These are in order of Appearance in my Life:
The Giving Tree by Shel Siverstein -- It was the first book I remember reading to myself. The lesson on how to give is with me to this day, some 25 years later.
Hamlet by William Shakespeare -- This was my introduction to Shakespeare at the tender age of 12. It brought me into the world of character and King's English. I devoured Shakespeare after this. It is some of the most beautiful poetry I have ever read, and it's supposed to be dialogue! Thank you, Star Trek, for letting me know who Shakespeare is!
The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales by Edgar Allan Poe -- This was a copy of "The Tell-Tale Heart," a short story I read as a boy that I loved…until my father died. I used this book to try and write on my own with mixed success. For a long time a wanted to be a writer and Poe is powerful. Ultimately, I decided that is not the career path I wanted to take.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury -- As a Freshmen High School student, the talk about censorship and free thought helped to shape me. I read it over and over again. It has made me a staunch defender of free speech.
The Poetry of Robert Frost -- "The Road Not Taken" became a mantra as I went through life's turmoils.
The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell -- This was an amazingly funny and insightful commentary when I was budding into my political philosophy. It put politics on the map for me. It's dated, since it deals with contemporary issues (2000), but its style stuck with me as I tried to write and learned to look for more insightful books.
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer -- One of the best non-fiction books I have ever read, it expressed, in the wake of 9/11, my views about the violence, and dark side, of theism.
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by President Barack Obama -- Never has a book expressed my philosophy while challenging me with new information, simultaneously. It's not a book I have read more than once, but it stuck with me.
The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates by Frans De Waal -- This book was eye-opening, and I reference it a lot now. It opened my mind to the science and philosophy of morality.
The Art of Falling by Kathryn Craft -- VERY new, it touched me in such a profound way, that it became a part of me, its dialogue spoke the words within my soul.
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What books have helped shape your life? Your philosophy? Your politics? Your religion? Your view of the world? Where did you learn about character, theme, prose, poetry, logic, etc.? What books can you not do without today?
The Giving Tree by Shel Siverstein -- It was the first book I remember reading to myself. The lesson on how to give is with me to this day, some 25 years later.
Hamlet by William Shakespeare -- This was my introduction to Shakespeare at the tender age of 12. It brought me into the world of character and King's English. I devoured Shakespeare after this. It is some of the most beautiful poetry I have ever read, and it's supposed to be dialogue! Thank you, Star Trek, for letting me know who Shakespeare is!
The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales by Edgar Allan Poe -- This was a copy of "The Tell-Tale Heart," a short story I read as a boy that I loved…until my father died. I used this book to try and write on my own with mixed success. For a long time a wanted to be a writer and Poe is powerful. Ultimately, I decided that is not the career path I wanted to take.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury -- As a Freshmen High School student, the talk about censorship and free thought helped to shape me. I read it over and over again. It has made me a staunch defender of free speech.
The Poetry of Robert Frost -- "The Road Not Taken" became a mantra as I went through life's turmoils.
The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell -- This was an amazingly funny and insightful commentary when I was budding into my political philosophy. It put politics on the map for me. It's dated, since it deals with contemporary issues (2000), but its style stuck with me as I tried to write and learned to look for more insightful books.
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer -- One of the best non-fiction books I have ever read, it expressed, in the wake of 9/11, my views about the violence, and dark side, of theism.
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by President Barack Obama -- Never has a book expressed my philosophy while challenging me with new information, simultaneously. It's not a book I have read more than once, but it stuck with me.
The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates by Frans De Waal -- This book was eye-opening, and I reference it a lot now. It opened my mind to the science and philosophy of morality.
The Art of Falling by Kathryn Craft -- VERY new, it touched me in such a profound way, that it became a part of me, its dialogue spoke the words within my soul.
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What books have helped shape your life? Your philosophy? Your politics? Your religion? Your view of the world? Where did you learn about character, theme, prose, poetry, logic, etc.? What books can you not do without today?
