Hard Times by Dicken's . This book is similar to my country's situation.
I cannot think of any single book. I early had an interest in psychology and the usual thinkers lead me down into the serpentine thought patterns of the art/science. Freud-beautifully thought through and written works, but myth making perhaps rather than actuality? Jung: brilliant but a bit one track: Adler, far too masculine and superficial an approach but right in many ways. Good way to introduce diplomats and salespeople to their craft.
The Elephant in the Room by Eviatar Zerubavel is marvelous
It is difficult to pick just single book but I always come back to the time when I read That Stranger- book is about the challenges of growing up...
I liked reading Virginia Woolf. Almost all her books are brilliant.
A Room of One's Own
by Virginia Woolf
"The Adventures of Don Sylvio de Rosalva"
by C.M. Wieland
London, George Routledge & Sons, Ltd., 1904
An occasional teacher of English Lit. the most rewarding writer to teach is actually Shakespeare because of all the intellectual layers to be found. Teaching Hamlet is like working a gold mine exposing more and more layers of brighter, better gold.
Hamlet for example: connects past and older but still existent beliefs-the ghost of Hamlet's father, predestination and the supernatural and the education, learning and science of Hamlet.
Explores different kinds of sexuality: love in all its variations including love of the mind.
the exploration of human autonomy through Hamlet's intellectual isolation and debating with himself
the first positive evidence of internality, alongside Michel de Montaigne. The modern Western mind comes into existence
Exploration of madness: what is its nature, uncontrolled or controlled, brought on by contemplating his mother's incestuous relationship
Hamlet's pain projected out onto others
Events caused by human moods, internal pain-plus the loosening power of the supernatural and supernatural forces-and The Birth of Psychology.
Another Book which strongly affected my life:
"Life and catching freshwater fish" by Leonid Sabaneev
Existentialism Is a Humanism. It is a lecture by Jean Paul Sartre
A Short History of the World is a non-fictional historic work by H. G. Wells first published in 1922. In 1934 Albert Einstein recommended the book for the study of history as a means of interpreting progress in civilization. I first read it in 1992 and it enlightened me about world civilizations despite some factual errors!
Some factual errors, Amir? Marginally better than Dicken's attempt. Very readable and entertaining though.
Stanley, I know that Einstein was smarter than me and he liked it!! There are many chapters that were truly enlightening such as Alexander the great, Romans, Greeks, Persians, etc. I have since read many other books with more updated materials that addressed the book's deficiencies. But it certainly got me interested in reading more about our common humanity and ancient past. Amir
Its a good read, Amir. It presents the view of liberal progression, that is each development follows other developments towards a particular liberal utopia. Not sure what Einstein knew about ancient History although I have an ancient history book that Einstein wrote an introduction for, referencing the intellectual development of humankind. A better book, unjustly forgotten along with its writer-a man unfortunately named Homer.
A book that contains the strategy of living happily. A book that contains scientific information on astronomy, mathematics, physics, embryology biology, ocean science, ... etc. A book that talks about the history of the human being. A book that talks about psychology, sociology and human rights. A book that talks about the future and the human past. A book that is always upday. A book that speaks of many things. A living and immortal book. It is The Holy Quran my book.
Mahesh Kumar Added an answer
Ramcharitmanas by Goswami Tulsidas What is it about?
Dear Dr. Esma Biroglu, thanks a lot for this nice question.
For me, the holy Qu'ran (Words of God which is available in the link below) is the book that positively affected my life and lit my way.
link: https://www.alislam.org/quran/Holy-Quran-English.pdf)
Regards
Sorry Arben, Hamid, with all genuine respect, but a very ordinary book hardly comparable to many of the books here, not comparable to parts of the Bible (excluding the Pentateuch which, although very well written, is otherwise appalling), hardly comparable to a number of Hindu and Buddhist tomes.
