ChristyB in TN Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 I need your book suggestions, please! What books do you feel are powerful enough to change people. If you were to compile a dream reading list for the entire world to read so we all could have a different perspective, become empowered and more tolerant, perhaps, and willing to be better people, neighbors, parents, etc. what would you want just your community to read? You all are awesome, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jpoy85 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 The 5 Love Languages The Shack The Bible How to be a great wife (todd wilson) They each have a certain thing that taught me something a bit differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted October 16, 2012 Author Share Posted October 16, 2012 (edited) Karen Armstrong's comparative religion books, starting with A History of God. I was just getting ready to start things off with this one! Perspective changing, for sure. I also loved The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid. His Moth Smoke is on my all time favorite list but maybe not this list. Another by Karen Armstrong would be 12 Steps to a Compassionate Life. It is interesting thinking of these books in this way. It seems that I think of many books I wish everyone would read but I don't want anyone to accept any book hook, line and sinker. I want everyone to read all of them to come to their own conclusions. For instance, I am so happy I read Ayn Rand and I am definitely a libertarian. However, I am not an Ayn Rand fan. I believe in helping those who, for whatever reason, can't or won't help themselves. I am not so certain it should always be the government. Rand was sort of a jerk. I want the whole community where I live to read a whole darn list. Edited October 16, 2012 by Mad Charity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnylady303 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Eaarth by Bill McKibben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JVA Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Mere Christianity Evidence that Demands a Verdict How Shall we then Live? The 5 Love Languages Love and Respect How to Study the Bible A Mother's Touch Well-Trained Mind Home-Grown Kids Better Late Than Early Boundaries ...those are some of the heavy-hitters for me. They CHANGED my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 (edited) The Road Less Traveled, Peck Your Money or Your Life, Robin The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families, Covey How to Talk So Kids Will Listen, Faber & Mazlish Plain and Simple, Bender Put Your Heart on Paper, Klauser Shelter for the Spirit, Moran Charlotte Mason Companion, Andreola Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, Borg Small is Beautiful, Schumacher A Pattern Language, Alexander Edited October 16, 2012 by MIch elle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted October 16, 2012 Author Share Posted October 16, 2012 Raising Cain and Queen Bees and Wannabees helped me so much when my children were young. I wish I could get everyone's to read those, simply to help them understand one another and the human-ness of us all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Definitely, in conjunction with the Bible, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann.without.an.e Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 http://www.amazon.com/One-Thousand-Gifts-Fully-Right/dp/0310321913/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350394210&sr=8-1&keywords=10%2C000+gifts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee22 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 The Misunderstood God Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - not a difficult read, but great at looking at morality outside of a religious framework. How to have Power and Confidence in Dealing with People - I think so many people have good ideas, they just don't know how to communicate them well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 (edited) Father Arseny From the book description: "It is one of the great mysteries of life that in atmospheres of the harshest cruelty, a certain few not only survive but emerge as beacons of light and life. Father Arseny, former scholar of church art, became Prisoner No. 18736 in the brutal 'special sector' of the Soviet prison camp system. In the darkness of systematic degradation of body and soul, he shone with the light of Christ's peace and compassion. His sights set on God and his life grounded in the Church, Father Arseny lived by injunction to 'bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ' (Galatians 6:2)." Whether Christian or not, this book provides a wonderful picture of humility and love in the face of an extremely tough situation. People want and need to be loved. If [western] Christian, it provides a beautiful example of the life of an eastern Christian. Edited October 16, 2012 by milovaný Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelAR05 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 The Misunderstood God :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 The Bible; pretty much any translation except The Message is ok; I personally perfer King James or New King James Passionate Housewives Desperate For God, by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald The Excellent Wife, by Martha Peace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Mother Teresa and Me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted October 16, 2012 Author Share Posted October 16, 2012 Mother Teresa and Me I read that. I have a client who is in his 80's and brings me books he loves. That was one of them. I love him. He also drives a convertible! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Your Money or Your Life Blue Like Jazz The Power of Story Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shusband Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis Wild Things, the Art of Nurturing Boys by James and Thomas Tim Keller's sermons on marriage (audio) Gilead by Marilyn Robinson Summer ds9, ds7, ds5, ds2 http://www.thebrothersh.blogspot.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jar7709 Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 (edited) The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, Carl Sagan The Secret Knowledge of Water, Craig Childs The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Cambell Edited October 16, 2012 by jar7709 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deacongirl Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Living with Intensity Les Miserables A Tale of Two Cities Let the Great World Spin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deacongirl Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 Radical by David Platt shook me a bit. I have been avoiding this one and The Hole in Our Gospel. I suspect that if I read them I might put them both on this list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dharmacat Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 The Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach Native Son - Richard Wright And I second Let the Great World Spin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 The God Delusion (For Americans) Lies My Teacher Told Me Hold On to Your Kids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Queen Bees and Wannabees Oh yes. That book put into words all those things I had mostly blocked from my memory. My contribution to the list is this pagan book. Yes, I'm tripping off current threads around here. I'm ok with people thinking paganism is wrong because most religions think others are wrong. I'm not ok with the fear based on fairy tales. (It's against my religion ;) ) The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I think 'Veronika decides to Die,' by the same author is more powerful. I'm adding a few books to my amazon wishlist. Thanks