Posted on 05/01/2018 3:18:41 PM PDT by Simon Green
Here's one that definitely influenced me: "Red Planet" by Robert A. Heinlein.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Planet_(novel)
It's the first novel I can recall reading, around age 8 or so. It was the start of a lifelong love of speculative fiction, and Heinlein's Libertarian(ish) philosophy certainly put its imprint on me.
(The main chsracter's father discusses getting a pistol permit for his daughter. The grandfather chimes in:)
"That a free citizen should have to go before a committee, hat in hand, and pray for permission to bear arms - fantastic! Arm your daughter, sir, and pay no attention to petty bureaucrats."
The Bible
The Canterbury Tales
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
The Godfather by Mario Puzo
Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
Treason by Ann Coulter
To be added to (or dropped from) this occasional ping list, freepmail Albion Wilde.
Mere Christianity.
None of mine have appeared before (hmmm . . . ):
The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Alex Haley
The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs
Guns, Germs and Steel, Jared Diamond
I, Robot. Isaac Asimov.
1984, George Orwell.
Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand
Probably the top books that provided me philosophical insight in my formative years around 10-12 years old. (Yes, I knew what a library was at that age, and I read every Peanuts book there was.)
Vision of the Annointed
by Thomas Sowell.
Brilliance
The Bible...and no other book comes close.
I became a Christian at age 8 thanks to my best friend belonging to the local Baptist Church.
Attending Sunday School, I still recall quite vividly studying Daniel and how his faith got him through challenging times in the lion’s den. That had a profound impact on me as a young kid.
That faith & knowledge of Daniel have gotten me thru some very, very challenging times that included losing my wife (literally the-girl-next-door) to breast cancer at 28 and becoming Mr Mom to my daughters, 4 and 1.
The Bible - First and foremost. Everything else is minor compare to this.
The Westminster Confession of Faith (including the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms)
Calculus: A First Course (Lynch, Ostberg)
Besides the Bible, my world view was unalterably influenced by The Mystery of Providence by John Flavel (a 17th Century Puritan).
Anything James Thurber but especially /The Thirteen Clocks/ - taught me how to write.
The Bible without a doubt first and still does today!
1. The Bible
2. Advanced Organic Chemistry-March
I read this, actually studied it, the summer before I entered graduate school. My graduate focus was organic chemistry. March compiled a systematic index of organic reactions and mechanisms which helped me enormously pass preliminary exams and my oral examinations on the road to receiving a Ph.D.
One of the highlights of my professional career was to see my name as one of the references in a later edition.
Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. It crystallized the idea of service over self and accountable conduct. The idea of floggings and hangings being the only punishments in that society was intriguing.
Colonel, USAF (Ret)
. . . and then there is “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie.
I so appreciate you taking the time to spell that out for me. I’m short on time right now, but high on interest!
1. The Bible
2. The Services of Holy Week and Pascha as published by the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese.
Glad to oblige, when you learn about sales and closes
you can know when they are being used when YOU want to
buy something and you can work for a better deal.
Maybe that is what makes Trump such a good President?
So now you track cost overruns at Oak Ridge, Los Alamos, and CERN?
That is a really cool story! Congrats!
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