Books for maximum positive impact on your life

[zack1234]

The Fire next time by james baldwin

I am not black or homosexulet but that book is awesome

[Cthulhu]

Not the Necronomicon? 

The question was books to READ.
I WROTE the Necronomicon. 

[Lusche]

 

[eagl]

Thanks -- I'll check it out.

EDIT:  Which one, by the way?  Total Money Makeover?

I do think that personal/family finance is a vital area.  I've read a large number of books in that area and worked in the financial industry (hedge fund) for a while, but I didn't have any one book that came to mind as a good general book.

Total money makeover is a good start.  If you have a local organization (church, civic center, etc) that hosts his financial peace university, then that might be something to spend some time doing as well.  If you have kids, Dave Ramsey has a line of books and other products to help teach kids how to think about money.

[Blooz]

"How to Satisfy a Woman Every Time...and Have Her Beg for More!" - Naura Hayden

[Bizman]

My godmother was an elementary school Finnish teacher. I believe it was she who gave me an old ABC-book, long abandoned from active usage. I learned to read by myself at the age of four with it and after that my world expanded in exponential leaps. So that ABC has been the most positive impacting book in my life.

There's been many stunning reading experiences, but there's actually very few books that I've read more than once.  Among the few are:

The New Testament
"How to Win Friends and Influence People," by Carnegie.
"How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling," by Bettger
"The Jungle Book," by Kipling

There was one book, "How to be a success," by Pilkington, which I believe has had a positive impact on my life because I stopped reading it!  

[Nathan60]

Gwinnett county sheriffs docket. That one set me straight real quick.

[-ammo-]

A discussion over in the "Your profession" thread got me thinking about this.  What are the books you think would have the greatest benefit to read, and why?  Sort of like favorite books, but ones that aren't just for enjoyable reading.

Some of my list follows.

"Basic Economics," by Sowell, or if that one seems too long, the shorter "Economics in One Lesson," by Hazlitt.  These are books about economics, but at the level of governmental policy -- things like are wage limits good or bad, is automation good or bad, are tariffs good or bad, does rent control help create affordable housing, and so on.  If more people read either of these two books, countries could be spared many economically disastrous policies.  If a person would read only one of my book recommendations, this would be it.

"How to Win Friends and Influence People," by Carnegie.  This book's title has been a cliché, which is why I didn't read it for so long.  However, that was a mistake.  It is an excellent book on how to interact with people.  It is a book that can help you advance more quickly in any career and, importantly, interact more smoothly with people in non-work environments as well.

"You Can Negotiate Anything," by Cohen.  Excellent, practical techniques on how to negotiate, which is enormously useful in business and non-business contexts.

"The Power of Habit," by Duhigg.  A large majority of what we do in our lives is done out of habit, not by conscious decision making.  This book talks about how this process works and how to get control over it, to steer it in directions you want instead of having it operate in directions that you don't want.

"With the Old Breed," by Sledge.  If a person reads one book about war, this should be it.  It is marvelously well written and describes what war really can be like.

"Why Government Doesn't Work," by Brown.  How governments operate has an enormous impact upon people's lives.  This book lays out an argument in favor of a way different from how governments have been evolving.

"The High Frontier," by O'Neill.  Spreading humanity out from Earth would be a major event in the development of the human race.  This book is an explanation of how human colonization of space is achievable with current technology.

I would also pick books in a few other areas, but I don't have single books to recommend there yet.  I'll work on it.

Nice list Brooke -  and agree with your assessment of The Old Breed

I will throw a plug in for a book that I believe rivals the aforementioned in that category: The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Saajer

[TheCrazyOrange]

Great Gatsby. At least if you're mature enough to absorb the messages.

Money doesn't make happiness, you only get one shot at some things, and you can't live in the past.

[Scherf]

Great Gatsby. At least if you're mature enough to absorb the messages.

Money doesn't make happiness, you only get one shot at some things, and you can't live in the past.

That was one of the ones I read by 14.

I tried Ayn Rand, nearly hung myself.

[pembquist]

Money doesn't make happiness, you only get one shot at some things, and you can't live in the past.

Wait......what?....uh oh... I'm screwed

[SPKmes]

Oh the Places You'll Go

 I second 2nd this

[Scherf]

There are some good suggestions above you could try. 

Might try that one about habit, thanks.

[Brooke]

I would add three more books to my list:

One on personal/family finance.  Most people don't know much about finance.  If they did, I think they and their families would be better off for the knowledge.  I didn't have a good idea for a single book here -- I'll check out a couple suggested above.

The history of Rome (but I don't have one book in mind yet -- Gibbon's enormous multi-volume set would not work here).  Of all past civilizations and empires, my opinion is that Rome (even more than Greece) has the greatest number of lessons for modern nations and their citizens.  In my opinion, the history of Rome is most relevant to the old saying "those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it."  The history of Rome is a clear illustration of the importance of the rule of law, divisions in governmental powers, responsible citizens, and governmental limits and a clear illustration of what happens when apathy, self-interested factions, misinformation, and corruption are allowed to wreck it all.  The history of Rome is a lesson for the world's citizens and a lesson for our times.

Logic and basic statistics (but I don't have one book in mind yet).  Many people are illogical and have no grasp of basic statistics.  I think that they would have an easier time in life if they knew a bit more in these areas.

[Bodhi]

Who Moved My Cheese.  It helped me to make some major changes in my life back in 2001/2002.