ProfDolske

Bookworm Faces (Nearly) Impossible Request

An impossible question was posed to me via Facebook: What are the top ten books that have made an impact on you?

You mean just ten books?  Mental scrambles. Head scratching. Seeks coffee.

For me, the impact of a book and/or author is rooted in the following:

1) Do I feel more connected to the world?

2) Is my world view broadened by this book?, and

3) Have I been intellectually challenged and invigorated?

 

I settled on this list:

  • Force of Circumstance, by Simone de Beauvoir
  • The Human Condition, by Hannah Arendt
  • The Apology, by Plato
  • The Story of My Experiments with Truth, by Mahatma Gandhi
  • The Myth of Sisyphus, by Albert Camus
  • A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, by Mary Wollstonecraft
  • The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  • The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie (I am a mystery buff after all!)
  • The Doll, by Boleslaw Prus
  • East of Eden, by John Steinbeck

But, of course, I threw my hands up because there are so many more wonderful authors who should be included!  Here are my honorable mentions:

  • Soren Kierkegaard
  • Aristotle
  • Leo Tolstoy
  • Nelson Mandela
  • George Eliot
  • Jane Austen
  • Margaret Atwood
  • Roberston Davies
  • Zadie Smith

What books have made a great impact on you?

 

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Comments (

7

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  1. siriusbizinus

    I would like to nominate an obscure author named Dr. Seuss who wrote two epics: “The Butter Battle Book,” and “Fox in Socks.”

    Reply
    1. unsolicitedtidbits

      Noted 🙂 Thanks.

      Reply
  2. Miranda Stone

    The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

    Reply
    1. unsolicitedtidbits

      Yes! That book turned me into an Atwood fan.

      Reply
  3. kingmidget

    As I wrote earlier this week, it’s impossible to come up with a top 5 or top 10 list that doesn’t include about 20-30 books. 😉

    But for myself I have a problem with the question … books that had an “impact” on you. I generally don’t read books for the impact. I read for the enjoyment. So when I see this question, I struggle with coming up with even one or two.

    Reply
  4. ditchthebun

    Oh my gosh I got this question too! I have not been ready to face it yet so I have ignored it hahaha. 10 is not enough, I can’t do it I tell you! 🙂

    Reply
  5. Dixie Minor

    That question was a difficult one! I had that posed to me on FB as well, and it was REALLY hard to do! I was surprised that so many of my choices were actually children’s books, but then I realized that reading those books in my early years had really affected me, plus had made me forever love reading! You put together a great list!

    Reply