Life-changing books...

[thaskalos]

Can a book really change a person's life?

Yes it can, IMO...if the timing is right...

There are two books that have done this for me...and I would like to pass them on to you.

Balancing Heaven And Earth -- by Robert A. Johnson

Warrior's Way -- by Robert de Ropp

Have there been any books that have had a profound affect on you?

[boxcar]

Can a book really change a person's life?

Yes it can, IMO...if the timing is right...

There are two books that have done this for me...and I would like to pass them on to you.

Balancing Heaven And Earth -- by Robert A. Johnson

Warrior's Way -- by Robert de Ropp

Have there been any books that have had a profound affect on you?

The best seller on the planet -- the bible.

Boxcar

[Greyfox]

Golf in the Kingdom by Michael Murphy

Any books of Alan Watts eg. Behold the Spirit

[Tom]

Tom Ainslie's "Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing"

[Dave Schwartz]

Back when I first read it, Tony' Robbin's Awaken the Giant Within was a life changer for me.

I have not found that the bible has changed my life. I have found, however, that God has changed my life more than anything else.


Dave

[NJ Stinks]

The Carpetbaggers

I never looked at a woman the same way ever again. ;)

[illinoisbred]

Stephen Ambrose's Undaunted Courage...a quest of exploration and knowledge that overcame insurmountable odds.

[johnhannibalsmith]

Tom Ainslie's "Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing"

:ThmbUp: :ThmbUp:

I can honestly say that if I had never read this book that my life would have been dramatically different.

[rastajenk]

I could say the same for Picking Winners. :jump:

[DJofSD]

Golf in the Kingdom by Michael Murphy

Any books of Alan Watts eg. Behold the Spirit
Reading that now.

[DJofSD]

I can not say if it changed my life in a profound way, but, I still remember reading "The Road Less Traveled" and being affected by it.

[lamboguy]

REMINISCENSES OF A STOCK OPERATOR

author: EDWIN LEFEVRE

this book is about JESSE LIVERMORE

[bigmack]

http://www.oddee.com/_media/imgs/articles/a251_t3.jpg

[Greyfox]

I can not say if it changed my life in a profound way, but, I still remember reading "The Road Less Traveled" and being affected by it.

When a good friend of mine got a divorce he was devastated.
He said Peck's book "The Road Less Traveled" gave him hope.

[Capper Al]

The best seller on the planet -- the bible.

Boxcar

The most purchased book and least read book in the world. Have you read it cover to cover?

[Capper Al]

Tom Ainslie's "Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing"

Good book. I'm re-reading it now. Truly a man who knew the racing game well.

[johnhannibalsmith]

The most purchased book and least read book in the world. Have you read it cover to cover?

If nothing else I think he's posted it cover to cover in bits and pieces throughout this forum.

[Capper Al]

If nothing else I think he's posted it cover to cover in bits and pieces throughout this forum.

Most don't read it cover to cover. They play Sunday school with it if they do read it, in bits and pieces.

[boxcar]

I have not found that the bible has changed my life. I have found, however, that God has changed my life more than anything else.

Given the sheer volume of everything the bible teaches about the Word of God, this is the most shocking statement I've read from a Christian, especially since sanctification is accomplished by the Spirit and the Word. :eek: :eek:

Boxcar

[boxcar]

Tom Ainslie's "Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing"

It's one of the first books I bought when I became interested in the game. It's a classic. And I still have it. But as good as it is, I cannot say it fundamentally influenced how I perceived the business of horse racing or how I could participate in the game profitably.

Boxcar

[Robert Goren]

I read this book rather late in life, but it did change the way I look at a lot of things. I wish I could have read something similar as young man.
Thinking Strategically: The Competitive Edge in Business, Politics, and Everyday Life by Avinash K. Dixit and Barry J. Naleebuff.
There was also a book I read in the 70s on "est", whose title I have forgotten, that taught me to a lot about achieving what I wanted.

[GameTheory]

Balancing Heaven And Earth -- by Robert A. Johnson

Warrior's Way -- by Robert de Ropp
I'm a big Robert Johnson fan -- I read that one after several of his others. Guess I should check out the Ropp book.

Any books of Alan Watts eg. Behold the SpiritAlan Watts always gets me thinking also, or "not thinking" actually.

[cj's dad]

The Carpetbaggers

I never looked at a woman the same way ever again. ;)

Are you referring to Hilary Clinton ?

[boxcar]

Are you referring to Hilary Clinton ?

If not her, then Pelosi.

Boxcar

[Overlay]

Personal:

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis

Journey Out of Time by Arthur C. Custance


Hobby-Related:

Winning at the Races by William Quirin

Commonsense Betting by Dick Mitchell

[ArlJim78]

the book that changed my life the most was Picking Winners by Andrew Beyer. It was the catylst that got me hooked on the game.

[Dahoss9698]

If nothing else I think he's posted it cover to cover in bits and pieces throughout this forum.

I laughed.

[boxcar]

The most purchased book and least read book in the world. Have you read it cover to cover?

Not hardly. How could it be at once the best seller and most translated book while also being the least read? :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Oh boy...

