Literature Books That Challenged/Impacted You?

[Tronethiel]

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<div style="text-align:left;"><p>Of course there are plenty of fun, pulpy reads out there, and there's nothing wrong with reading solely for entertainment. I'd just like to focus on books that impacted you in a meaningful way beyond simple enjoyment. This can be a book that challenged a thought process you held, that taught you something mind blowing, or maybe showed you a perspective you've never seen. It doesn't have to be non-fiction either. Many works of fiction portray some idea, philosophy, etc. so powerfully that you can't help but think about the implications. Edit: Feel free to include short stories and poetry as well. As long as it was challenging/impactful. </p></div>


<p> Also, feel free to include a brief (or not so brief) explanation as to why you it impacted you so much. Try not to spoil though, we want to enjoy these books too. <img alt=" " data-emoticon="" height="20" src="<fileStore.core_Emoticons>/emoticons/tongue.png" srcset="<fileStore.core_Emoticons>/emoticons/tongue@2x.png 2x" title=" " width="20" /></p>

 

[Dandy Bobandy]

Les Miserables changed my life. It's a story kind of like DRRR or Baccano where there are many centric characters and plot lines, but it starts with a man who's been in prison for 19 years for stealing bread. In the very beginning, he's lost and can't find a job in bad economic times. He opts to steal the silver from a bishop who had fed him and given him a place to stay but, as he escapes, he's caught by the police. Then, the bishop tells the police that it was all a gift, gives him even more silver, and tells him to use that silver to become an honest man.


That's the very beginning. It's the birth of the greatest hero in all of literature, imo. He represents honesty and virtue whereas his rival represents blind faith in "the rules". It's genius. The movie was so awful, too...

 

[Tronethiel]

[QUOTE="Malibu Harpy]Les Miserables changed my life. It's a story kind of like DRRR or Baccano where there are many centric characters and plot lines, but it starts with a man who's been in prison for 19 years for stealing bread. In the very beginning, he's lost and can't find a job in bad economic times. He opts to steal the silver from a bishop who had fed him and given him a place to stay but, as he escapes, he's caught by the police. Then, the bishop tells the police that it was all a gift, gives him even more silver, and tells him to use that silver to become an honest man.
That's the very beginning. It's the birth of the greatest hero in all of literature, imo. He represents honesty and virtue whereas his rival represents blind faith in "the rules". It's genius. The movie was so awful, too...

[/QUOTE]
You just compared Les Mis to DRRR, you just gained 1000 points in my book, haha.

 

[Dandy Bobandy]

You just compared Les Mis to DRRR, you just gained 1000 points in my book, haha.

Hahaha! Nothing alike but that storytelling and, man, I am such a sucker for it.

 

[Orphalesion]

The three books that probably challenged/impacted me the most are;


The Color Purple by Alice Walker, it pretty much became one of the foundation of my spiritual philosophy. The idea that god is not something you find in a church, but in a purple flower in a field stayed with me ever since.


The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. The most beautiful book I've ever read. And one that you only understand as you get older...as the years pass I feel more and more kinship with Molly Grue "Whatever is gone, is gone..."


The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, like the Color Purple influenced my spiritually, the Prophet influenced my secular philosophy about a lot of things. It has a good amount of wisdom in it. Particularly on love and children. Very Socratic in a way...and I still think the narrator is a dying man.

 

[Xynien]

It's not incredibly well-known, but the Lost Voices trilogy by Sarah Porter really had an effect on me. I was going through an extremely rough time and I just fell in love with her writing and the way she was able to tackle dark subjects and allow it to be dark without making it into something extremely edgy or trivializing it. The whole trilogy feels like a long, sad song that ends on an unexpected but hopeful note. Definitely recommended if you can handle dark subjects and stick around through moments of doubt about where the plot is going. Although, a warning, it is centered around (in essence) teenage girls.

 

[Tronethiel]

I guess when I posted this, I kind of forgot to include myself, eh? I'd say that all of Joe Abercrombie's First Law books have greatly challenged my perception of war, violence, and the notion of heroes. The duality of perspectives he shows, the romantic vs the real, while building a portrait of brutality is something else. I'm a fan. Each book in that world built upon the last to create a very drab canvas.


