Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - What is the first influential book you read?

Willravel · 05-06-2006, 09:24 PM

Um, the Bible? Maybe the Qu'ran? Most religous texts have effected my life profoundly.

If you're talking secular works:
-Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke. I read this when I was in maybe the 7th grade. This was when I was crazy about Star Trek and such, but had not really experienced all that science fiction had to offer. One afternoon I layed back on my bed, turned on the New World Symphony by Dvorak, and read the book in a few hours. Then I read it again. Then again. It blew my mind. Never had I read a book so inspired that had to do with humanities role in the grand scheme of the universe. Evolution, philosophy, and fate were perfectly intertwined in such a way only Arthur C. Clarke can. I'd reccomend this for anyone, espically sci fi lovers. This was also my gateway to all the great science fiction writers from Ray Bradbury to Frank Herbert to Orson Scott Card to Isaac Asimov.

Moby Dick, Herman Melville. I don't know how many times I've read this book, but I remember the first time I read it: 6th grade reading time. I was reading comics (Spider-man, maybe?), and my teacher handed me an old copy of Moby Dick. I gave it a chance. I needed a dictionary, but I got through it. It took A LOT of patience and it took weeks on end, but when I had finished it not only did I consider it a great feat to finsih the book, but the whole meaning of the book was perfectly clear to me. No conversation with someone or show on TV or movie could possibly communicate as much as a book. I still consider it one of the best books ever written. I dressed as Queequeg for that halloween.

Introduction to Psychology Through Science Fiction, many authors. This was one of my dad's old text books from college (circa 1972-74ish) I happened to glance at one day. It was a simple idea: take famous short stories by famous science fiction authors to explain psychology. This opened me up to psychology. I have my B.A. in psych.

05-06-2006, 09:24 PM	#2 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	Um, the Bible? Maybe the Qu'ran? Most religous texts have effected my life profoundly. If you're talking secular works: -Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke. I read this when I was in maybe the 7th grade. This was when I was crazy about Star Trek and such, but had not really experienced all that science fiction had to offer. One afternoon I layed back on my bed, turned on the New World Symphony by Dvorak, and read the book in a few hours. Then I read it again. Then again. It blew my mind. Never had I read a book so inspired that had to do with humanities role in the grand scheme of the universe. Evolution, philosophy, and fate were perfectly intertwined in such a way only Arthur C. Clarke can. I'd reccomend this for anyone, espically sci fi lovers. This was also my gateway to all the great science fiction writers from Ray Bradbury to Frank Herbert to Orson Scott Card to Isaac Asimov. Moby Dick, Herman Melville. I don't know how many times I've read this book, but I remember the first time I read it: 6th grade reading time. I was reading comics (Spider-man, maybe?), and my teacher handed me an old copy of Moby Dick. I gave it a chance. I needed a dictionary, but I got through it. It took A LOT of patience and it took weeks on end, but when I had finished it not only did I consider it a great feat to finsih the book, but the whole meaning of the book was perfectly clear to me. No conversation with someone or show on TV or movie could possibly communicate as much as a book. I still consider it one of the best books ever written. I dressed as Queequeg for that halloween. Introduction to Psychology Through Science Fiction, many authors. This was one of my dad's old text books from college (circa 1972-74ish) I happened to glance at one day. It was a simple idea: take famous short stories by famous science fiction authors to explain psychology. This opened me up to psychology. I have my B.A. in psych.