As to your question, I read through the bible at least once a year, and sometimes twice a year.

Boxcar

[Jay Trotter]

Best book............trying to think of one specific one and can't. It's more like building a wall, brick by brick, with books from a wide array of topics. I did read Moby Dick a couple times.

There are a few movies that have specifically stayed with me: Rocky, Saving Private Ryan, Pulp Fiction, etc.

Now, my most valued forum message -- that's easy:
This message is hidden because boxcar is on your ignore list (http://profile.php?do=editlist).

[sammy the sage]

Best book............trying to think of one specific one and can't. It's more like building a wall, brick by brick, with books from a wide array of topics. I did read Moby Dick a couple times.

There are a few movies that have specifically stayed with me: Rocky, Saving Private Ryan, Pulp Fiction, etc.

Now, my most valued forum message -- that's easy:
This message is hidden because boxcar is on your ignore list (http://profile.php?do=editlist).

Man...many here I've thought about ignoring...but...don't TAKE life SO seriously...we're ALL gonna DIE anyways...

[appistappis]

I read Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds as a young man. Taught me to think from the other side and that if it is me versus 100, I might be right and them wrong.

[ldiatone]

"the rise and fall of the 3rd Reich", by Willliam Shirer
and
"900 days, the Siege of leningrad" harrison salisbury

[Grits]

Personal:

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis

Overlay, its one of THE finest books I've EVER read.

He was a rare, rare man. One who many other writers have tried to emulate.

[dnlgfnk]

My favorite reading activity was to read through the roughly 14 books of the bible which provide a chronological, running narrative of salvation history. Then I've filled in much of the others in the context of the book/ time period they connect with.
Frank Sheed's "Theology and Sanity" best addresses the attempt to understand as much as we are able about the Trinity in this life, and gets to the heart of the message, summed in a fancy theological term: theosis.

Beyer's "Picking Winners" was an accident when I failed to check "no purchase this month" in SI's book club selection in the summer of 1975. I'll always be grateful, though being introduced to "Charlie" in "My 50k Year..." changed me most regarding handicapping. In a nutshell, I've slowly learned that "it's not how fast they run. It's how they run fast that counts".

[dnlgfnk]

Overlay, its one of THE finest books I've EVER read.

He was a rare, rare man. One who many other writers have tried to emulate.

Yes, Grits, although he emulated G.K. Chesterton.

[chickenhead]

trying to think back to my formative years..

Orwell, 1984 and Animal Farm
Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged
Krishnamurti
Burroughs / Kerouac / Ginsberg

lots of others, but those all put a dent in my mind and sent me down paths chasing after them.

[canleakid]

The Complete Book of Runnin by Jim Fixx,(1977) was at 230 lbs. :blush:

now @181 ;)

[NJ Stinks]

The Complete Book of Runnin by Jim Fixx,(1977) was at 230 lbs. :blush:

now @181 ;)

That's got to feel great! :ThmbUp: :ThmbUp:

[Greyfox]

The Complete Book of Runnin by Jim Fixx,(1977) was at 230 lbs. :blush:

now @181 ;)

Good read, but Jim Fixx died of a heart attack at age 52 after a run.

[NJ Stinks]

Good read, but Jim Fixx died of a heart attack at age 52 after a run.

:eek:

This chair is kind of comfortable.

[Rookies]

1) The Servant as Leader
2) The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test
3) Shoah
4) On The Road
5) Men at Work

[badcompany]

The book that most changed my way of thinking is "Counsels and Maxims" by Arthur Schoepenauer, who, IMO, is the greatest interpreter of the human condition of all time.

The book that most changed my life is the one below. IMO, it's the greatest money management book of all-time by a wide margin. When I was in my 20s, I made good money but always found myself broke, too many fast women and slow horses, then, I discovered that book and I've never been broke since.

http://www.dgfinancial.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/babylon.jpg

[Capper Al]

Not hardly. How could it be at once the best seller and most translated book while also being the least read? :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Oh boy...

As to your question, I read through the bible at least once a year, and sometimes twice a year.

Boxcar

Cover to cover? The least read book is a fact. Most people buy one to be in the club. Do you wager on horses, or do you hang around here to preach?

[canleakid]

Good read, but Jim Fixx died of a heart attack at age 52 after a run.

when your time is up it is up

[cj's dad]

images.jpg (attachment.php?attachmentid=8720&stc=1)

[Greyfox]

Best book............trying to think of one specific one and can't. It's more like building a wall, brick by brick, with books from a wide array of topics.


I think Jay Trotter is spot on the money here.
It would be hard to point to any one book as truly being life transformative.
Instead it is a process of building cognitive structures brick by brick.
Several of the books listed so far in this thread have all contributed to my thinking. For example, Chickenhead mentioned Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm which I forgot. Those are excellent must reads.
Going to bed last evening I also reflected back and thought that
The Republic of Plato and Eric Hoffer's "The True Believer" were two that I should recommend here.
I have a cousin who is not a member of this forum.
He would argue that George Bernard Shaw and Shakespeare were pretty influential on him.
So many books, so little time.

