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Most influential Books you've read


robert
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exorcism movies have no effect on me

 

Sooooooooo true! Most horror stories out there have their roots in religious fairytales, so if you don't buy into the fairytale, the scary parts are pretty silly. Very freeing. A lot of horror movies turn into comedies.

 

Baby Herc

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I read a ton of nonfiction books in many categories. The most influential to me were Super Rich by Russell Simmons and Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness by Robert Cheeke.

 

Wow! Thanks so much for the shout out!

 

I really appreciate it!

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Two of the best books I've ready lately: Under the Bar and Raising the Bar by Dave Tate, former top-level powerlifter and founder of Elite Fitness Systems. Great books for helping find one's center and learning to balance life between business and pleasure without losing your identity, something I've needed help with for a long time. Haven't felt this motivated after reading books by the guru du jour who claims to be able to help one find more harmony in their life, guess I just needed to read something by someone who has been to hell and back themselves vs. someone who only relays the stories of other people. Anyone who works for themselves and finds that they're not able to hold it down well enough and maintain happiness can definitely benefit from Dave Tate's writing!

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Slaughterhouse by Gail Eisnitz and Howard Lyman's Mad Cowboy were influential when I was transitioning to a vegan lifestyle. Work has crept into my reading time, but a book that made a lasting impression was Planetwalker by John Francis. Part travel journal, part sketchbook, it's an interesting memoir about a guy who walked around North America in silence for over 15 years.

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exorcism movies have no effect on me

 

Sooooooooo true! Most horror stories out there have their roots in religious fairytales, so if you don't buy into the fairytale, the scary parts are pretty silly. Very freeing. A lot of horror movies turn into comedies.

 

Baby Herc

 

idk - H.P. Lovecraft rocks my boat.

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The Story of Stuff:How Our Obsession with Stuff Is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health - and a Vision for Change

http://www.amazon.com/Story-Stuff-Obsession-Communities-Health/dp/143912566X

 

The Age of Absurdity: How Modern Life Makes it Hard to be Happy

http://www.amazon.com/Age-Absurdity-Modern-Makes-Happy/dp/1847396275

 

Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet

http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Life-Everything-Healthy-Plant-Based/dp/0738214930/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325803661&sr=1-1

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As for Veganism, what convinced me was the images and sounds in Meat your Meat, followed by hearing Gene Bauer speak, followed by coming across this very website of vegan athletes 7 years ago. The video was more powerful than all the books in the world could have been...

 

For non-vegan influential books, I may have posted on this thread years ago, but here is my list now:

 

Marcus Aurelius' Meditations

Basically a journal of brief philosophical musings.

 

Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris' books had a lasting impact.

 

For fiction, William Gibson, Gary Shteyngart, Jonathan Ames, to name a few....

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Hopefully you haven't become too militant

 

What's too militant? I don't know claim to know with certainty what the actual ultimate nature of the universe is, if such a concept has any validity... I just meant to say I like those authors' works, and I appreciate their perspective and arguments. Let's just say especially as a Vegan, living in the USA at this point in time, I have a special place in my heart for a reasonably argued, well-constructed contrarian viewpoint on just about any issue....

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I like all three of those names. All three are heroes to me in their own ways. Harris is probably my favorite but I don't like is weak argument for not being vegan (in his fairly recent Ask Sam Harris Anything #1 video). I don't like Dawkins' argument either, seen in the video interview with Peter Singer.

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I like all three of those names. All three are heroes to me in their own ways. Harris is probably my favorite but I don't like is weak argument for not being vegan (in his fairly recent Ask Sam Harris Anything #1 video). I don't like Dawkins' argument either, seen in the video interview with Peter Singer.

 

I am now reading Harris' The Moral Landscape, which argues that facts, reason, science, and the concept of well-being are the proper basis for morality, as opposed to liberal moral relativism or conservative religious "morality."

 

I am only a few chapters in, but Harris does often mention the well-being off conscious creatures, not just of humans. I suspect that he is just trying to pick his battles by not focusing more on animals.

 

In any case, to a thinking vegan, these 3 are quite important, especially in the USA, because the "biblical" argument in favor of eating animals is sadly so pervasive.

 

Read Harris' books and you will have plenty of reasoned, thoughtful points to make as to why this religious justification for the status quo is mistaken and quite harmful.

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The Story of Stuff:How Our Obsession with Stuff Is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health - and a Vision for Change

http://www.amazon.com/Story-Stuff-Obsession-Communities-Health/dp/143912566X

 

OOOooo! I like that one. Thanks for the link.

I read this not too long ago, Shiny Objects, Why We Spend Money We Don't Have in Search of Happiness We Can't Buy.

 

Yeah, level of saturation-advertising, materialism, and consumer culture in this country is scary... but I still like my stuff, in moderation :/

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The Story of Stuff:How Our Obsession with Stuff Is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health - and a Vision for Change

http://www.amazon.com/Story-Stuff-Obsession-Communities-Health/dp/143912566X

 

OOOooo! I like that one. Thanks for the link.

I read this not too long ago, Shiny Objects, Why We Spend Money We Don't Have in Search of Happiness We Can't Buy.

 

Yeah, level of saturation-advertising, materialism, and consumer culture in this country is scary... but I still like my stuff, in moderation :/

 

Looks good, but I can't find it at the library yet!

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'The Alchemist' is one of the most influential and inspiring books I've read. It takes two reads to first comprehend the simplistic writing and wrap your head around the concept, but for me it was the secret to love and life- be on your own journey, but inspire your partner and be inspired by them. yet never give up your goals/dreams/aspirations.

 

xo

jamessina

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I do a lot of reading, primarily non-fiction, but 'Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid' by Douglas Hofstadter stands out as easily the most influential book I've read. I've read through it twice now and enjoyed it just as much, if not more, the second time around.

I strongly recommend it if you have a passion for mathematics, computer science, and/or cognitive science... or if you just really want to feel a sense of accomplishment after having read through it (it's a significant commitment).

Hofstadter is vegan, too... if I recall correctly, in one of his other books, 'I am a Strange Loop', he explains his reasoning behind having made the choice and it echoes my thinking exactly.

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Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris' books had a lasting impact.

 

Also, this.

It was really a shame when Hitchens passed. I very much enjoyed reading his work and watching him debate.

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