Voltaire's Bastards by John Ralston Saul. It showed me how the world really works. Also The Doubter's Companion as a supplement to that.
Edit to add that after reading through all the comments, it's pleasing what a well-read community we have here.
this post was submitted on 28 Jun 2025
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The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog.
Harrison Bergeron is my favorite piece of US literature. Incredible short story
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The technological society by Jacques Ellul. This book introduces a new way of looking at the world.
Can I say the entire Discworld series? Sure they're funny fantasy stories, but I reckon Pterry's view on humanity formed a lot of how I think about the world.
Also Dark Money by Jane Mayer.
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When I saw that book in the elementary school library it was a revelation: There are books explaining the cool mysterious stuff like that! And written for kids to understand!
I think that one book is a big part of what sent me on the path to geekdom.
It wasn't technically my first nonfiction science book, which would be "Our Friend the Atom" but I wasn't old enough to actually read that when I had it (probably got destroyed before I could). I liked the pictures though.
Manufacturing Consent. Chomsky.
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
John Darnielle's Devil House is a GREAT novel. All of his books are but it's particularly great
A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley.
Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. The first book I read was "Guards, Guards" and it's still one of my favourites. I own the series and every few years I read through it again.
Played bloody knuckles with hard copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire once in grade school, and still have a lil mark from it.
Time enough for love - Heinlein
Nor crystal tears - Foster
A world out of time - Niven
Ringworld - Niven
Sassinak - McCaffrey
The Martian - Weir
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Whale Done by Ken Blanchard
Flowers for Algernon
Blackshirts and Reds - Parenti
She's Come Undone and The Hour I First Believed both by Wally Lamb have made a immersion on me. They are both wonderful and hesrtwreathing novels. Also The Long Walk by Stephen King is frightening book that makes me wonder, what would happen if we allowed that in American.
Two books that made me cry at the end and helped me shape my idea of war and what really is for the common men are "Il sergente nella neve" (the sargent in the snow) by Mario Rigoni Stern, which is about the retreat of the Armir (italian army in Russia) after the second Don offensive by the Red Army from the point of view of Stern, as they started the endless march back to Italy on foot, with the Red Army biting their asses. Almost 80.000 between dead and missing. Amazing piece of literature and yet another reason to despise fascism; and All quiet on the western front, which doesnt need many explanations.
Absolute chills everytime i think about those books and the images of tragedy and hopelessness they shaped so vividly in my mind.
The Selfish Gene.
As soon as the concept clicked halfway through the book my days as an evangelical were over.
It was interesting to me to hear years later that Wall Street types found it influential, because the thing I found most compelling was the explanation of why altruism and social generosity were rational traits.
His Dark Materials
Singularity Sky (and its sequel, Iron Sunrise)
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality (a fanfiction novel that is far better than the original series)
What If (and What If 2, by Randall Munroe)
The Planiverse
The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Society After an Apocalypse
Sophie's World
Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy
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Survivor by Chuck "Fight Club" Palahniuk.
After Fight Club I went on a spree of reading this guys work. Survivor was the last of his written before the Fight Club movie made it big. It was also released a couple of years before 9/11 which killed its chance of being made into a movie.
I think it highlights how being passive in the world isn't enough to avoid doing bad things. You have to make your own choices to avoid a bad result. Interesting story structure and has some dark comedic moments too.
Such a good book, I too went on a tear through his work after Fight Club and I think this and Choke are fighting for my top spot.
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Welp, I know what I'm reading next. Thanks!
Ender's Game is the first book that I ever read and then immediately re-read. And told people about how awesome it was. My librarian in middle school actually bought the book for me at a book fair. She saw that I was reading fantasy books to "fit in" but noticed that I seemed way more interested in Sci-Fi.
And Fight Club.
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The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guinn
1984 and Brave New World
These two changed my whole perspective on American history and the public school system, as I learned a lot of information that had been deliberately withheld from me.
- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
- A People's History of the United States
As for fiction:
- The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (Beautiful and a little sad)
- The Tapestry Series by Henry Neff (Just a wonderful series to read)
- Night Shift by Stephen King (Read it way too young, in elementary school)
- The Bible (in a bad way, God is an asshole)
- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (A trip through my childhood, basically)
- Incidents Around the House (A scary book that touches on all our worst fears as kid)
- The Witches by Roald Dahl (Just a great kids horror book)
Something Happened, the other, far lesser-known work by Catch-22 author Joseph Heller. It's too apples-to-oranges to throw around "better", but I already love Catch-22 and still prefer Something Happened. It's considerably longer, but in my opinion, it's criminally overlooked.
