Books that Changed Your Life? 311
Pubb asks: "I'm a Computer Science teacher at a school with an interesting tradition. Every year, the graduating student who has performed best in a particular subject area is given a book prize. Rather than give this particular student the usual book on Java or Linux, I would like to get something more impactful. I ask you, fellow Slashdot readers, to name the books that helped unleash your geek within. All I ask is that the book be reasonably available, even if it is no longer in print."
Godel, Escher, Bach (Score:5, Informative)
A must book for anyone serious about CS.
For Serious Amatures Only! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:For Serious Amatures Only! (Score:4, Insightful)
So I agree with your last sentence, I guess. There is a place for "inspirational" technical books like GEB and to say "just read Knuth instead" is missing the point by a mile.
Re:For Serious Amatures Only! (Score:3, Interesting)
I'd go with an ultra-classic: The Mythical Man Month or the Knuth books, depending on budget. Most everything else will be controversial or covered by cirriculum (almost added Design Patterns but that is in at least some cirricula and loses a lot of its lustre in dynamic languages).
Re:For Serious Amatures Only! (Score:2)
A lot of people find both books tedious, but I found them both to be rip roaring adventures with an extra moderation of +insightful
Allways do the classics (Score:3)
If you want to help that computer science student to survive the real world, at least let him read about the things nobody accepts but all know in ther heart before being hit with it.
On the same vein: give him a coupon for 'The Dealine' by Tom deMarco, only to be cashed in after he has failed his first project through management interference. He won't believe the things PHBs do beforehand anyway.
I would assume that your school trains him in a
Re:For Serious Amatures Only! (Score:2)
As someone who greatly enjoyed GEB, and as someone who became a professional programmer without (much) of a standard Computer Science education, let me offer you a challenge: give those of us without the benefit of your education a chapter-by-chapter (or concept-by-concept) breakdown -- or, better since you complain of Hofstadter "dumbing down", a
Re:For Serious Amatures Only! (Score:2)
*GROAN*
I couldn't disagree more. To me, Gödel, Escher, Bach is not a book about theoretical c
Re:Nailed it! (Score:3, Insightful)
It is silly to look down on anyone, but I don't think that is the issue here. A lot of people who don't have a computer science degree can make excellent programmers (although I would think having a degree would make it a lot easier). The thing I find interesting is that those who teach themselves programming often seem to think that CS is about programming, and it isn't.
Some one who gets a PhD in CS probably has no intention of doin
Re:Godel, Escher, Bach (Score:4, Funny)
Also, I highly suggest "The Big Book of Masturbation" by Martha Cornog for students looking to pursue an advanced CS degree.
Re:Godel, Escher, Bach (Score:5, Insightful)
For "books that changed my life", I'd recommend instead The Mind's I [amazon.com] by Hofstadter and Dennett. It was used as the text for the philosophy class I took my freshman year in college; I can still remember the day when, bored at my part-time campus job, I flipped through it to find Smullyan's Is God a Taoist? [mit.edu], which forever cleared up for me the whole question of free will versus determinism:
Re:Godel, Escher, Bach (Score:4, Insightful)
I would say without a doubt that it has had a profound effect on the way I think about programming and CS as a whole. It's about CS only as much as it is about logic, math, puzzles, reasoning, music, philosophy, and life. It's one of the most well-worn books in my library, and reading it always renews my passion to learn, to explore, to see CS as a road that's worth exploring, not as just a quick way to get from point A to point B.
Soul of a New Machine (Score:2)
Re:Soul of a New Machine (Score:2)
It might be english class fodder... (Score:5, Informative)
Seriously, it's one of the best lessons you could give a kid in today's world. A nice hardcover would be the perfect addition to a book collection or a great novel to start a love of reading.
My one other recommendation, though esoteric and perhaps more suited to my interests, would be "Descartes Error", by Damasio. It's a book about the tie between logic and emotion in the human brain, and reads like a novel (a non-neurologist could easily read it). I highly recommend it.
Re:It might be english class fodder... (Score:2)
In my class all we read was shit like Macbeth, Of Mice and Men, Sense and Sensibility, Lord of the Flies etc...
Oh wait, those aren't shit.