Things Fall Apart, an African Series novel by Chinua Achebe. It really inspired me
Not the case. I read it regularly and other religious books. I found, and find, the Qur'an poorly written in many parts, tedious in many parts, full of plagiarism, full of prior religious books. On here, many months back, someone mentioned the wisdom the book contains-with one of its sayings concerning allowing slaves to marry. Oh dear, dear. Sorry, but I can't find anything in it. My knowledge of religious books is considerable-
Arben, is yours? Are you able to make comparisons?
I agree with Dr. Stanley on the leg that there are repetitive content in our religious books but instead of labelling them as just plagiarised content, I label them as repititions for emphasis confirming the inspired words. Not finding any real import from the Holy Quran? I don't agree with you because I have gleaned many benefits from them. I share the view of Dr. Arben that there are fruitful lessons in this Holy book for even salvaging the ills of our modern societies. For instance, while working on a project on addressing the global biodiversity canker from the religious perspective, I recall some interesting strands I gathered in the Holy Quran and the Holy Bible that the Most High creator will reward individuals who cared for the environment while punishing all others who defiled it and it's rich biological diversities in the eventual judgment day. Followers who believe in these inspired words and walk by it will help make our world better via living in harmony with nature. There are many thousand benefits from these inspired books for us humans.
Arben, I do not really want to discuss these matters here. I have continuously expressed my deep concerns about the Abrahamic religious books, their lack of ethics and morality, their deep-seated violence and philosophic aberrations. There is no genuine evidence for the actual existence of Abraham, Moses, et al. My objective opinion on the Qur'an is as given and I firmly believe delusion, being instructed as very small children on its outstanding qualities, plays a considerable part in its reception. The world is full of marvelous books that should be read, consulted and devoured instead of these ancient tomes.
Once, Arben, I gave a class to about twenty men from Bangladesh, marvellous men all, and I asked them to talk one by one about their favourite books. For the rest of the day I endured repetitive and unsubstantiated claims about the Qur'an until I was willing to give up the ghost. Each saying the same things like sheep until their unthinking attributions mingled together in one long undistinguished murmuring drone of sound. That day I deeply despaired of humankind.
Dickson, I understand what you are saying as certainly the Qur'an didn't just appropriate but mainly, as with all these books, the original believers sought by changing established stories to authenticate their own religion. Nothing wrong with that, and in fact in the religion-business absolutely necessary. Islam attempts thereby to prove it preceded Christianity and Judaism.
The repetition I itemised is in the text. Prepare to be bored! Strangely, the text itself, the format and writing, reminds me of Ancient Mesopotamian religious texts. I'm aware there's an abiding theory that Arabian Bedouin came from that area originally not long before Muhammad, so perhaps there is a connection. It certainly doesn't resemble Christian text or Judaic text, both of which employ epigrammatic writing styles. And, as the writers most certainly got a great deal of their stories and ideas from the Book of Jubilees and other very late Jewish books, it does not appear to resemble them either. The Iconoclasm of course has nothing to do with Abraham-but is taken from the Book of Jubilees and books written close to Muhammad's birth.
Yes, Mohanad, some novels and philosophic books. Religious books? No.
Yes, as rightly put by Dr. Dickson Adom, Above all books ever read in my entire world, the world of God (bible) is the most inspiring. It is a book of life.
The Holy Quran, the last revelation and the greatest gift of Allah, Almighty, to humanity.
Instead of the Bible and Qur'an, but commensurate: A few superman comics(born on krypton, but the most powerful being on earth and the universe), a couple of bulky books on genocide, a pinch of hypocrisy, war manuals (in place of both) and a scattering of delusion encased within thick leather bound tomes. Just a thought.
I take your point, but must add a note of caution, Stanley. The creators of Superman were both Jewish, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and his real name is Kal-El, which has repeatedly been translated on line from Hebrew as either Voice of God or Vessel of God. This casts him in the order of angels and archangels, like Michael and Gabriel. And of course in recent times the character has also been given a Christian overlay with stories both in the comics and on screen of his dying to save the world, and then being raised from the dead.
For myself, the Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge comics of Carl Barks, who first opened my eyes to ancient history and the diverse cultures of the world through their various adventures. The writings of Colin Wilson, starting with The Outsider and The Mind Parasites, which introduced me to Phenomenology and many other things. And Stephen R Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, which taught me what you can do with Fantasy literature.