[rastajenk]

Glad to see a couple Kerouac references in this thread. :ThmbUp:

[elysiantraveller]

Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

Siddhartha - Herman Hesse

Non-fiction:

A Perspective of the World - Braudel

[Richie]

penthouse forum

[Robert Goren]

I think Jay Trotter is spot on the money here.
It would be hard to point to any one book as truly being life transformative.
Instead it is a process of building cognitive structures brick by brick.
Several of the books listed so far in this thread have all contributed to my thinking. For example, Chickenhead mentioned Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm which I forgot. Those are excellent must reads.
Going to bed last evening I also reflected back and thought that
The Republic of Plato and Eric Hoffer's "The True Believer" were two that I should recommend here.
I have a cousin who is not a member of this forum.
He would argue that George Bernard Shaw and Shakespeare were pretty influential on him.
So many books, so little time. I always forget about Hoffer. He was big when I was in college because because his two interviews with Eric Sevaried. He was a great believer in the common working man. He drove the local "intellectals" of the anti war movement mad. He did exactly turn on the Young Republicans either.

[DJofSD]

Here's two that probably were close to "life changing" at least as far as my career is concerned.

How to program the IBM mainframe using BAL: http://www.amazon.de/Assembler-Language-Programming-System-360/dp/0201073226/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1

All of Knuth's "Art of Computer Programming": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Computer_Programming

P.S. Wow! Volume 4A finally published: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Art-of-Computer-Programming-Volume-4A/Knuth/e/9780201038040?itm=5&usri=knuth%2C+donald

[Greyfox]

"Slaughter House Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

"The Roots of Coincidence" by Arthur Koestler

[TJDave]

Sailing alone around the world - Joshua Slocum

Read it as a landlocked kid from Oklahoma. Sailing became my passion. Still is.

[lsbets]

Atlas Shrugged. Read it in high school, re read it in 2009. All of the unbelievable clownish villains from the first time ended up in our government after Obama was elected.

[Red Knave]

Good read, but Jim Fixx died of a heart attack at age 52 after a run.
Also after he had complained to his friends about getting a lot of 'heartburn' recently. Learn the signs ...

Anyway, for me :

Atlas Shrugged
Lonesome Dove
The Lord of the Rings

[Red Knave]

Glad to see a couple Kerouac references in this thread. :ThmbUp:
IMHO, all his work got progressively worse (which means more difficult for "me" to comprehend) after On the Road. Desolation Angels was incomprehensible, although I read it through.
For me, J.D. Salinger after Catcher in the Rye was the same. His short stories including the Glass family stuff didn't resonate with me.

[Dahoss9698]

Why the deletion Pace Cap'n?

[Actor]

I hope it's not too hokey to say so but:

How To Stop Worrying and Start Living
How to Win Friends and Influence People

both by Dale Carnegie.

[TJDave]

I hope it's not too hokey to say so but:

How To Stop Worrying and Start Living
How to Win Friends and Influence People

both by Dale Carnegie.

Not one bit hokey. A 1968 course graduate. Lessons that last a lifetime.

[pktruckdriver]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51SXh1aTKKL._SL210_.jpg (http://astore.amazon.com/sartinmethodo-20/images/0964849372)http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41hhSEaI4VL._SL500_AA300_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/096307430X/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books)


And the most Important book that I read was the Commercial Driver's License Manual, it was the book that started it all, lol

patrick

[crestridge]

Serious: The Justification of God by John Piper; hobby/fun stuff: JCapper computer program, performing para-mutual research

[Bettowin]

Not the biggest impact but the first impact on my young life.

Where The Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls.

Checked it out from the library on Friday afternoon and didn't stop reading it until I was done. Pulled my first all nighter at 10 years old:)

[HuggingTheRail]

I already have about 3 months worth of reading piled up, and I think you folks have added 3 years to it.... :ThmbUp:

[thaskalos]

Since this thread was so well received...please allow me to suggest two more books which I consider invaluable.

"MY VOICE WILL GO WITH YOU - The Teaching Tales of Milton H. Erickson" -- by Sidney Rosen

"THE MYTH OF TOMORROW" -- by Gary Buffone

[maddog42]

Read De Ropp's The Master Game about 40 years ago.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter Thompson
Childhood's End by Arthur C Clarke
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein

[RaceBookJoe]

Always had a soft spot for " Think and Grow Rich " by Napoleon Hill.

Horseracing : "Modern Pace Handicapping" by Tom Brohamer changed my play for the better.
rbj

[DJofSD]

The "book" that changed my handicapping life: ol' yeller.

[Pace Cap'n]

Why the deletion Pace Cap'n?

It seemed the Christian thing to do.

[RaceBookJoe]

Always had a soft spot for " Think and Grow Rich " by Napoleon Hill.

Horseracing : "Modern Pace Handicapping" by Tom Brohamer changed my play for the better.
rbj

I have to add a fairly new one. While its too new to actually call it "life-changing" , i can see it getting to that point because it really made me do a lot of thinking/reflecting. "Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson. rbj

[Dahoss9698]

It seemed the Christian thing to do.

Figures