This book changed my lifeThe Goat writes, "Some books have made a huge impact on my life." It's true. It wasn't until the b3ta mods read the Flashman novels that we changed from mild-mannered computer operators into heavily-whiskered copulators, poltroons and all round bastards in a well-known cavalry regiment.
What books have changed the way you think, the way you live, or just gave you a rollicking good time?
Friendly hint: A bit of background rather than just a bunch of book titles would make your stories more readable
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chthonic, Thu 15 May 2008, 15:11)
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The Diary of Ann Frank.
I was on the cusp of puberty, an awkward stage in life, and the friends I had known since primary one had developed a very "emo" outlook on life. But this was the 80s and there were no such things as emos. They were just miserable gits. Pretty average for teenagers, really....
I had bugger all to complain about in life, happy home, plenty of good food, a reasonable time at school. Yet, by spending all my time with these two girls, I was gradually losing the happy-go-lucky nature and cheery disposition that had drawn them to me in the first place. Such is the way of the teenager.
Then, at school one day, we were given copies of the aforementioned diary, to read over the next two weeks. I read it in two days.
It dawned on me just how easy my life was in comparison. So my geography teacher clearly hated all kids? So bloody what? So my parents wouldn't let me stay out til midnight? Oh dearie me.
The realisation that I was making myself miserable for absolutely no good reason was the catalyst I needed to find myself some new friends. Friends I have and cherish to this day.
Mind you, I've never read the book since! Still, it did the trick.
(, Thu 15 May 2008, 16:24, 2 replies)
The museum in Amsterdamwas eerie and a little terrifying but hugely atmospheric the first time I went there. Good experience. Soon afterwards though they roped off the interesting bits and you could only really do a walk through certain areas which ruined it but for the sake of its preservation I'm sure it was necessary. Glad I had that first experience though.
(, Thu 15 May 2008, 16:29, closed)
I had a similar experience as a teenager.For me, the catalyst was Belinda Carlisle’s defiant song "Heaven is a place on Earth". I realised just how true that could be if I believed it.
I used to hang out with the "cool kids" in my early teens. As time went on, I realised their attitudes to life were becoming too cynical for my tastes. Aged 14, I realised that my real friends were the bunch of nerds I used to hang out with, so abandoned the ‘cool’ kids in favour of them and inside my head did battle with cynicism and won (for the time).
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mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Thu 15 May 2008, 16:53,
closed)
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