I think I may share more later. Hmmm.

 

[starboy]

I have a few in mind.

• Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell.
  This book gave me an entirely new perspective on young love and its persistent concept of forever. I connected deeply with most of the characters and feel like I even learned about myself in how the love, the hate, and the confusion manifested in my empathetical feeling and my reaction.
  
• Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk. (Actually my favorite book of all time for both enjoyment and impact)
  This beauty by the author of Fight Club shattered me. It has so many themes - self-discovery, self-destruction, shallowness, defiance, betrayal, and much more - that blend together perfectly. The reason it impacted me so deeply has to do with moments. You know those moments and quotes in literature that hit so close to home, you have to close your eyes and say "whoa"? This entire book was like that for me, and the quotes were just such truth that had finally been put into words for me that I was absolutely overtaken and learned more about the big picture from this than perhaps any other book.
  

 

[deathreaper]

the bible and the wiccan read

 

[GoodJobDino]

I have become pretty much a true crime slut. It did not start with In Cold Blood though. I started with the Jack Olsen novel "Doc: Rape of the town of Lovell" and... the first time I listened (I'm a third shift baker so audible has become my god) to it I had to remind myself it was non-fiction. I have since listened to 2 more of his books (and purchased copies of them when I found them) "Son", and most recently "The Misbegotten Son". His books are so incredibly well researched and stick so much to displaying only the facts without bias that I usually have to take a mental break afterwards. You get so much into the mind of the victims, as well as they perpetrator and their friends/family/acquaintances. In Cold Blood however, is one of my favorite books of all time. Both that book, and Jack Olsen, create such a vivid story that I fall more in love every time.

 

[Pine]

*sweats* I'm gonna' have to look into some of these texts. The only one I've heard of is Les Miserables.


Flowers for Algernon really fucked me up. I think it really challenged my idea on the relationship between intelligence and happiness. I had never considered a negative correlation at that time in my life. It still makes me upset thinking about it my god. I think it also made a huge impact on how I view those that with a learning disabilities. I don't even know how to talk about it LOL it's such a good, terrible story.


More than that though, Life of Pi has probably had the biggest impact on my life. Tbqh, I didn't even finish reading the book and the part that I found the most thought provoking was apparently inconsequential enough to cut out of the movie altogether. Prior to reading that book, I simply accepted the religion that I was raised in. The exploration of multiple religions in the text's beginning is what first got me thinking about religion not having to be "by the book" and the concept of... what's it called, syncretism? So ultimately it's what influenced me to begin really doing research on religion and led me to the affiliation I subscribe to today.

 

[Tronethiel]

*sweats* I'm gonna' have to look into some of these texts. The only one I've heard of is Les Miserables.
Flowers for Algernon really fucked me up. I think it really challenged my idea on the relationship between intelligence and happiness. I had never considered a negative correlation at that time in my life. It still makes me upset thinking about it my god. I think it also made a huge impact on how I view those that with a learning disabilities. I don't even know how to talk about it LOL it's such a good, terrible story.


More than that though, Life of Pi has probably had the biggest impact on my life. Tbqh, I didn't even finish reading the book and the part that I found the most thought provoking was apparently inconsequential enough to cut out of the movie altogether. Prior to reading that book, I simply accepted the religion that I was raised in. The exploration of multiple religions in the text's beginning is what first got me thinking about religion not having to be "by the book" and the concept of... what's it called, syncretism? So ultimately it's what influenced me to begin really doing research on religion and led me to the affiliation I subscribe to today.

I've never read Life of Pi (your description really makes want to though) But damn, Flowers for Algernon was just wow. I'd sort of forgotten that I'd read it til now. It's been years, maybe I'll pick it up again. Great explanations though.

