What one book - fiction or nonfiction- propelled you to action?

The Education of a Bodybuilder by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Caused me to waste about 15 years of my life in the gym.

Ishmael

Some like it Hot propelled me to become a crossdresser like Hoover


[link to www.twitlonger.com]



I think thought propel us, not books -it's like the chicken or the egg -what came first, the thought or the book????

Heh... This has happened to me many times, but i will list one or two because it is hard to think of all the different times...



Number 1 - 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

While going through my first heartwrenching breakup (you know, the one you still think about 15 years later) - I started reading some of the magic realism authors from latin america and eastern europe (note: not many group both as magic realism, but i am simplifying) - this book can help 'put it all in perspective' - and I gotta say- Marquez writes beautifully - just beautifully - and I know what I am talking about to some extent. Essentially this book and some similar ones lead me to 'sow the wild oats'.... as they say. In preparation for regaining potential for TRUE LOVE. Not sure this was a great approach.


Number 2 - Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art - Various

This book is 50 or 60 essays or letters written by many of the most famous contemporary artists through modern history. It is a wide, wide array of artists from all genres - not just annoying installations or whatever. It is very, very good. It takes away a lot of the layers of absurdity and pretention inherent in contemporary art and makes the artists intentions clear, as well as the vitality and directness of expression possible in a contemporary art setting..

This book, which I read while about to finish college for a commercial art BFA degree really helped me reconcile my growing urge to embrace pure artistic expression, with my other interests of creating functional designed objects.


I realize these are probably some 'huuh?' suggestions for this forum, but I thought someone might find them interesting!

Yes - but our thoughts are shaped by our experiences - and books contain, in my opinion, the potential for transmitting pure experience. Sure its book learning at whatever rate, but thats still a good foundation for hitting the ground running - be it with woodworking knowledge, or knowledge of Jung's metaphysical constructs....

The World Happiness Report - online PDF

Cosmic Banditos

Man.. Now there is a depressing read.....

Our(usa) Ginni is waning!

waning I say... How is canada's?

The Bible!!

Chuck Pallahniuk's FIGHT CLUB

“It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.”

“You are not your job, you're not how much money you have in the bank. You are not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You are not your fucking khakis. You are all singing, all dancing crap of the world.”

“Only after disaster can we be resurrected. It's only after you've lost everything that you're free to do anything. Nothing is static, everything is evolving, everything is falling apart.”

“I see in the fight club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables, slaves with white collars, advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of the history man, no purpose or place, we have no Great war, no Great depression, our great war is a spiritual war, our great depression is our lives, we've been all raised by television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires and movie gods and rock stars, but we won't and we're slowly learning that fact. and we're very very pissed off.”

“I let go. Lost in oblivion. Dark and silent and complete. I found freedom. Losing all hope was freedom.”

“I say let me never be complete, I say may I never be content,I say deliver me from Swedish furniture, I say deliver me from clever arts, I say deliver me from clear skin and perfect teeth,I say you have to give up! I say evolve, and let the chips fall where they may!”

It is getting much worse.

I know I'm going to hear all kinds of bull but stop and think a minute....

I read the bible as required in school. When I saw things predicted in the bible come to be....

Hear me out a sec...I'm 60 years old now. When I was in 8th grade, we made it into RevelTions. When the teacher explained things like "a time of increased knowledge" she said there would be a computer in every home. Now back In the 60s, you had reel-to-reel computers in business that took up a whole warehouse. We All snickered. 1 example of MANY.

Speed up to 5 years ago. My daughter is 30 years old. Her boyfriend comes home, empties his pockets on the dresser and her eyes catch a Euro, the image of the whore on the beast on the coin. She grabbed it and told her boyfriend "my mom told me about this when I was a kid....". When she was a kid there was no Euro or even the EU yet.

All us doomers just have to look to Isaiah to know what will be, compliments with Daniel. Matthew and Revelations.

The New Pearl Harbor

David Ray Griffin

Two in the Pink, One in the Stink.

Tom of Finland lol

^^^
THIS

after seeing a jewish friend beaten by christian 1st graders, i was weary of the bible.. then eventually I read it, and was not impressed.


Picture this:

1st grade, schoolyard - ARIZONA - lunch time.... The night before in christian school, about 70% of the students had learned 'the jews killed your saviour'...... Few of us were not in bible school of some kind... I remember all this..

Anyway.. it went all lord of the flys that day...

I cried.. I went home and asked my mom "Who is Jesus?"

I am really proud of my parents for, in their rather simple way, shielding me from organized religion, while giving me real human empathy that is far more useful for moral and ethical decision making.

thanks.

The book, `The Happy Hooker`had a profound influence.

Helter Skelter by Chuckie Manson ;)

The Pet Goat

Interesting that President George W. Bush was reading a kid's story about a Masonic symbol (the goat) as his Chief of Staff Andy Card informed him that a second plane had flown into the South Tower.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy because anyone that can face doom in their robe and slippers is a force to be reckoned with.

All In

yeah.. but take his towel and suddenly he isnt so confident or nonchalant... now is he?

ENDER'S GAME

For me, I think there is something to this. Losing hope that we can have the American Dream. Realizing that the hype we have been sold for decades is just that...hype, not real.

It's only when we can see through the illusions that we can be real. I think for many, when they first open their eyes, their reaction is "We're fucked", followed by depression and a sense of loss.

Then comes the search for something to replace our hope with. I'm still in the search phase, and have considered every whacked out theory that is out there. The only conclusion I've reached so far is that there are no universal truths, no one size fits all. Each one of us must find our own truth. But without the first stage---losing hope in the dreams, realizing we are not the top of the food chain, that we have been duped and are kind stupid J (ok, I will speak for myself only here) ---we could not continue any growth.

Books can be helpful in our search for knowledge, and can spur us to think further or search further. But I can’t name any one book in particular. There are none I could completely agree with; there are none I would completely dismiss.

He wasn't very much anyways.

Cosmos - Carl Sagan

all books

Life is not enough for that.