games, movies, and hoo-ha and especially is interesting for me as someone who wants to go into the industry professionally, despite accusations that this very industry is the reason behind much of the violent crime in youth around the world today. Check it out if you can - I found it linked from gamasutra.com, but it should be available at Barnes and Noble and perhaps Amazon.
leet book , though I was quite horrified reading it sometimes...
Albert Camus , Boris Vian and Jean-Paul Sartre wrote very original books in the 50's. Also lighter than the average reading.
1984 by George Orwell is a must. Truly helps understanding our modern world (its thesis goes far beyond stalinism , and applies to the most important powers) <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
So here we have another junior intelectual <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.natural-selection.org/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo-->
<b>Ishmael</b> by Daniel Quinn
<b>Charlotte's Web</b> by E. B. White
<b>All Quiet on the Western Front</b> by Erich Maria Remarque, A. W. Wheen (Translator)
<b>Wherever You Go There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life</b> by Jon Kabat-Zinn*
<b>The Art of Happiness: A Hadbook for Living</b> by Dalai Lama*
<b>Dialogue: A Proposel</b> by David Bohm, Donald Factor and Peter Garrett (Not a book)
And every Astronomy book I've ever read in my life. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
*I'm not buddhist nor do I meditate in the traditional sense but there are some very good reflections on life in these books.
Oh geez and "<b>The Hobbit</b> by JRR Tolkien" and "<b>The Legacy</b> by RA Salvatore", fantasy novels of my youth really contributed to my sense of adventure I think.
Oh yeah, <b>Hatchet</b> by Gary Paulsen.
And a curious book called, <b>Secrets of a Superhacker</b> by The Knightmare. This book was not so much technical but philisophical in ways. It talked about the roots of hacking and phreaking, described the history of modems and computer security. What I found particularly interesting and mindset changing for myself was his analysis, descriptions, and deplictions of something called 'Social Engineering' or 'People Hacking'. That was the first time I've ever heard the term but as social animals, I think we have all experienced it, manipulated it, gained or lost from it in one way or another.
Oh and I'm not religious in any way but I really like <b>The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi</b>. (Not a book)
leet book , though I was quite horrified reading it sometimes...
Albert Camus , Boris Vian and Jean-Paul Sartre wrote very original books in the 50's. Also lighter than the average reading.
1984 by George Orwell is a must. Truly helps understanding our modern world (its thesis goes far beyond stalinism , and applies to the most important powers) <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
So here we have another junior intelectual <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.natural-selection.org/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
OHHH, forgot about books I chose to read for school.
Fahrenheit 451, 1984, and I'm reading Catch-22 now. Good books, all of them, but Catch 22 is more funny than life impacting, so far at least.
Oh yeah, and Catcher in the Rye. Not a very long book, not very deep, but for nothing else it really speaks to the fact that there is someone beneath these facades we make up and display for ourselves. Holden Caulfield might as well be my name, the book spoke to me so well.
Man, 1984 was such a great book. Combine it with Farhenheit, and it totally blows your perspective of the world out of the water. Not only do you learn to watch out for big brother, you also hold those around you a little closer. That can never be a bad thing.
Let's see...
<b>The Bible</b> - For exactely the opposite reasons Legionnared listed it, I guess.
<b>Terry Pratchett: Small Gods</b> - A comedic book, but an incredibly good one. Pratchett makes a rather suprising statement about faith and how it can affect humans.
<b>Tolkiens works</b> - No brainer.
<b>Georg Büchner: Dantons Death</b> - A dramatic play about the downfall of the French revolution. Büchner is one of my favorite 'classic' authors.
<b>Remarque: Nothing new in in the West</b> - One of the main reasons for my pacifism.
<b>Naomi Klein: No Logo!</b> - A very controversial book, but interesting in so far that it gives one an idea about the impact of brands on ones daily life.
<b>Aldous Huxley: Brave New World</b> - Think '1984', only that it's gone two hundred years. Depressing.
<b>Stanislaw Lem: Solaris</b> - The laudatio on all Star Trek sci-fi. I gotta see that movie.
<b>Katsuhiro Otomo: Akira</b> - A comic, but a great one.
Dude, you rock.
<!--QuoteBegin--KungFuSquirrel+Mar 23 2003, 06:41 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (KungFuSquirrel @ Mar 23 2003, 06:41 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Sci-fi, but damn good.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
grrrrr . . . . blood . . . boiling <!--emo&:angry:--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/mad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='mad.gif'><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
The Dispossesed - Ursula K. LeGuin
This is the best book I have ever read. Even if you reject every idea in the book, it will make you question quite a few assumptions you may not have known you were making.
(all the rest have been listed already) <!--emo&::asrifle::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/asrifle.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='asrifle.gif'><!--endemo-->
<b>Stanislaw Lem: Solaris</b> - The laudatio on all Star Trek sci-fi. I gotta see that movie.
<!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
I would advice you to see the original Soviet movie, which is really great. "classic" Sci-Fi atmosphere like in "2001". The new remake with George Clooney is very different to the original.
<!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Oh yeah, and Catcher in the Rye<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Wow, forgot that one. Really great! I think everyone who reads this book feels impersonated by Holden <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->