Most influential Books you've read

gkleinman · **Posted:** Wed Aug 08, 2007 7:30 pm

Diet for A New America
Garden of Vegan
Men in Black (not the movie, a book by Scott Spencer)
The Contortionist Handbook
Fight Club
Siddhartha

the Asocial Ape · **Posted:** Wed Aug 08, 2007 7:59 pm

gkleinman wrote:

...Siddhartha...

awesome book! it's in my top N. Hesse rocks!

the Asocial Ape · **Posted:** Wed Aug 08, 2007 8:00 pm

Lindsay76 wrote:

...Vegan with a Vengeance...

awesome cook book.

BJJVegan · **Posted:** Tue Sep 11, 2007 12:47 am

Harry Potter :twisted:

acatherine13 · **Posted:** Sat Sep 15, 2007 4:58 am

HARRY POTTER ROCKS!
what did you think of the last book?

Clever Name · **Posted:** Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:09 pm

teanyrican wrote:

*Animal Liberation by Peter Singer, which I began but couldn't go through with reading.
*Dominion by Matthew Skully

Animal Lib is the most influential book I've ever read...picked it up 16 years ago after I decided to go veg b/c of not wanting to contribute to killing animals, but it made me first decide to go VEGAN b/c of not wanting to contribute to SUFFERING! And the reason I quoted you on both these books is that even after 16 years, I still haven't been able to bear reading Animal Lib for long enough to finish the book, the expose is so appalling! I acquired Dominion in the fall of 2005 and made little dents in it here and there...for the same reason, wasn't able to read the whole thing.

teanyrican wrote:

*Peace to All Beings -- Veggie Soup for the Chicken's Soul by Judy Carman

I'm going to have to get this one! I always rolled my eyes when I saw Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul and said to myself, "Why don't they just write one for the vegetarian soul and perfect the irony?" Finally!

My 2nd most influential book (really can't cite Dominion, as I haven't yet read enough) is a tie between The Women's Room by Marilyn French (a feminist novel), and Feeding the Hungry Heart, by Geneen Roth (a compilation of writings by women who suffer or used to suffer from binge eating).

veggieprincess · **Posted:** Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:45 pm

I've read lots of books that have influenced me. Two of them being Dale Carnegie "How To Win Friends and Influence People" and "How To Stop Worrying and Start Living" both read when I was 13 (I know, I was a weird kid).

But the book that has influenced me the most was The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyzyn(sp?)

She planted the concept in my head to consume less and reuse things, which led to a chain of events that brought me here. No book ever changed my way of thinking so much as that one. I still refer to the Complete Tightwad Gazette (which has all three books in 1) almost daily.

robert · **Posted:** Thu Sep 20, 2007 1:56 am

How To Win Friends And Influence People is one of my favorite books too! I often list that anytime I fill out lists of favorite books. It had a huge impact on me when I was a teenager and I still reference it today.

Good stuff.

veggieprincess · **Posted:** Thu Sep 20, 2007 10:41 am

Totally agree!

I have been telling myself that I have to go re-read both of those books again! Amazing that they were written in the 1950's and his principles still apply to every aspect of your life! They are timeless, timeless books!

Chitty.xvx · **Posted:** Wed Oct 24, 2007 11:13 am

Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
That book still tears me up everytime I read it purely because I question everything after reading it; civilisation, morality etc. Amazing book.
Howl and Other Poems - Allen Ginsberg
Its just amazing, such a great voice.

More, but its late here in good old Aus.

cubby2112 · **Posted:** Fri Oct 26, 2007 12:02 am

In general the poetry of T.S. Eliot, Allen Ginsberg, Jon Donne, Ezra Pound, John Donne and Amy Newman. The Catcher in the Rye, The Sound of Waves, The Grapes of Wrath, Tracks, The House of the Seven Gables and Respected Sir are among the novels. I love the way R.A. Salvatore writes and the imagination of Tollkien.

beforewisdom · **Joined:** Sat Nov 24, 2007 6:44 pm **Posts:** 3508

My contribution to this thread went with the last server crash, so here it goes again:

1. Green Eggs And Ham by Dr. seuss.
As a toddler my sister indulged me be reading it to me OVER AND OVER again to the point where I memorized it. I played a trick on my parents by pretending to know how to read. I got so much attention for that I kept practicing and actually did learn how to read by learning to associate the sounds I memorized with the words in the book. This gave me a tremendous head start on reading, which influenced me in so many ways.

2. Orphan's Of The Sky by Robert Heinlein.
Turned me into a reader and a sci-fi fan as a child, both of which had tremendous influence on my life.

3. Diet For A Small Planet by France Moor-Lappe
I picked up a book on raw foodism when I was 14, did it for a year, my weight dropped to 145 lbs ( Im 5 11 ) and I got sick. My family GP who had a lot of hippy daughters told me about this book. A girl-friend I had in highschool loaned me her copy. It helped me stay vegetarian and my diet has been legume and grain focused ever since.

4. Diet For A New American by John Robbins
Turned Me Vegan

5. What The Buddha Taught by Walpoa Rahula
6. Old Path, White Clouds by Thict Naht Hanh
7. The First And Last Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti
8. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
9. A Peoples History Of The United States by Dr. Howard Zinn.
10 How To Get Control Of Your Time And Your Life by Alan Lakein
11. Feeling Good by Dr. David Burns.
12. A Guide To Rational Living by Dr. Albert Ellis

13. Ethics Into Action ( bio of Henry Spira ) by Peter Singer.
Henry Spira was one of the first modern animal rights activists. His views about activism have greatly influenced mine.

Tigress · **Joined:** Sun Aug 06, 2006 5:58 am **Posts:** 666

Skinny Bitch - and now Skinny Bitch in the Kitch
Vegan Freak
The Pig who Sang to the Moon

I read lots and lots so this is a good thread for finding books to add to my list of what to read

beforewisdom · **Joined:** Sat Nov 24, 2007 6:44 pm **Posts:** 3508

robert wrote:

What is the most influential book you've read about veganism or anything else that really inspired you?

How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

I've been meaning to read that for years. I think I will make some plans over the holiday weekend and put that on a list somewhere.

beforewisdom · **Joined:** Sat Nov 24, 2007 6:44 pm **Posts:** 3508

Tigress wrote:

Skinny Bitch -

Another book I've been meaning to read....to my "to do" list

Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Most influential Books you've read

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