Consider Phlebas
I had been reading, mainly fantasy up until that point because of 2 less understandable sci-fi books. The feel of realism and cynisism, mixed with optimistic philosophy. I'm not a very visual reader, but that book made some awe-inspiring scenes in my head. It's just the very peak of 80s sci-fi
Still one of my favourites that I have read several times. The pace is relentless.
The Player of Games is my second favourite Culture novel.
"Entering Space: Creating a Spacefairing Civilization" by Robert Zubrin. My mother's work when I was growing up had a "free book shelf" that someone had put it on and she'd brought it home because I liked sciency stuff, and I've been extremely interested in space development and futurism ever since.
As a kid I read Paulo Coelho's 'Veronika decides to die' and it kinda reframed some of my thinking. From what I recall, it's a very wholesome and light read!
in no particular order:
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
- Swallows and Amazons
- How to Lose Friends and Infuriate People
- The Wizard of Earthsea
in no particular order
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Not sure if intentional but made me chuckle.
It's worth a read.
I think it's often frowned upon for being somewhat of a naive juvenile pocket philosophical rambling, or the dairy of a madman, but I'd say that it introduces some valid points about the concept of quality that you can then think about yourself.
It's definitely on my top 10 list of books. Not because it's great, but because I can often relate to it in miscellaneous situations even 30 years after reading it.
Same here, top 10 but lower half. I used to re-read it every 4 or 5 years, but I reached an apex point where it held up less and less well, and even abandoned the last read.
That might also be a result of having kids and realising that, while he went through something horrifying in the end, his behaviour before that was rather obnoxious. That said, he could have chosen not to have painted himself in that light, I just never figured out whether he realised it himself or was oblivious / felt it was justified.
Still, some magnificent prose pieces about quality and perception that are highly quotable, and broadly useful as tools to interact with the world around you.
Lila I never quite got to grips with, but my old man said I should try it "when you're older, much older"
I feel the same way about Charles Bukowski. I can read, understand and appreciate the books without liking the guy. He also paints himself in a negative picture, but the thoughts are still worth considering or just knowing of. Whether or not it's intended, I think it's okay for litterature to provoke the reader to think that the author is wrong or plain crazy, because at least it makes me think about stuff instead of just entertaining my existing views.
I did read Lila 25 yeas ago, but I hardly remember it. It's been a long time since I last read any books at all. Perhaps I ought to give it a second chance.
Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson.
The main character’s reflection on his past and continuation of growth really resonates with me.
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It's more of a short story in a book filled with time traveling short stories.
I'm trying to find what it's called, but I still have the book. After reading it, I had a brief period of time where I was questioning my own freewill and choices.
Basically it starts with a time machine being in a warehouse and scientists all around. The person inside is doing everything backwards and they are attempting to communicate with paper, often getting answers before there is a question. It's a good read and I won't spoil the end.
Shantaram. It was very much booth, a captivating pleasure to read and the utmost inspiration of willing to live life to its fullest and be a compassionate human being.
"The Arsonist in the Office" by Pete Havel
Helped me recognize that the incredibly toxic job I was in was not sustainable.
"It's Your Ship" by D. Michael Abrashoff
Excellent book on leadership. Should be required reading for anyone who manages people.
"Psychopath Free" by Jackson MacKenzie
Most people probably have no idea what it's like to be in a relationship with someone who has a personality disorder. It can be absolute hell. It certainly was for me. This book provided some good insights but also helped me feel less alone.
There are other books but those are three big ones for me.
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
it was the first book I ever read, and I decided to do it on my own. I was 16 and it was the greatest thing I had done for myself up to that point. It was such a big thing for me. I had never read a book front to back before, let alone deciding to do it on my own.
And so I checked that book out at the library. Went home and started to read the first couple chapters. Got some tomato soup and a grilled cheese and then next thing I know its 2AM and I read that whole book in almost one sitting!!!
The freedom it gave my mind was a gift I can never reply. Douglass Adams is and always will be one of my favorite humans for what he gave me in that story.
I agree. I've introduced it to a number of people and I find it's a bit of a litmus test for me. If they come back with "that's just stupid" I know they're missing a sense of play that comes with messing with the rules of life.
We lost DA far too early, but he left us a wonderful gift.
House of Leaves. I don't know if I want to read it again, but that book was a cool experience.
Yes! You may want to write in this one, it's kind of made for this.