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Desperately seeking mind altering books


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Things that make you go Hmmmmmm.

 

I'm looking for something that will change my perspective - or at least give me a new perspective. Any recs for books that made you think, challenged what you thought you knew or just plain shook up your brain? I'm open to any topic. Thanks!

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I don't know exactly what your looking for but try this book. It is a free ebook and really made me think. Headgates.org, it is also good to read it with the book "Simplicity Parenting". I don't agree fully with the headgates but it does make you think.

 

Annmarie

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15 books that influenced me in no particular order (even if the book influenced me against the author's philosophy). I'm leaving out The Holy Bible and philosophical works.

 

1. The Idiot

 

2. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

 

3. Fahrenheit 451

 

4. Brave New World

 

5. To Kill a Mockingbird

 

6. Slaughterhouse Five

 

7. The Republic

 

8. Things Fall Apart

 

9. Silent Spring

 

10. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

 

11. Atlas Shrugged

 

12. The Heart of Darkness

 

13. Uncle Tom's Cabin

 

14. Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

 

15. The Jungle

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These are science fiction but they both have a lot to say about the differences and connections between 'body' and 'self'.

 

I Will Fear No Evil by Robert Heinlien

The Ship Who Sang (and any of its sequels) by Anne McGaffery

 

I originally read them as SF fun reading but I find they come to mind off and on when I think about definitions of 'self'.

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I'm reading Bird by Bird, by Ann Lamott. It's about writing, but it's also just about life... doing what we fear, silencing the inner voices of judgment and perfectionism. It's blowing me away.

 

Flipping best book. I didn't read that FOR YEARS though everyone told me to. What a stunad I was. Now I read it every year.

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The Ship Who Sang (and any of its sequels) by Anne McGaffery

 

Sorry, but I can't help it... it's McCaffrey.

She's one of my all-time favorite authors.

Reading my son Dragonsong right now.

 

As for books, Catch-22 is probably a biggie for me.

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Sorry, but I can't help it... it's McCaffrey.

She's one of my all-time favorite authors.

Reading my son Dragonsong right now.

 

As for books, Catch-22 is probably a biggie for me.

 

Thanks. :blush:

 

I knew it didn't look right but I posted before I checked.

 

I really love all the 'Ship Who .." books and The City Who ... books. Dh liked the dragonsong books, but I never got into them.

 

Both Science Fiction and Comic Books have a wonderful ability to tackle tough subjects, maybe because it is just outside the real world and it is easier to talk about hard things there?

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Picture books with wisdom in them:

 

Grandpa Bear's Fantastic Scarf

Old Turtle

The Sneetches

The Lomax

The Quilt Maker's Gift

The Very Plain Princess

 

Older kids' fiction:

The Diamond in the Window (my favorite book until I read LOTR)

An Old-Fashioned Girl

The Last Battle

Number the Stars

 

Adult non-fiction with food for thought:

Eat, Pray, Love

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

The Feminine Mystique

Revolution from Within

Mitten Strings for God

Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit

An Underground History of American Education

Tempting Faith

 

Adult fiction with food for thought:

That Hideous Strength

The Help

My Year of Meats

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Mila 18

And the Ladies of the Club

The Ladies' Auxiliary

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A strange assortment to consider...

 

Heart of Darkness

Fahrenheit 451

Misquoting Jesus

The Sparrow

Sleeping in Flame

Nineteen Eighty-Four

Deadeye Dick

Born to Run

C

All the Names

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

Murder in the Cathdral

Life is a Dream

Edited by Stacia
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Anything by Bradbury, he gets me everytime. We just finished Something Wicked this Way Comes.

 

Which leads to my next recommendation, anything you read as a child that touched you. Re read it as an adult and see how your perspective changed. It was profound with books like Johnny Tremain, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, and The Witch of Blackbird Pond.

 

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, fascinating!

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Love Mungo's list. I'll add some nonfiction to that:

 

The Omnivore's Dilemma

 

Albion's Seed

 

And I just read

 

This Life Is in Your Hands : one dream, sixty acres, and a family undone

by Melissa Coleman

 

I would say that anyone that is a fan of Eliot Coleman would really love this book. Also, anyone seriously considering homesteading should read this book. It was very intense and quite gripping, so that even those with no interest in organic farming would have a hard time putting it down. Especially those of us that live outside the 'norms' of society.

 

Margaret

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For adults...ones I thought of in 30 seconds or less, otherwise it could get long :)

 

Jesus among Other Gods - Ravi Zacharias

Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson

Unintended Consequences - John Ross

The Heavenly Man - Brother Yun

Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand

The Underground History of Public Education - John Taylor Gatto

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Love Mungo's list. I'll add some nonfiction to that:

 

The Omnivore's Dilemma

 

Albion's Seed

 

And I just read

 

This Life Is in Your Hands : one dream, sixty acres, and a family undone

by Melissa Coleman

 

I would say that anyone that is a fan of Eliot Coleman would really love this book. Also, anyone seriously considering homesteading should read this book. It was very intense and quite gripping, so that even those with no interest in organic farming would have a hard time putting it down. Especially those of us that live outside the 'norms' of society.

 

Margaret

 

 

Thank you for this last recommendation. The Nearings' book, Living the Good Life, was a bible to me growing up. I am going to read this one :)

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"The Yellow Wallpaper", short story

Beloved, by Toni Morrison

House of Spirits, by Isabelle Allende

Nectar in a Sieve, by Kamala Markandaya

Christianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees

Fear and Trembling, Soren Kierkegaard (need to finish this)

 

 

These are a few books that shook me up. Have been rocked by many of the suggestions already mentioned as well.

Edited by Cindy in the NH Woods
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