Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Name a book & author that changed something in you:
1.) By broadening your perspective
2.) By exposing you to different ideas
3.) Or by introducing you to new parts of the world or cultures
Some books that touched me this way are:
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Well I’m going to have a boring answer because almost every book I read changes or affects me in some way. Whether it’s a self-help book that gives me a new perspective, or a novel that makes me go “Hmmm….Would never have thought of that,” or simply something that gives me inspiration to do something I’ve been wanting to do, many books have the power of influence. And since I’ve personally seen so little of the world, they virtually all have the power to take me places I haven’t been. Even historicals, where I may have visited the state in question, but of course historically it was nothing like it is now.
Thanks for stepping up and going first, BK. Good answer. You’re right. Books influence in many ways, some more or differently than others. Thanks for the reminder of the power of a book.
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak forever changed me as a person and an author. Every format of it (film, audio, print) had a different impact too.
Not one book. An entire series. The Zion Covenant Series by Brodie Thoene tells the stories, heartbreaking as they can be, yet always calling on the Hope the characters have, of one family’s plunge into the sinister days of 1930s and 40s Nazi Europe.
From Vienna to Paris, Mrs. Thoene, with the research of her husband, Brock, warns that the family’s days of wonderful cream-desserts-and-tea in Vienna can eventually end in frightening pursuit by The Abwehr, the German military intelligence agency, that one’s name can be spoken by the lips of Adolf Hitler and Admiral Canaris themselves, as they wonder where you are so they can kill you.
The chain of events of Europe’s plunge into darkness is spelled out in both drama and benchmarks. One can read of when the German Nazi war machine can one day march into your home and snatch your daughter for the Lebensborn, the SS-initiated, state-supported Nazi association that pumped out babies for the singular purpose of creating blond-haired Aryan Übermensches, the ideal superior men of the future who could rise above conventional Christian morality to create and impose their own values. Those values, of course, were the values of Adolf Hitler.
I have always taken the series as a serious warning of how a society can slip with ease into a time of when humans acquire the reprobate mind, when they become vain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts are darkened. In those times, the society’s people profess themselves wise, yet they became fools,
In all of this, Mrs. Thoene says, there is reason for great hope.
I want to re-read the series.
Wow, Jim. I can see how this series has stayed with you. It’s also a great idea to relive the experience by rereading it. The good ones stand the test of time and you get different things from it as you grow in experiences. Love it.
The books by Jules Verne impacted me as a fifth grader. Journey to the Center of the Earth, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Mysterious Island, Around the World in Eighty Days, and others. Adventure, new worlds, new perspectives, all that. And they inspired me to be a writer. I have them all on my Kindle and re- read them from time to time. Also the historical novels by Ken Follett. His Night Over Water is almost the perfect thriller, with the best ending of nearly any book I’ve read.
I love hearing about books that gripped people when they were kids. Thanks for sharing yours, Dave. Ken Follett is a beautiful writer in my personal library.
If I could pick one book that has changed me in a profound way, other than the Bible of course, it would have to be “The Testament” by John Grisham. I always keep a copy on my bookcase to give as a gift. I won’t go into the specifics of the book other than to say it changed my outlook on the human condition and my own need for mercy and grace. Once you get past the gruesome and offensive opening you will be hooked. Or maybe the opening will be what draws you, lol.
I love giving good books as gifts. Thanks for sharing yours, Phil.
If we’re not talking craft books, I’d have to say Silence of the Lambs. Not only is it beautifully written, in my opinion, as well as perfectly structured, but Thomas Harris opened my eyes to a new kind of serial killer, a killer who, although vicious, had many good attributes. I fell in love with the Hannibal Lector character, and I strive to achieve that same uniqueness in my own work. It’s not easy, though. Thomas Harris set the bar high.
I had to reread his books after the Hannibal TV show came out.
Robert Ludlum’s Bourne series hit me hard even before I knew I wanted to write. His page turning pace & chapter cliff hangers are amazing to readers but he made me want to write.
Thanks, Sue.
Speaking of killers, Jordan, a few friends and I were playing on Twitter this morning, trying to outdo one another with dark poetry. Fun! Anyway, don’t ask me why, but when I wrote this one, I thought of you.
Roses are wilted, violets near death, I’m entering your room to take your last breath.
That poem is so deliciously evil! 🙂
LOL Thanks, Phil!
Uh…thanks, I think.
*snort*
I love reading a book where the villain has qualities that cause sympathy or empathy. After all isn’t there a little villain in all of us?
Definitely, Phil. Like actors love to play villains, many writers love creating a dark character who can walk a fine line between evil & relatability.
I just finished reading a memoir by Kenny Porpora-“The Autumn Balloon. Young Kenny wrote down his feelings growing up in a tumultuous, chaotic, and impoverished home living between two warring, dysfunctional, but surprisingly loving parents. Writing was both salvation and the catalyst that gave him a different choice in life.
His book inspired me to keep on writing despite the obstacles.
Well said, Frances. I’m happy you discovered the passion for writing.
Son of Solomon, by Toni Morrison – changed the way I view the differences in our lives and the perspectives we gain in life and it gave me a greater understanding of the richness in our lives, whether we are rich, poor, or just stagnating in a rut.
The Celestine Prophecy, by James Redfield – changed the way I view spirituality and differences in our religious views and our own moral compasses.
Enchantment, by Orson Scott Card – changed the way I read fantasy. It made me enjoy the fantasy novel and folklore much more than ever before. And that’s saying a lot, because fantasy novels can become epically exhausting to read.
Two books (or series) altered my writing path, or started it. Y’all have heard this one before, but the First was the Nancy Drew series. I inhaled those books as a child, read them over and over. I never dreamed of writing fiction as an adult (I was a journalist-turned-corporate writing drone), a college friend who’d heard of my enthusiasm became editor of the series, and invited me to submit a story proposal. That offer turned into four books written by me. After my friend’s company lost the contract for the series, I had vague notions of writing something original, but spun my wheels making false starts. Then one day I picked up Kate White’s A BODY TO DIE FOR, and had a Eureka moment. That book introduced me to the world of chick lit and cozy mysteries, genres I had never known existed. I was able to channel the tone and feel of that type of book, in the same way I channeled Nancy Drew. It was like discovering a slightly different formula. Once I’d found it, the rest followed.
And a star was born.
I love a good mystery, Kathryn. Many many readers do.