Moral lessons and moral guidance can be found in all kinds of literature, not just religious texts.
Well, my point really Kathleen.
The Kal-El business is interesting, and thanks for bringing it up, because my researches confirm, where it is possible, that El was likely to be the first Hebrew god-the name Israel may indicate that but we cannot be sure. YHWH was quite late on. I wonder if the writers knew that. I did know they were Jewish and in fact got their inspiration from Jewish hero figures such as Samson. The Jews received them from Mesopotamian superhuman types (demi-gods too) such as Lugalbanda (speed like Flash (DC)), Gilgamesh (great strength) and Enkidu, his doppelganger. I loved DC as a child and learnt a great deal of science from the Superman comics, more than from school.
Yes, the archangels too morphed into superheroes.
You like Colin Wilson? I read him many years back and did think he was vastly overrated. Sorry. All those writers and thinkers he identified with were Outsiders, and surely his analysis goes no further than that-identification with his own bohemian fantasies. Thin on real thinking, I thought, with undistinguished prose. He came through at the right time, an erudite working class boy who looked as if he belonged in Oxbridge with a hastily written book published in the early 1950s-the time of emerging Rock and Roll and working class aspirants.
I have never read the other book of his you mention, nor Donaldson.
Oh, Kathleen (incidentally my mother's name as she was half Irish) I forgot-of course Michael and Gabriel indicate El/el/il the chief Canaanite god and if I remember correctly Michael was originally a Canaanite god (well definitely not Hebrew) and therefore Gabriel probably was as well. Yes, DC comics like Moses are Jews´ fantasy revenge. Their stories, gleaned from Mesopotamia, Egypt and Syria, always resonate. Allah was/is a fairly ancient god (maybe, or just anecdotal) and may also be a memory of el who ceased to be worshiped in the hill-country (Israel/Judah) by the 8th century morphing into younger martial or more aggressive gods such as Hadon, Ba'al and YHWH.
Revived of course as Superman. El works in wondrous ways ……..or whatever!
The Bible, especially the book of Job.
The second one, Ilias and Odysseos.
Even if I'm subjected to scientific torture to extract information from my brain, it will fail to identify the book that affected my life the most. Friends, It is impossible
Another book, that impressed me so much is "The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Koran" by Christoph Luxenberg. It gives new explaynations for some difficult passages in the tex of the Koran.
Tolstoy-s too moral for my tastes.
John Keats-showed how to write extremely well
`Arthur Rimbaud-risk the nature of your material
Rilke-complexity in poetry
Boys in childhood must read adventure stories. Only in this case, the real brigand will grow from them. Three Musketeers, Fifteen-Year Captain, Two Captains (last is a Russian book, the first two, I hope, everyone knows) ... Tolstoy is definitely not on this list. I started reading Tolstoy after 18, but this is a completely different story.
Every book is like a tiny Led bulb. You need several of them to light your way. No matter how dumb a writer may seem there must be a beam from the book no matter how weak its rays
. In a nutshell all the books I've contributed to the beam that provides light for my journey to success
Hard to mention from the plenty of Knowledge Banks for a particular one.
The first book which affected my life from my childhood is Ramacharitamanas. This book tells you How to behave with human. The modalities regarding the behavior with mother, father, brother, servants, friends, unknowns , animals, the nature, and even enemies is beautifully described in it. To deal equally with your followers and non believers without any bias is the uniqueness of Lord Rama (The leading character of this book). It provides a complete guide to the life. That's why Rama is considered as Maryadapurushottama. (The Perfect man)
He's known to be soft hearted, kind and considerate of the feelings of the people around him. He was kind, passionate, fearless and simple. He never did any harm to his people and was a king of his own terms. He was dedicated to his state Ayodhya and its people. Devotees consider him the ultimate son that goes unequaled with every possible good quality they can think of. He was the king, yet flexible to adjust himself in every kind of circumstances. Rama is not labeled as Maryada Purushottam to show respect to him just because he was the God! He respected his people and appreciated their decisions and talks.The words he spoke ware his strength and he never misused his fame and wealth.
