well, as far as affectation, i read both Maus books by Art Speigelmen in like 7th grade. both made me puke, fucked with my mind for a while, i was really down.

When i was in high school, my mom suggested i read some John Irving. I read "A Prayer for Owen Meany", totally changed my view on life and it's purpose and our time here. really awesome, and quite comical

if any book really changed me it had to be "christiane f"

it's a true story, a pseudo-diary (transcript from conversations with a journalist) of a german girl living in berlin. it depicts the story of how she gets involved with drugs. it's starts with experimenting but it ends with a heroine addiction.

this book prevented me from ever getting into drugs, i experimented in my adolescence but i never crossed the line. the images from the book haunted me and were a big warning sign.

the book has a 'happy' ending with her escaping from the city and the drugs. so for me it really was a story showing there always is hope for salvation, redeption.

10 years later i found out, she made so much royalties on the book she is living a laidback life and hooked on heroine again.

the small ironies of life.

for the non-reading folks : they also made this into an acceptable movie (christiane f - dir: ulrich edel)

"to kill a mocking bird"
it taught me alot about racism
in my whitebread city.
also......about integrity, honour, commitment,
grace under pressure.,truth......etc.