Books That Have Inspired You...

I read a lot but I can't say that there are that many books that have inspired me. Anyhoo, in the last couple of months I've read two in row so I thought I'd start this thread (sure it's been done before, haven't looked too closely).

1. Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
We all know he was a legendary President but it turns out Old Abe was quite the underdog and wasn't ranked as a contender. There are quite a lot of parallels with Barack Obama who read the book and is said to model himself on Lincoln. One of the most surprising things about Lincoln was that he invited his former rivals to join his Cabinet (just like Obama did with Hilary Clinton). But the thing that has inspired me most about him was the fact that he was always quite gentle in his disagreements with people, largely preferring to persuade them rather than bludgeon them over the head. I kept thinking back to some words of wisdom often quoted here on BB about catching more wasps with honey than vinegar and I think that has changed my attitude in my work and personal life for the better.

I'll leave it there for now but just wanted to invite other people to share what books they've read that have inspired them and how they've made a difference to their lives.

That sounds really interesting about Abe. I'll have to check it out next time I'm at Borders! :)

Life changing books:

Climb A Lonely Hill by Lilith Norman (novel) Two children get stranded in the Australia outback... this really shaped my character... read it in grade 4.

This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti (novel) A Christian Sci Fi about angels and demons. Read when I was 18 after a strong recommendation from a hippie friend who lived in Nimbin. I don't understand why it had such a strong impact but it did... the writing style is cringe-worthy... by something resonated.

Mere Christianity (theological non-fiction) and The Great Divorce (novel) by C.S Lewis. Lots about how inspired I've been by these books in the Spirituality area ;)