What book(s) has changed your life?

What clicked and made you have a different mindset? How long did it take to start changing and how long was the transformation? Did it last or is it an ongoing back and forth between your old self? I want to know your transformation and success.

Any kind of change, big or small. Anything from weight loss, world view, personality shift, major life change, single change like stopped smoking or drinking soda to starting exercising or going back to school. I want to hear how people’s life were a bit or a lot better through reading and your progress.

TIA 🙏

fubo,

Not a complete list, but maybe an amusing one —

rephlekt2718,
rephlekt2718 avatar

How did you like godel Escher Bach? Have it on my bookshelf, intending to read it eventually after my current stack.

fubo,

It’s dated, but it’s still essential in connecting math & CS with art & literature. Hofstadter was in a great place to connect disparate fields that touch on related patterns.

His AI theories seem to have come out mostly as dead ends, but that might still change.

Hackerman_uwu,

Very, very worth a read or ten.

livedeified,
@livedeified@lemmy.world avatar

great list. Liber AL vel Legis is pretty wild

fubo,

Cultboy got hella laid, but ended up a junkie though. As an aging dude I’d rather have Bob H’s end times than Al C’s.

Maeve,

The law is a decent rule to attempt in one’s life.

livedeified,
@livedeified@lemmy.world avatar

for sure. orgies interrupt my nap time these days!

emilygage,
@emilygage@lemmy.ml avatar

Stranger in a Strange Land is so good.

Drusas,

Meanwhile, it's the only book I actively hate. I feel like it stole a fantastic name with a story that was too "I'm 14 and I am smart".

I probably would have loved it when I was 14.

afraid_of_zombies,

Maybe I read it at age 17 and didn’t much care for it.

I thought the martians were genocidal self-righteous assholes who I hoped the earth would nuke. The whole idea of thinking right meant doing things right and magically didn’t sit with me for a second. You can just look around, all these really dumb animals and plants managing just fine. You don’t need to know hydrodynamics to be a fish. And if magical thinking worked no way evolution wouldn’t have exploited the hell out of it.

Still it was kinda cool to see a novel that merged sci-fi, the Gnostic Gospel of Judas, and Joseph Smith in one setting.

If anyone here liked that book go read the Gospel of Judas and have your mind blown.

agamemnonymous,
@agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works avatar

Illuminatus is the most potent and interesting paradigm-shifting book I’ve ever read. It’s like an epistemological shotgun blast, guerilla ontology indeed. Anything by R. A. Wilson is advisable, but this one really shakes you loose of your preconceptions and opens the door to new perspectives.

fubo,

Illuminatus! is the political weirdness of the post-JFK-assassination period; extrapolated into a psychedelic occult fantasy; as interpreted by two white male porno writers; who were on some combination of weed, acid, plastic nude martinis, and coke for most of it.

It is very much a product of a specific time period and social situation.

I’ve probably re-read it more than any other book.

Wilson went on to write some good stuff, and some utter bullshit, and he’s very clear on the fact that he’s not telling you which part is the good stuff and which part is the utter bullshit.

agamemnonymous,
@agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works avatar

I’ve probably re-read it more than any other book.

I definitely have.

Honestly I don’t think he wrote any utter bullshit, as such. Anything that could be described as such, was basically intended as such, with the explicit purpose of making you a specific kind of confused. In that sense, the bullshit itself was deeply profound, in a sense.

Everything is true, and false, and meaningless. I think really grokking that, which requires the intermingling of nonsensical-sounding profundity with profound-sounding nonsense, underlies an elusive sort of dynamic enlightenment.

But what the fuck do I know?

fubo,

Some people need to hear that everything is a little bit bullshit.

Some people need to hear that some things are a lot more bullshit than others.

RAW was a lot better at the first than the second.

agamemnonymous,
@agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works avatar

Some people huff their own farts, metaphysically speaking.

The second is a pit stop on the way the the first, which itself is a pit stop to yet higher realizations. Some people need to figure things out for themselves, they just haven’t started asking the right questions yet. RAW excelled at assaulting you with more questions than you were really prepared to answer, and giving you the opportunity to try to figure out what he was really trying to say, without ever really giving you a solid answer. That’s why re-reads are so satisfying: every time you read it, you’ve changed enough to dramatically redefine which parts are bullshit.