He was the king and all the people around him loved him heartily.
Rama was a perfect man. A good son, good student, good brother and good husband.
On the top of it, a good king, who could suffer throughout the whole life but would never let suffer the people of Ayodhya.
Rama was Maryada Pusushottam,
for whom words mattered, not his own life.
Promises mattered, not happiness.
Commitments mattered, not wealth.
The second book which affected me is SOMANATH written by Acharya Chatursen. Very beautifully described about the invader who repeatedly attacked the India 17 times And finally Demolished the Great Hindu temple Somanath.
The third book which greatly affected me is CHARAK SAMHITA (3000 BC); a great treatise of Ayurveda written by Acharya CHARAK . If anyone have no enough time for several books then go through this way. A single book where we get the ethics of personal, social, mental, spiritual life and health. It encompasses medical, anatomical, physiological,pharmacological, herbal, and almost every aspect of life science including research methodology. It is of great value simultaneously for a common man and researchers.
Books of Neuro-linguistic programming, the art of time management, the art of dealing with others, your reading of these books may change your life, and this means that any book that a person reads affects his behavior and personality because personality is the product of human culture and experiences.
"The Adventures of Don Sylvio de Rosalva" by C.M. Wieland London, George Routledge & Sons, Ltd., 1904 … Read more
The Holy Quran is the most impotent book that affected my life and the lives of all Muslims.
There is no book in particular. But there are many books affected me at every stage of my life in childhood I love the stories of children pictured talking about the supernatural hero who can fly and help everyone needs help, while the young I loved reading and influenced by many books are stories where gas and need intelligence Great to solve especially Agatha Christie novels. As for the teaching stage at the university, I loved and read many books in the field of physics, especially laser and molecular physics. So I can say that I have been influenced by every stage of my life with a certain quality of books. Of course this does not prevent me from reading many of the books that I mentioned.
There are many things other than books that have left a great impact in my life and I have learned lessons from them that are not available in books .
Dear Esma Biroglu,
It not only book, there are several factor which involve like love, care of parents, teachers and society which bring awareness, growth, development and real way to survive.
But few influencing book which i really like to take name are :
Wings of Fire: An Autobiography of A P J Abdul Kalam
Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth: Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma) Gandhi .
Book As a Man Thinketh
In writing "As a Man Thinketh," the book can tell us how to think positively through the use of our financial resources, attention and care for health, appearance and the environment, and it leaves the option for you either to control your thoughts or create a life you see, or remain overwhelmed by negativity, frustration and failure. .
"Beyond the wall of sleep", H.P. Lovecraft. It was the first time I discovered something I thought granted and innocent could turn unexpected and even dangerous.
"La vie devant soi" by Romain Gary read first in college without much notice. Then read once again 2 years ago (not in college anymore mind you). It strucked me to see how much I missed most of it the first time. My emphasize this time was on old age and intercultural matters. It is a book as cruel as reality can be but filled with empathy at the same time. Lovely read!
القرآن الكريم , فقد تعلمت منه كيف تكون انساناً بما تحمله الكلمة من معنى
A letter written by my father while I was in hostel and I got second division on which he shared his emotions and feelings with me.
After my master’s in philosophy, I spent a couple of frustrating years attempting to find a nonacademic career during an economic downturn. During that time I read only two philosophy books, one of which was Arthur Pap, Semantics and Necessary Truth, which was pivotal in my decision to return to school for a PhD in philosophy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Pap
A substantial selection from Pap’s book is available here:
http://www.stephankinsella.com/wp-content/uploads/texts/pap_semantics.pdf
Another memorable book that struck a chord with me in a more general uplifting way is Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine, which deals with themes of youth, old age, small-town life, and humanity. Reviewers have described it as a work of “nostalgic autobiographical fantasy”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dandelion_Wine
It can be downloaded for free in various formats here:
http://en.bookfi.net/s/?q=dandelion+wine&e=1&t=0
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