5 books that change one's way of thinking

Originally posted by ATLien
This thread is for members to post 5 books that have had a cerebral impact on the reader..I'll begin

Steps to an Ecology of Mind, Bateson
Metaphors we live by

I am glad to see that many post contain books I might name as well.
5 books I haven't noticed:

1) If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him - Sheldon B. Kopp
2) Messages from Micheal - Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
3) Notes to Myself - Hugh Prather
4) Chariot of the Gods - Erich Von Daniken
5) Wolfen - Whitley Striber


I will note that I read these books when I was quite young, in the early eighties.... and all that implies...

1. how can you guys forget RULE BY SECRECY by Jim Marrs himself!
2. The Protocols Of Zion. a fascinating book which answers why there are problems in the world.
3. Journey to the West - the unabridged 4 volume buddist kung fu mythical epic of the MONKEY KING!
4. Cyborg 009. its a manga by master Shotaro Ishinomori. Shotaro's classic is a warning of the military industrial complex. they even battle a giant owl [molech!] during the finale of the first story arc!
5. Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy by Mircea Eliade.

thanks for all the cool books! i want to read Helena Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine, so im psyched to read it is a solid read!

Chop Wood Carry Water - Rick Fields
Solitude A Return To The Self - Anthony Storr
Archaic Revival - Terrence McKenna
Yoga Sutra Of Pantanjali - translated Chip Hartranft
The Tracker - Tom Brown Jr

spec

1. the adventures of lois and clark.
2. the idiots guide to cunnilingus.
3. dante's inferno.
4. the prince by machiavelli.
5. beowulf.

and the most important book in the history of mankind that has brought down empires, inspired men to greatness, has led to executions, persecutions and death to some of its readers, comforted the poor, the hungry and the sick, given hope and is unrankable...

The Holy Bible

Dr. Atkin's Diet Revolution, Robert C. Atkins
1984, George Orwell
Being Happy, Andrew Matthews
Super Scio: The Book of The Pilot, Ken Ogger
Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
The Lost World of Agarthi - Alec Maclellan
Alien Base - Timothy Good
Alien Dawn - Colin Wilson

Ooh, and I forgot The Gift - Mia Dolan. That really got me thinking about the afterlife.

The Stranger - Albert Camus. "My mother died today." That opening line still sticks with me from high school.
Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
The Fifth Sacred Thing - Starhawk
1984 - George Orwell
the Dune Chronicles - Frank Hebert (I still recite the Litany Against Fear and the Mentat chant.)
The Lord of the Flies - William Golding

and a great representation of Edwardian culture is represented by Jane Austen's collected works. She is my all-time favorite author.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley just didn't do it for me, after reading Ayn Rand and George Orwell.

"The Devils" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
"The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
"The Brother's Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoevsky
"Secrets of the Federal Reserve" by Eustace Mullins
"A brave new world Revisited." by Aldous Huxley (This is technically an essay, and not very long. Much more startling than A brave new world and it's all about how we're rushing straight into what he feared.)

Crime and punishment is a great book, but it won't change anyone's mind like his other three novels will. Devils is such a great political analysis, and you will never look at the politics the same again.
The Idiot is brilliant.
Brother's Karamazov touches on pretty much every single important question life can ask.

Entertaining and mind-boggling.

Animal Farm AND 1984 - Get em in the two-book hardback. -George Orwell (I'd be shocked if anyone on ATS hasn't read one or both of these.)

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card (Take a goood hard look at the human condition through a sci-fi classic)

Faith of the Fallen - Terry Goodkind (Fantasy Sword of Truth series, an excellent character piece. 6 books precede it but are not necessary to understand it.)

A Time to Hunt - Stephen Hunter (Probably one of the best Vietnam-to-today fiction books I've ever read. Excellent reading for enjoyment)

OMNI: Astropilots - Laura Mixon (The first book I ever read and the reason I love character driven books. Jason, Tram, and Sssrei have stuck with me my entire life.)

1) The law of one, Ra material.
www.lawofone.info...
2) Who am I? - Sri Ranama
www.messagefrommasters.com...
3) Soul of distortion awakening
www.soulsofdistortion.nl...
4) The Prophet - Kahil Gibran
www.brainythoughts.com...
5) Starseed transmissions - cant find the pdf but I know its out there

I forgot about Machiavelli's "The Prince," even though I've only read parts of it, and "A Clockwork Orange"
I read ACO twice before I saw the movie, and I was so freakin disapointed in the movie. It almost made me sick. Not from anything disturbing in the movie, but rather how they portrayed it and all of the stuff they left out. They left out some of the most classic quotes ever, such as "The night is young," and they don't call cigarettes "cancers" once. They don't even explain what A Clockwork orange means in the movie!! The definition of a clockwork orange is central to the entire book's plot and meaning.

Job: A Comedy of Justice - Robert Heinlein

The Stand - Stephen King

The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 - Lawrence Wright

Brain Droppings - George Carlin

Journeys Out of Boby - Robert Monroe

____________________________________________________________


Alright, I'm on the slab, chest exposed. Please! eviscerate me!

reply to post by yeahright


I was wondering when someone was going to mention Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance.. I read this at age 17-18..led me down the road to Plato (many roads begin with Plato).

Lila is incredible too..also by Pirsig.

Nausea by JP Sartre

I can't count.

Peace

How could I have not mentioned the Carlos Castaneda books?: The teachings of Don Juan etc.

Peace

mine are:

1. The Wasteland ( The Dark Tower Series ) - Stephen King
2. Papillon - Henri Charrière
3. The Secret - Rhonda Byrne
4. Chariot of the Gods - Erich von Daniken
5. The Swiss Family Robinson - Johann David Wyss

these books were important to me. number one was shattering i read it in the early 90's and it really kicked off my whole journey into 'heresey'.

1.) holy blood holy grail - baigent, leigh and lincoln

2.) the chariots of the gods - von daniken

3.) fingerprints of the gods - hancock

4.) book of enoch - apocryphyl

5.) beyer on speed - beyer

reply to post by ATLien


Many here I know and love, more I'll check out.

Here are a few of mine, chosen almost randomly as I scan my bookshelves:

Fiction

* Anything written or translated by Idries Shah, esp "Caravan of Dreams."
* "Next" by Michael Chrichton - the last book he wrote before he died (too young).
* "Overshoot" - Mona Clieff.
* "Bring on the Apocalypse" - George Monbiot.
* Doris Lessing - the "Canopus in Argos" series.

........more, non-fiction
* "Virus of the Mind" - Richard Brodie
* "The Thinker's Way" - John Chaffee - "8 Steps to a Richer Life - Think Critically; Live Creatively; Choose Freely"

1. Robert Anton Wilson - illuminatus trilogy/historical illuminatus chronicles/shrodingers cat trilogy/masks of the illuminati/cosmic trigger trilogy/.......in fact - just read every book he wrote! ..... en.wikipedia.org...

2. Ender's Game series - Orson Scott Card ..... en.wikipedia.org... seriously, seriously underrated simply because they're children's books.

3. The Armageddon Conspiracy - Mike Hockney Available to download for free or a donation from here ...... PLUS ....... the similar themed book
Flicker by Theodore Roszak ..... en.wikipedia.org...

4. Foucault's Pendulum - Umberto Eco ..... en.wikipedia.org...

5. The Cosmic Question - John Keel .... www.scribd.com... not because it was a good read but because of an incident with the cosmic joker having a laugh!