If you need to be told which things are more bullshit than others, you’re not quite there yet. But it can still get you there, with enough iterations.

Teritz,

It was a Dictionary from a Library it fell on my Head and i got Brain Trauma afterwards some Therapy Sessions still impaired.

CapnAssHolo,

Omg I’m so sorry

Whats your favourite word?

Teritz,

Deez Nuts

TheActualDevil,

Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. The whole series really. The overall theme is change/growth. The books are chonky, and that gives him the room to do what he does best: character work. There’s a range of characters with a broad spectrum of personality types and issues, so it’s easy to find something that you relate to. Main characters with depression, PTSD, complicated pasts. And while they do grow and improve, it’s definitely more realistic than a lot of books I’ve read. It’s not easy or a straight path to getting better, and sometimes they stumble. But the books do a great job of showing that those things are completely normal and part of personal growth. The people around them give them the support we all wish we had, giving a good model for how we can support those in our lives.

Just a couple quotes that have stuck with me for years:

From Words of Radiance: “Keep cutting away at those thorns, strong one, and make a path for the light.”

From Oathbringer: “It’s terrible,” Wit said, stepping up beside her, “to have been hurt. It’s unfair, and awful, and horrid. But Shallan . . . it’s okay to live on.” … "Wit?” she asked. “I . . . I can’t do it. He smiled. “There are certain things I know, Shallan. This is one of them. You can. Find the balance. Accept the pain, but don’t accept that you deserved it.”

JRaccoon,
@JRaccoon@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

Empire of the Ants by Bernard Werber

This was the book that got me to stop hating books.

I didn’t like reading as a child or teenager until I was forced to read this one for a mandatory book report in high school and really, really liked it. I don’t know why, I don’t even remember that much about the book, but it got me interested in science fiction and reading in general.

BottleOfAlkahest,

The Xenogenesis trilogy (Liliths Brood) by Octavia Butler. It examines what it means to be human and how much of us can be changed before we’re no longer humans anymore. It also made me examine how we treat other cultures/species through the lens of how the aliens treat the humans and how they are so convinced that their way is the right way that they don’t even question it until it’s forcibly shoved in their faces. It shows the ugly side to the violent human agitators while also eposing the ugliness of the peaceful alien “saviors”.

There’s also a side thread of connections are chemicals in our brain and we can get trapped by them and circumstance into a situation where we’re not always sure we’re happy/on the right side/have any agency.

They aren’t long books and even years later I still think about them sometimes.

waterbogan,

Two books that helped me understand the world better particularly when it comes to human behaviour. Both are terrific reads although can be difficult at times for different reasons, but strongly recommend both of them;

  1. The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature by Steven Pinker is a great oversight of the science behind the biology of human (and animal) behaviour, explaining that it is a mix of nature and nurture (but leaning towards nature).
  2. Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us by Robert D Hare is a disturbing but easy read, and explains some of the worst of human behaviour, not just in the criminal justice system but also in politics and business
AccountMaker,

Two texts by Seneca: “On the shortness of life” and “On Providence”. The first one made me rethink the idea of “productivity” and the second one made me better at handling bad situations. But at the time I still felt crushed below the weight of a meaningless world, and then I read “The myth of Sisyphus” by Camus and my mind was blown. It was such an inovative way to deal with a world that doesn’t answer back.

Also “Discourses” of Epictetus. If there ever was a book that was simple, elegant, and usable right away for a better life, this is it. I’d recommend this to everyone.

It’s hard to single out specific works of Plato to stand on their own, I find the most value to be gained by having an overview of his whole philosophy, but “Protagoras” is my favourite dialogue, as it introduces some essential questions as to why are we so careless when taking care of our minds, and how nobody does bad things willingly (which is often repeated by Epictetus). Also the “Apology” is essential because it shows the basic thoughts that guided the greatest philosopher in the west.

ptrckstr,

The pig that wants to be eaten - Julian Baggini. It’s a book full of fun philosophical thought experiments. Enriched my worldview, and sparked my interest for philosophy.

bouh,

Babel 17 from Samuel Delany. It introduces me to language sciences, human sciences, and then humanism. It switched my point of view on all sciences, and on people too. But for people it also come from one or two other shorter novels from the same author. It was in the same book though. It somehow came during the holidays between high school and university, so like a coming of age thing. I will always remember it.

