In this time of COVID one of the great things the world has learned is that artists and the work of an artist is essential. Maybe not as life saving as our medical personal and grocery store clerks who literally kept people alive, but art has had a massive hand in keeping people sane. And one of life's finest artistic gifts is literature. Books change lives. Their stories and characters and tales of fierce humanity and fragile love have given many people a purpose to go on. That's why so many books are so often reread and passed onto loved ones. its always fun to spread the wealth.
Redditor u/maplesyrupdeficiency wanted to what literature we need to get to immediately so can enhance our lives by asking.... What book have you read that has forever changed the way you view or live life?Mortal Thoughts...
think tom hanks GIF by The Late Show With Stephen ColbertGiphyCrime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. Jeez, it's such a weird-but-in-a-good-way book that really makes you reflect on morality.
All is Possible.....
I read The Phantom Tollbooth at a young age & it changed the way I viewed the world.
One of my favorite quotes from the book: "So many things are possible just as long as you don't know they're impossible."
Yessss, I love that book so much! I remember the cookies shaped like letters when the seller explained how vowels taste the best which is why people use them the most, and letters like Z and Q are kinda bitter so people don't like saying them.
The boy who floated with his head at his adult height and his feet got closer to the ground as he got taller The worlds tallest dwarf (not to be confused with the worlds shortest giant, the worlds fattest thin man, or the worlds thinnest fat man). So much excellent wordplay and Alice-In-Wonderland type logic. It absolutely shaped the way I see the world today.
The Count
The Count of Monte Cristo. I have no idea what it did to me but after I finished it I knew I was no longer the same person.
I don't know about those guys, but I became wiser at the end of it. Like the book taught me the art of patience and planning and seeing it through. It's like I became a century old monk having that final epiphany. And I don't even mean using this skill in a malicious way. It just literally taught me to be patient and that has freed me from a lot of aggravation.
Jacked....
the shining remix GIFGiphyThe Shining made me realize I need to do something about my alcoholism. The self sabotaging; the crappy marriage; the excuses....
Jack Torrence is a massive piece of crap and I was identifying with him.
Finding Myself...
Night by Elie Wiesel.
Came here to say this one. It is my favorite book and it is so haunting. It really pushed me at a very young age to learn more about the Holocaust and what people went through. I went so far as to travel to Auschwitz myself two years ago. Powerful and painful but so important for all to educate themselves on what really happened.
Leaving a Mark
Of Mice and Men... seriously scarring but effective.
I'm a freshman and for virtual classes we got assigned to read it this week. I still haven't but i guess now i know what i have to look forward to.
I'd never read it before, but by random chance i read it on Monday. It's very short, probably only took 2 or 3 hours. I was amazed at how good it was for such a short book, and how much i cared about Lenny. I guessed the ending about 2 pages early which made it really sad to read. 10/10 would recommend. I'm reading catcher in the rye now. So far, not nearly as good.
All that is Fleeting....
Man's Search for Meaning....
"...everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." -Viktor E. Frankl
In my opinion, it is a must read.
Great book.
For those looking for "meaning" during all of this. Every man (and woman) has a meaning in their life. It may change from time to time but you find what your supposed to do and work towards it.
By the Numbers....
Zach Galifianakis Reaction GIFGiphyIntroduction to Linear Algebra.
After the first chapter, I decided I was going to law school.
Edit:While I have my 15 minutes of Reddit fame, it'd be dope if you could check out my band, Rawls Royce.
The Ender....
Ender's game. Summed up, it's not about winning, it's the way we win.
I was going to comment this book.
What affected me the most about it was Ender's incredible empathy. The connection between understanding and love. The cost of winning - destroying a part of yourself each time you destroy your enemies.
There's a quote that just stuck with me for all these years:
"In the moment when I truly understand my enemy, understand him well enough to defeat him, then in that very moment I also love him. I think it's impossible to really understand somebody, what they want, what they believe, and not love them the way they love themselves. And then, in that very moment when I love them.... I destroy them."
It just spoke to my heart. I think about it a lot.
Like a Knife....
david lynch come at me bro GIFGiphyDune. The pragmatism is real. It cuts through politics and religion like a hot knife through butter. It's like reading The Prince but applied to a very cool and original sci-fi world.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Breanna Michele/TikTok
Brandy Denise Mitche/TikTok
Elisa Pacheco/TikTok
Sophie/TikTok
Megz/TikTok
Rae/TikTok
Juicyjazz415/TikTok
Teresita/TikTok
Icelaaa/TikTok
@elonmusk/X
