Exceptional Books discussion

What book(s) made you think differently about the world or the way you feel?

The Roads Chosen: first, it's a great suspense/adventure thriller. The storyline and characters have such a real life flavour: second, the author has travelled (lived and worked) where his story is based: third, my view of the world we share is altered by reading this. My reading has been more focused on the social issues the story highlights. My view of the people who live in the former Soviet block has definitely altered.
A book that gives both a sense of despair and hope.

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. A great read on illness and dying and how sometimes doing everything medically possible isn't the right thing or the humane thing to do.

tough times never last but tough people do

There are many, but I'll choose only a few.

My first pick is The Giver:

By Lois Lowry
When I first read this I was young. It exemplified the dangers of a governing power that lacks empathy. How knowledge and logic can lack understanding when it’s unable to empathize. To this date it’s one of the most powerful stories I’ve ever read.

The Second is Of Mice and Men:

By: John Steinbeck
It taught me that innocent souls are capable of unintentional evils. That those intending no harm might still cause it. Its lessons in morality are haunting.


The third book is Fahrenheit 451:

ByRay Bradbury
While I was supposed to read this book in High School my teacher allowed us to read Lord of the Rings instead. So it wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I finally read it. One of the most impactful parts for me was when the young girl in the book points out that the main character doesn’t think before he speaks. He just responds, saying the same thing as everyone else. That was the first time I realized I often did the same thing concerning certain subjects. Repeating phrases from the news or things my friends said made me feel intelligent. Though I couldn’t explain the reasoning or the why. The wife in the story also impacted me a great deal. “That doesn’t sound like me.” Was a horrifying phrase that will stick with me.

I must go, but first I'd like to say: 1984 by George Orwell, The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, and They by Kay Dick are also remarkable reads that have forever altered my views of the world.