Another one is not from a book but a video game. Kotor2. At some point, you are asked by a ghost to take position. If you don’t, you are answered “apathy is death”, and all ghosts, friends and foe, attack you. It was almost traumatic : I learned with this that sometimes you cannot be neutral, you must make a choice that will have consequences, and you will still have to endure the consequences. I will always remember this : apathy is death.

bouh,

Oh, also, that I almost forgot: le livre du courtisan (El cortegiano) from Baldassar Castiglione. It’s a how to behave book from the XVth century. It’s surprisingly well adapted to our own. It’s surprisingly modern too, even regarding women (that surprised me the most). It’s very positive, and very different from what we would have today, yet you see a bit of everything you could ask for today. It’s been some kind of humanist compass since I’ve read it.

NPC,

Natalie Koch - De Verborgen Universiteit ( the hidden college)

It’s a dutch book, so not too useful for most people here, but it’s a great book. It’s very clear that the author get her inspiration from Harry Potter and doesn’t try to hide it. Which is fine, because it was written for an older audience.

The story is set in the modern world, on a university in London. Where normal teachings go on, but there also exists a paralel school for magically gifted young adults. It focuses on a 20 or so girl going there and finding out the history and mystery of her dad on that school. It still has a decent tween factor, but like I said, it’s written for an older audience than HP was.The book managed to fill a void I felt after HP ended and I grew old enough to not enjoy the earlier books anymore. It’ll always hold a special place in my heart for that.

Also, I used to want to be a writer myself and the writer of that book was al too happy to chat with me on Facebook and give me pointers on how to write better. She didn’t have to chat to a random fan, but she did and that scored her massive bonus points as well.

KrisND,

Unlimited Memory: How to Use Advanced Learning Strategies to Learn Faster, Remember More and be More Productive - By. Kevin Horsley

This single book has affected my life and improved my day to day life. Although not all useful, it has some very useful tactics.

I don’t forget stuff as easily, I can recall better for work, notes are minimal and if I do take notes its one or two word per item. Truly life changing especially while I was a student.

AnalogyAddict,

deleted_by_author

    •
    average650,
    @average650@lemmy.world avatar

    My story is a little different, but I resonate with that kind of change. After I found out my ex wife was cheating on me, it started the process of taking a lot of blinders off. I feel like I see reality better, but I do feel much more disheartened in trying to date.

    average650,
    @average650@lemmy.world avatar

    I forgot to mention, the life saving divorce, while I wouldn’t say it change my life, was helpful at that time.

    Adalast,

    Honestly, The Bible. No, I’m not Christian. I’m Agnostic. But so many fuckers who have read it love to wreck my life because of it.

    average650,
    @average650@lemmy.world avatar

    So, you mean, it’s changed your life because of the effect it has had in other people?

    DrMango,

    When I read Infinite Jest the first time I was in college I was dealing with a lot of “life’s crossroads” type issues, some of which I didn’t even know about until I looked back on them. The book helped me understand that I needed to stop relying on my “innate” talents and privileges and actually start putting in work for the things I wanted if I was ever going to have a hope of a good life. It also put into perspective a lot of substance use/abuse stuff in a really subtle way that ended up being very beneficial to me.

    Now, on my second reading, there is none of the profound and personal wisdom present in the text. It is an enjoyable read, but for completely different reasons. I guess that first read was kind of just a “right place, right time” scenario for me.

    2 years ago I read Divergent Mind by Jennara Nerenberg and it completely changed my perspective on the mental care industry and revealed, with studies and statistics, how women are systematically underserved when it comes to medical issues (both physical and mental). After reading that book it was like a big empathy door was kicked open in my brain that had been shut my whole life, and I suddenly started understanding some of the deep context behind the experiences of women in my life that I was previously never aware of.

    MrCrankyBastard,

    A comparatively mundane example, and possibly unremarkable to many, but I habe incredibly strong feelings about Spider Robinson’s “Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon” and “Callahan’s Lady” series. In particular, I read them during an extremely difficult point in my life, and the eponymous Law of Conservation of Pain and Joy completely changed me and my motivation in life.

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