I will include your name and email address, along with any commentary you care to include on why you chose this book above all others."
Lots and lots of people replied to Phillips' message, and, over time, the One Book List was formed.
Of course, that was long ago, and the information about the One Book List is only available now through the Wayback Machine here. The One Book List itself can be found here.
I often paged through the list back in the 90s when I was looking for a good book. The wisdom of the crowd is an excellent way to find the best of anything, I think.
So, my question to you today: What single book was for you the most influential, or thought-provoking, or enjoyable, or moving, or philosophically powerful, or deep in some sense that you cannot properly define, or any other criteria you wish to set?
I'd love to hear any commentary you care to include on why you chose this book above all others.
Inhaling the Mahatma by Christopher Kremmer and Shantharam both excellent reading.
ReplyDeleteI've had very big feelings when reading All The Bright Places.
ReplyDeleteI've learned that you can't replace depression with love...
Books have influenced me so much, and try as I may, I can not come up with ONE.
ReplyDeleteI don't know that I can pick one, but that is the task. Too many fiction books have stayed with me for years to narrow it down to just one so nonfiction is where I am going to land. I think I'll pick On Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. Years later I still think about, talk about, and recommend it. Maybe it's because my parents are aging, but it is a wise book.
ReplyDeleteDon and I often talk about the wisdom in that book also. When his Dad was nearing the end of his life, he found some of the insights in the book to be very helpful.
DeleteRemembering those early internet days is always interesting. I've never been sure how to find the Wayback Machine.
ReplyDeletebest... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Has to be Lord of the Rings because for the fist time since leaving school it encouraged me to read again
ReplyDeleteSo difficult to pick just one!! What's YOUR answer? I tried to find you on that old list
ReplyDeleteI don't think I contributed to the list. But the one book that I would consider to be the most profoundly helpful for my life is a book I read when I was just eighteen. It was Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and it helped me at a difficult time find peace of mind.
Deletei could never come up with ONE
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
Challenge accepted. Here is my post with my answer. The Chronicles of Narnia Want to know why? Follow the link. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIt's difficult to think of One. But perhaps I'll choose a children's book that set me on a path of a love of reading. Hmm. Charlotte's Web. which moved me then.
ReplyDeleteSimple Abudance by Sarah Ban Branach. Or if not a self-help book as such, "A Gift from the Sea."
ReplyDeleteA Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, a book we read slowly and carefully in high school with a marvelous English teacher who taught us to savor the words, the story, the historical background of this novel of the French Revolution.
ReplyDeleteThe Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh and The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer both come to mind for different reasons. The first is personal and the second is how people are a product of society.
ReplyDeleteI will take a look at the list - lovely idea. My one book will have to be Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult.
ReplyDeleteWatership Down!
ReplyDeleteMy mind is really struggling here with so many choices! Oh yes Watership Down holds memories; it horrified me and moved me... And The Hobbit just cos I like hobbits:) ANd and ...
ReplyDelete