[QUOTE="Vices and Virtues]

• Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk. (Actually my favorite book of all time for both enjoyment and impact)
  This beauty by the author of Fight Club shattered me. It has so many themes - self-discovery, self-destruction, shallowness, defiance, betrayal, and much more - that blend together perfectly. The reason it impacted me so deeply has to do with moments. You know those moments and quotes in literature that hit so close to home, you have to close your eyes and say "whoa"? This entire book was like that for me, and the quotes were just such truth that had finally been put into words for me that I was absolutely overtaken and learned more about the big picture from this than perhaps any other book.
  

[/QUOTE]
The only Palahniuk I ever read was fight club. This makes me want to dig into some more though. Fantastic.

The three books that probably challenged/impacted me the most are;
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. The most beautiful book I've ever read. And one that you only understand as you get older...as the years pass I feel more and more kinship with Molly Grue "Whatever is gone, is gone..."


The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, like the Color Purple influenced my spiritually, the Prophet influenced my secular philosophy about a lot of things. It has a good amount of wisdom in it. Particularly on love and children. Very Socratic in a way...and I still think the narrator is a dying man.

The Last Unicorn has been on my to-read list far too long. I need to get that done. The prophet sounds quite intriguing. You had me at Socratic.

 

[Jazzy]

One Fish Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish.


That was some deep stuff man...

 

[Archie]

Salvage the bones is pretty deep

 

[Wavedream623]

In English class, we're reading a war story. When I first heard that I thought, "Oh, it's just some war story. You know, death, destruction, sadness, blah." I had planned on sparknoting it. But then, one day on a whim, I read it. And boy was that a good idea!


If you haven't heard of The Things They Carried by Tim O' Brien, then let me introduce you. It's a story on a real war that actually happened with the author himself as the main character. But here's the catch: it's fictional.


When I first heard this, I was flabbergasted. "What do you mean it's fictional? It can't be, this seems so real!" So then I started to ask: What's real? What's fiction?


Then Tim O' Brien answered my question:


It's not about the facts, but the experience: the little things and the big things, perspective and narrow views, the fear of death but people still somehow fear going the dentist more, home and away, right and wrong, and morality and anarchy.


He taught me that it's never about the facts.





If you really want to read something that feels real, this book is the one to go to. His writing is to the point, and perspective. He is 100% relatable yet it's fiction. I can't even begin to explain, it just makes all the sense in the world. So if you're looking for something that feels real, read this story. Because it's not just about war: It's about life.

 

[Quip a Witticism]

Honestly, I'm in school right now, and have my Diploma exam in English 30-1 coming up at the end of this month. (For those non Canadians, its literally the hardest English class you can take.) I have to say, there are actually pieces of fiction in this course that have really influenced me.


Both of the works that do happen to be playwrights, actually. The most influential of which was 'The Death of a Salesman,' by Arthur Miller. When I started this course, I hadn't expected to become quite nearly as fascinated with these playwrights as I did. This work has deeply profound moral content, and while both works that I found influential may not have been composed in our modern society, they both touch on some of the fundamental realities of a human flaw that can be translated to modern times.

Spoiler

For example, The Death of a Salesman, for those who have never read it nor seen the play, is about an aging Salesman named Willy Loman, who is spiralling into dementia. Having both his body and his mind turn against him, Willy Loman lives with his wife and thirty year old sons in a small house that they have been trying to pay off for years. The play is centered around Willy and his decent into emotional distress, while he refuses to admit that his version of the American Dream had been a false one, and that he would not be dying the celebrated death of a salesman. Willy constantly imposes his male stereotypes onto his two boys, who have become estranged from a modernizing society and are struggling to find their place in life.


In the end, Willy destroys his relationship with one out of two of his sons by committing an adulterous act while married, and this sends that son into a spiral of confusion, hatred, self defeating behaviours. As a result, an uncontrollable developed kleptomania lands him in jail. His other son is convinced that Willy is still someone to be revered, as the first son told no one of Willy's infidelity. Still, after watching his oldest become estranged, having to live with his guilt, and slowly getting downgraded in his job as a Salesman, Willy refuses to accept that his idea of the American Dream was wrong.


