# What is the single most influential book you have read? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 24, 2016, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759 "2016-09-24T20:29:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2016, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/41 "2016-09-26T15:28:45Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > _How to Win Friends and Influence People_. As an Asperger’s sufferer a lot of human interaction was a complete mystery to me. This book changed my life for the better. This is one I came to say. I read it when I was a kid and it made me better able to see things from another person’s point of view. I can’t say it ever resulted in my making friends but I do have the power to influence people. 😉 Another book that changed me was [Fast Food Nation](https://www.amazon.com/Fast-Food-Nation-Dark-All-American/dp/0547750331/ref=zg_bs_3568202011_1) by Eric Schlosser. After reading it, I read a lot more books about food production and stopped eating meat for a couple of years. ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/42 "2016-09-26T15:38:22Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > None of whom were in any majority. > > Yours may be the most fascinating and twisted form of self-loathing I’ve ever encountered. Seriously. > > You also seem to have completely misunderstood 1929-1950 as a time of cultural shift. The feminist of the 1920s (my great grandmother’s generation) and the 1940s (my grandmother’s generation) fought for the right of women to have an education, a job, and life beyond cooking and diapering babies. It was the housewives of the 1950s and 1960s that tried to push back that progress and return us all to what Friedan accurately described as the “comfortable concentration camp” of home and baby worship. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/43 "2016-09-26T16:01:40Z")
It isn’t a single book but when I was a kid I had like two dozen of the _How and Why Wonder_ books in a variety of subjects (mostly the biology and Natural science topics vs. the History ones). They were books written for kids in the form of questions and answers and I loved them. I read and reread them so many times and would get new ones for holidays and birthdays. They completely formed my love of reading and science, helped me in school and basically helped form my personalty as kind of a nerd. I can’t really overstate their influence on me even as an adult decades later. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2016, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/44 "2016-09-26T16:03:49Z")
I read the Bible. It helped me become an atheist. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2016, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/45 "2016-09-26T16:05:58Z")
The Hobbit. I read it in grade school and it developed my love of books ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/46 "2016-09-26T16:11:00Z")
> [@ZPG\_Zealot](#): > > The feminist of the 1920s (my great grandmother’s generation) and the 1940s (my grandmother’s generation) fought for the right of women to have an education, a job, and life beyond cooking and diapering babies. It was the housewives of the 1950s and 1960s that tried to push back that progress and return us all to what Friedan accurately described as the “comfortable concentration camp” of home and baby worship. I see where you’re coming from. Post WWII women did not want to return to traditional roles but society created a new role for women that focused solely on that role as housewife and mother, even for women with an education. I don’t see that role as entirely created by women, there was compromise based on the idea of returning to a traditional period following the Great Depression and the war, but it was mostly a return to the white male dominated society, and not surprisingly, guess who held all the power at the time. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2016, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/47 "2016-09-26T16:17:46Z")
It always comes back to Huckleberry Finn for me. As a young teenager it took me a while before I had the patience to read it all the way through and grasp the entirety of the story. I just don’t recall books that paint a picture of humanity in that way. I suppose I’ve learned more about some matters from other books, and been entertained by others, but I can’t think of anything that really taught me much about human nature and the enduring struggle to make sense of it than that book. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/48 "2016-09-26T16:28:54Z")
I guess we’re talking about personal influence on us, not overall influence, right? Because the Bible has been a lot more influential overall than any of the many others mentioned in this thread. But if we’re talking personal influence, I think I have to say it was _A Wrinkle in Time_, which shaped my career preferences for the rest of my life. I’ve said I wanted to be “a scientist” since I was about three years old, but it was when I read AWiT that I settled in on relativity. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2016, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/49 "2016-09-26T16:43:33Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I guess we’re talking about personal influence on us, not overall influence, right? Because the Bible has been a lot more influential overall than any of the many others mentioned in this thread. Well, of course. The Bible is probably the single strongest shaping work in Western Civilization, the linchpin of the history of knowledge and the rock on which whole nations were built. And that’s all religious considerations aside. So yeah, personal influence as in “what book by itself shaped you the most” - and probably excluding universal things like the Bible and encyclopedias and whatnot. ETA: Make it “What book had the most effect on making you uniquely you”? ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/50 "2016-09-26T17:04:35Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I see where you’re coming from. Post WWII women did not want to return to traditional roles but society created a new role for women that focused solely on that role as housewife and mother, even for women with an education. I don’t see that role as entirely created by women, there was compromise based on the idea of returning to a traditional period following the Great Depression and the war, but it was mostly a return to the white male dominated society, and not surprisingly, guess who held all the power at the time. The Feminine Mystique does a very good job of illustrating this by showing how women’s magazines went from being envoys to the world beyond the home to being fences to keep women bound to babies and housework. It’s really fascinating to look at women’s magazines before the 1950’s and see how much they discussed economics, politics, and culture. My favorites are some of the Victorian era magazines marketed to wealthy women. Almost all of the child-raising articles in them that start with “This is what you tell the nanny and/or governess to do. . . . .” ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2016, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/51 "2016-09-26T17:23:45Z")
_1984 - George Orwell_ It taught me to view all media, business, politics, authority, etc with a measured skeptical eye, and helped separate the altruistic influences from the self-serving in my life. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2016, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/52 "2016-09-26T19:29:57Z")
-_The Bible_ -_A Catcher in the Rye_, J. D. Salinger -\*A Clockwork Orange[/I[ - Anthony Burgess A fairly eclectic mix, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2016, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/53 "2016-09-27T00:52:19Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Because, of course, your grandmother etc. had far more rights, better regard from spouses and society, and unlimited access to birth control. > > Or maybe they were “strong” because they were going to stay home and pop out babies whether they liked it or not, and the “weak” all died in the process, and your mother had the _choice_ to be a “baby worshipper,” just as you have the _choice_ to opt out of Earth’s gene pool. ’ This is a warning for being a jerk. This post is uncalled for. Don’t make posts like this. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2016, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/54 "2016-09-27T14:19:40Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > …just as you have the _choice_ to opt out of Earth’s gene pool. It was pointed out to me that this sounds like a threat to the poster. And it does - I should have added a word that made it clear I meant **ZPG Zealot** , by name and from many posts elsewhere, has chosen not to have children and thus “opted out of the gene pool.” If I said the above at all, it should have read “…you have \*made \*the choice…” Apologies to\*\* ZPG\*\* and anyone else who found the comment… inappropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2016, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/55 "2016-09-27T15:01:08Z")
This will probably come as no surprise to anyone here, but the _Communist Manifesto_. It pretty much set the pathway for the rest of my life so far, regardless of where I’ve ended up and what I’ve ended up doing. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2016, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/56 "2016-09-27T15:06:39Z")
> [@Olentzero](#): > > This will probably come as no surprise to anyone here, but the _Communist Manifesto_. It pretty much set the pathway for the rest of my life so far, regardless of where I’ve ended up and what I’ve ended up doing. In the specifics of Communism, or in the more general sense that there was an alternative way to look at social/political systems? ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/57 "2016-09-27T15:37:17Z")
I’m torn between the Lord of the Rings and Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books. LoTR was undoubtedly a massive influence on me, due to being brought up by a Tolkien fanatic (I was familiar with the BBC radio adaptation even before I could read); it’s the only book I normally have two copies of, one to read and one to pass on, but I suspect the amout of my personality, views on life and sense of humour that can be directly attributed to Terry Pratchett is rather higher. I don’t remember when I read my first Pratchett, but I think I would have been 10 or 11. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2016, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/58 "2016-09-27T16:25:15Z")
Table Tennis for Dummies Actually, I still recommend Carl Shipman’s 1974 photography book [Understanding Photography](https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Photography-Fundamentals-Carl-Shipman/dp/B000VJCY8G) It’s not life changing by any means, but it’s a great read and workbook for anyone wanting a well rounded understanding of the basics of the photographic process. Still valuable knowledge even in this digital age for becoming a better photographer. (imho, ymmv as usual on the SDMB) If one really understands what’s actually happening, they should be better able to control it. Free pdf downloads are available at sites on the first page of my google search for it. otherwise, I guess the book of Obadiah. He was a nipper of figs, you see… 😉 . ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2016, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/59 "2016-09-27T17:43:55Z")
_Writing with Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing_, by John Trimble. I can’t recommend it enough. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759/60 "2016-09-28T04:00:45Z")
Not a book, but by far the most influential thing I’ve read in recent memory: The essay “Notes on Nationism” by George Orwell. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-you-have-read/766759.md?page=4)