people! :) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sillymommy Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Happy Are You Poor I second How To Talk So Kids Will Listen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Paul Coelho's The Alchemist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 5000 Year Leap by Skousen The Way the World Works by Wanninski Atlas Shrugged by Rand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 I was 11. The Diary of Anne Frank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrdinaryTime Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Personalism by Emmanuel Mounier Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton (anything by him really) Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset (anything by her as well) He Leadeth Me by Walter Ciszek, SJ Happy Are You Poor by Thomas Dubay Les Miserables by Victor Hugo The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandra Solzhenitsyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 I am getting a lot o reading ideas from these responses. Here are some books (and one video) that have deeply impressed me over the years: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Wood The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell Cruncy Cons by Rod Dreher Boundaries by Cloud and Townsend The Healing Path by Dan Allender The Search for Significance by Robert McGee Educating the Whole Hearted Child by Sally Clarkson Dr. Art's Guide to Planet Earth by Art Sussman Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Bible Studies that change lives: Precept by Precept studies - from Precept Ministries International (Kay Arthur). In particular: Covenant, Kinsman Redeemer, Romans and Hebrews Disciples Prayer Life: Walking in Fellowship with God by T.W. Hunt A video: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams (also known as "The Last Lecture") by Randy Pausch - the book is good, but the video is more powerful, IMO. It's on youtube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diviya Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Climbing Parnassus, by Tracy Simmons Outliers, by Malcom Gladwell Mindset, by Carol Dweck Well Trained Mind Nurture Shock, by PO Bronson How Children Learn and How Children Fail by John Holt The Meaning of a Liberal Education, by Dean Everett Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Five people you meet in Heaven is a good one too. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 ...Your Money or Your Life ... My husband would second this. He'd also add Tolle's The Power of Now. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGHEALTHYMOM Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 The Bible The Shack Catching Their Talk in a box Great Expectations This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti Counterfeit Revival by Hank Hanegraff TWTM Boundaries :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 You all are so awesome. I read these to my husband this morning and he loved them, too. We are now installing shelves in our office and stocking a lot of these books there. I am also starting a new book club and I want the theme to be books that change a life, a culture, a community, a world... I am not religious, this will be fun! ;) please keep the suggestions coming, I am adding to it all day, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen Aroon Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 The World And the Prophets by Hugh Nibley A Tale of Two Cities Boundaries How Capitalism Saved America by dilorenzo (we read the chapter about the Pilgrims each Thanksgiving) Moonwalking With Einstein by Foer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah W. Smith absolutely changed my perspective on God and spirituality in wonderful ways. I can't wait to go back and read the responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Here are 2 other great ones on Mother Teresa...the first one definitely changed me. http://www.amazon.com/Mother-Teresa-Private-Writings-Calcutta/dp/B00394DH18/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350499455&sr=1-3&keywords=mother+teresa http://www.amazon.com/Mother-Teresa-Complete-Authorized-Biography/dp/B006QS1N2E/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350499491&sr=1-7&keywords=mother+teresa I also second "Hold On To Your Kids." It explained so much about my own childhood and really resonated with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trinchick Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 To Kill a Mockingbird (especially the amazing audiobook read by Sissy Spacek) Nickeled and Dimed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Creating Love, John Bradshaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 My list is probably less profound and more geeky in many ways. :lol: TWTM LoTR The Harry Potter series Protecting the Gift Knowing and Teaching Mathematics (seriously! It knocked out my math phobia!) Les Miserables Lies My Teacher Told Me I'm sure there is something I've forgotten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah W. Smith absolutely changed my perspective on God and spirituality in wonderful ways. I can't wait to go back and read the responses. Hinds Feet on High Places, also by Smith, is a life-changer for me. Puts suffering into a new "frame." Celebration of Discipline is one of my favs--talks about how the disciplined Christian life (traditional disciplines--fasting, prayer, etc) come from relationship with Christ, not just the other way around. Sylvia Ashton Warner's education books, esp Spearpoint were instrumental in my development as a teacher, as was One Child, by Torey Hayden. Can't remember the title, but one of the many Bonhoffer bios was really thought-provoking. It's hard to say what I'd want my community to read--very individual. I have handed out several copies of Evidence That Demands A Verdict, The Archeological Bible, and One Thousand Gifts lately, tho, so I can say those have greatly impacted me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 The Bible Concordia--reader's edition of the Lutheran Confessions Perelandra That Hideous Strength LOTR Girl Meets God Nothing to Fear and Business By The Book by Larry Burkett Mitten Strings for God Becoming the Parent You Want To Be The Berkeley Student Revolt An Old Fashioned Girl (Alcott) The World is Flat Revolution From Within Julius Caesar Antigone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomadicmama Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 The Bible The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis rocked my world. Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott was moving, funny, and poignant even if I don't agree with everything she says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 The one that I thought of that wasn't listed yet was If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland. I feel like that is the best book about supporting the creative process within us (it's not just about writing) that I've ever read - especially for women, but really for everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFM Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 (edited) Radical by David Platt shook me a bit. :iagree: I agree with a lot of these titles and lots of great recommendations, thanks. I also loved The Shack. Edited October 17, 2012 by SFM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Celebration of Discipline (Richard Foster) Easy To Love, Difficult to Discipline Sermon on the Mount (Emmot Fox) Alcoholics Anonymous How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt, and Live Properously Jonathan Livingston Seagul Gift From The Sea A Wrinkle In Time A Woman's Worth Why We Get Fat (Or Good Calories/Bad Calories) Zero to Zillionaire The Well Trained Mind (an earlier edition) Protecting the Gift Some other "new age" stuff I do not wish to mention Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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