He is so determined, in fact, to make sure he dies the death of a salesman and leaves a large amount of money for his family, that he smashes his car and ends his life, giving them the insurance payout.


However, instead of being surrounded by the customers and the people who he believes had considered him 'well-liked', the only ones who attend his funeral is his own family. Willy may have died, but he did not die in the way he had been so determined. He may have thought he had won, but he actually hadn't.


This particular piece really influenced me because it made me realize there is a sort of twisted set of ideals that materialism has on modern society, no matter what year it is, or what country you are from. There are people out there who refuse to see that the world is changing around them- and are even willing to die before they admit that they were wrong. I've had a few of those people in my life, especially my own father, and I can actually understand some of the method to his madness now, in a strange sort of way. It made me realize that times can change either with or without you- and its up to you as an individual to either accept these changes or to remain rooted in a toxic dream.

 

[GoodJobDino]

If you do go Palahniuk digging, find your way to Haunted. Great stuff, very creepy.

 

[herelaydragons]

The Great Gatsby, without a doubt. The characters are so real, they all hold qualities we can relate to, and Gatsby himself is such a beautiful character. His hopefulness is so overwhelming and he built a life around it and he made himself something to try and win the woman he loved more than anything. 10/10 my favorite book

 

[KayDuckula]

Ruby Holler, by Sharon Creech:


I picked this book up during summer break, during middle school. I'd just gone through intensive surgery, and I was practically under medical house arrest, until I fully healed. I was already an avid reader, at this point, but it was just normal children/youth books. I had never read something that truly made me think outside of my own little shell.


This books follows Dallas and Florida, a set of twins who'd been in and out of foster care, as they are taken on by an older couple and move in to Ruby Holler. I can't exactly pinpoint it, but Creech's writing is phenomenal. She was able to take a child reader on an emotional adventure. I felt so many things.. sad, happy, angry, terrified, and even somewhat disappointed that it had ended so soon. It definitely awakened an understanding in me, that there are children out there who are terrified, or living in fear, of doing just a minuscule thing wrong in fear of getting hurt or reprimanded.


For being a kid when I read it, the book has really stuck with me. I thought back then, "When I get older, I'll foster kids and show them kindness and loving; a place for them to belong." Even to this day, at twenty-five with two kids of my own, I still want to foster later on in life.

 

[desmaid]

Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle


I know he's a fictional character but the way he think and act have impacted me much in my life and how am I solving my own problems.

 

[pavelius]

house of leaves by mark z. danielewski: for me, it really broadened what literature could do even as a static medium. it also made me realize my love for batshit mind-boggling metafiction. like holy crap. i still get chills thinking about it.


the little prince by antoine de saint exupery: i think this book captures the kind of innocence, wistful nostalgia that people spend their entire lives chasing after once it's gone. it's also one of the two books that've ever made me cry. fucked me up real bad, my dude.


let the great world spin by colum mccann: probably the biggest influence on my writing style. the prose is exquisite and the characters are treated with such a tenderness. i want to write like this.


the road by cormac mccarthy: i fell in love for this hellish, desolate setting when i was in the 7th grade, and it's made a huge impact on my writing, imagery, and even my preferred genres for quite a while. also showed me that less in writing can also be more.

 

[pavelius]

If you do go Palahniuk digging, find your way to Haunted. Great stuff, very creepy.

holy shit. i love you for mentioning this. i found the first story, Guts, online, read it, felt sick, then immediately bought the whole book the next day. i'm not done with it yet but those short stories are incredible. it's dark, disgusting, challenging, but also hilarious.

 

[GoodJobDino]

I agree. And had the same experience reading guts online, then getting the book later. And the other accounts and stories are so... dark and creepy and just so incredibly wrenching.

 

[mindheist]

I don't enjoy reading often, and the only books I read are basically the ones required for school, but I have to say that I am in love with Elie Wiesel's Night. I've always loved memoirs and this one was amazing. Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein are some of my favorites as well

 

[starboy]

Elie Wiesel's Night.

Wiesel is a brilliant writer. Night made me bawl. I had to read it for school last year.