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Life Changing Texts
Mim
dead.Registered User regular
dead.Registered User regular
I'm in the market for books that either have the protagonist go through something and come out with a self realization/different outlook on life or something that personally changed you in some way. Nonfiction or fiction, just something good. I'm 22 and I feel as though I haven't changed much as a person so I'm looking for that text that just does it for me or shows me how someone/some character went about doing things.
It can broach any topic: sexuality (though because I am female and in the questioning phase of things I'd like it to be more female oriented), religion, philosophy, history, anything. I'm not opposed to horror books or anything like that I just ask that in any text you suggest that cruelty/death of animals doesn't happen nor cruelty/death of children. Those two things will surely keep me up at night and ruin things for me.
Also, comics/graphic novels are totally cool too.
It can broach any topic: sexuality (though because I am female and in the questioning phase of things I'd like it to be more female oriented), religion, philosophy, history, anything. I'm not opposed to horror books or anything like that I just ask that in any text you suggest that cruelty/death of animals doesn't happen nor cruelty/death of children. Those two things will surely keep me up at night and ruin things for me.
Also, comics/graphic novels are totally cool too.
BlueSky: thekidwonder Steam: mimspanks (add me then tell me who you are!)
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And don't watch the trailer for the movie until you finish the book.
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I've actually read Catch in the Rye. If only I could find my copy...
Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett (Discworld, but easily stands alone)
The Makioka Sisters, by Tanizaki Junichiro (think Japanese Little Women)
The following changed me:
Survival in the Killing Fields, by Hang Nor (This is a graphic autobiography, though all violence is committed against adult humans.)
The Sandman graphic novels, by Neil Gaiman (belongs in both categories, really)
I'm sure I'll think of more.
edit: Hachface beat me with Invisible Man!
Invisible Man is a particularly painful example of the protagonist undergoing incredible change category.
Now that I think about it, The Autobiography of Malcolm X also qualifies handsomely, and is also an immensely painful transformation.
East of Eden.
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Really the first book I read that changed me as a person was my first real biology text, and now I've dedicated my life to studying the intricacies of biology and its applications to medicine. If you're looking for a Life Changing Experience (TM) I'd avoid the Oprah book club unless you're looking for that same vapid 'affirmation' that gets offered by such texts as Eat, Pray, Love.
You can never go wrong by reading the essays of the great thinkers whilst you determine what determine what sort of stuff you'd really like to dig into.
Similar to Robman several of the books that have changed the way I view the world have been molecular biology/biochemistry texts/papers; there's something very elegant in world at that level.
One of the things that changed my life was this book about Neil Gaiman and the Sandman series.
It's all interviews and deconstruction of the series I have never read... seriously after reading this I gained a whole new understanding of human story and how to tell good stories. I don't even know why I picked this book up but it changed my way of thinking about the power of story and how we tell them. It also made me look at people differently as I figured out how their stories and my stories interacted.
For women sexuality A Girl Becomes a Comma Like that. It has a weird vibe to the book and it's not that great (good not great) but it's def. sexual energy from a woman captured on paper.
Honestly though I liked her short stories better (some of which are about sex as well) the Apple Bruises. I am not sure which one I picked up first but I know I haven't finished Comma but devoured most of Apple (some stories are far far better then others - there is at least one about sexual fetish that made me really question how true sexual fetishes are handled when one party plays along but doesn't truly believes in it and the stress this can cause)
Edit: Oh and listen to the song Better Son/Daughter by Rilo Kiley and really really listen to the words. Every girl who I played it for (while going through the 27 year old mid life crisis combined with match.com) later thanked me for introducing them to that particular song.
Check out Something Happened by Joseph Heller. It's about a middle aged man living a life of quiet desperation, with mistresses and a family. It's Mad Men-esque (takes place in the 50's or 60's I can't quite remember).
Cat's Cradle, by Vonnegut, has the main character change quite dramatically in particular.
Dan Simmons' Hyperion books had a huge impact on my life when I first them, but it is somewhat hard sci-fi, and it is a four book series, so it may not be for everyone. Absolutely blew me away though, and I recommend them to anyone who'll listen.
But you should defiantly check out Zen and the Art of motorcycle maintence. It's not really about Zen or maintence, but a man trying to piece together pieces of a broken psyche and life.
Also, as others have said, Sandman is essentially a several century long story of self-discovery by an immortal being.
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And thus far I've read: Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, Watchmen and Farenheit 451 (which I actually really didn't like).
I have the first Sandman book, so I'll definitely get on that when the semester is over! Thanks for the suggestions so far folks!
I kind of want to ask what you guys did after reading these texts/hearing that song. Did you just get more in touch with yourself or did you travel the world or did you do something else?
I got more in touch with myself, and with other people, and with the world in general.
It's not exactly difficult either, to be passable it just requires 3-5 months, maybe 5-8 hours a week. Fluency of course takes much longer, and lots of practice
I'm not sure if it qualifies based solely on orientation, but there's Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.
Nothing Like the Sun by Anthony Burgess is a novel about the sexual and artistic evolution of William Shakespeare. It's fairly brilliant.
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is about a lesbian awakening. It is critically acclaimed by I found it tedious.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
The Stranger
The Way of the Peaceful Warrior
Neuromancer
When I was Five I Killed Myself
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Something like Jack might be of interest to you.
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The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (may have messed up spelling; long night) by Michael Chabon is very good and has a character who spends much of the novel coming to terms with his homosexuality. Also its about comics and stuff.
The story itself is a wonderful parody of normal stories. "What if the chosen one wasn't really the chosen one?" but I will admit that even on my second read-through of the books at least 50% of it was out of my grasp. These books have more politicking than any others I've ever read.
I know a lot of people say "don't read after the first one" but I would recommended reading at least the first 3. I've read the first 5, and the quality drops off a bit on 4 and 5, but I still really liked 4.
It helps if you like politics even a little but the book really isn't about politics. It is a hard kind of maturation. Better, but not unscathed. But those are the kind I prefer anyway.
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