Re:It might be english class fodder... (Score:3, Interesting)
Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey
Corliss Lamont's The Philosophy of Humanism
Herman Wouk's This Is My God
Chaim Potok's My Name Is Asher Lev
B. F. Skinner's Beyond Freedom & Dignity
Isaac Bashevis Singer's In My Father's Court
Edward O. Wilson's On Human Nature
Isaac Asimov's Guide to the Bible: The Old and New Testaments
Leo Rosten's Joys of Yiddish
Daniel Dennett's Consciousness Explained
Howard Fast's The Jews: Story of a People
Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian
Bertrand
What Should I Do with My Life? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:What Should I Do with My Life? (Score:4, Informative)
Or something to help them our financially in their life, like Rich Dad, Poor Dad [amazon.com] or one of those kind of books.
Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell (Score:4, Funny)
The Unix Programming Environment (Score:2)
Better yet..... let the war begin (Score:2)
Although a man page might suffice.
Stranger in a Strange Land (Score:2, Insightful)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (Score:4, Insightful)
It also gives Wilde's brilliant opinions on what the meaning of Art is. Basically, in a time when so many people are asking "Why are we here", Wilde gives an answer. Obviously you may not agree with him later, but damned if you don't believe while reading it.
It's hard to explain Wilde's writing in a short comment. His writing is full, beautiful, and has endless amounts of wit. It is the perfect "life changer" for a geek.
Just a couple of quotes from Dorian Gray(taken from Wikipedia):
This is a hard topic for me, as I'm an avid reader, I could come up with 20 books off the topic of my head to suggest.
A Short History of Nearly Everything (Score:3, Informative)
- Ben
Goedel Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid (Score:3, Informative)
If you've read it, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, words fail me -- just go buy it.
Books that changed my life. (Score:3, Interesting)
Fahrenheit 451 (which was on the restricted reading list at my jr High and High School.)
Brave New World (also on the list)
1984 (Yep on the list)
and I Robot.
Re:Books that changed my life. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Books that changed my life. (Score:3)
Re:Books that changed my life. (Score:2)
A number of other books were also required. The only reason I remember those is that they are listed on the The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000 [ala.org]
Re:Books that changed my life. (Score:2)
"After studying a number of scriptures and the histories of various religious groups, it is hard to see it as anything but folly to think one particular religion's scriptures are worth giving than anothers.
But if one is in a particular group, and have never had the will or strength to look at it from outside, I can see how one would be unable to see the broader view."
This is your opinon and one fo the reasons that I left it vauge. I have read many Holly
Re:Books that changed my life. (Score:2)
(Peter Griffin Voice)Commmm'aaaaannn, Commmmm'aaaaannn(/Peter Griffin Voice)
It's science-fiction and religion, the best of both fictitious genres.
the little schemer (Score:3, Interesting)
A really good introduction, I think, for someone who is interested in more "theoretical" aspects of computer science; what you learn from that book is directly applicable to CS, but also mathematics, analytic styles of philosophy, &c.. Another way to look at it is as a more advanced, and more technical, companion to Godel, Escher, Bach.
Geeks love cooking, right? (Score:5, Interesting)
Right now, I'm reading Salt: A World History [amazon.com] by Mark Kurlansky. It's the history of the world as told by salt. Salt, it seems, was the petroleum of the ancient world. Venice, for example, was founded on considerable wealth generated mostly from salt. British salt was ballast in slave ships, making one third of the voyage to the New World and creating a entire economy in the Caribbean. The Romans were paid in salt, which they called 'sal'. It's from this that we get the modern word 'salary'. And a Roman salad was lettuce/veg with oil and salt.
In that same vein, you've got another hell of a book in Robert Wolke's What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained [amazon.com]. It's basically excerpts from Wolke's "Food 101" column in the Washington Post, but they make for fascinating reading.
I've also got Alton's books. I'm Just Here for the Food [amazon.com] is a great intro to the why's and how's of cooking.
If your student winners aren't into food, you might try the latest volume in Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, The Confusion [amazon.com]. Although in case they haven't read Quicksilver [amazon.com], you might want to get that as well, and maybe give them both as a set. At a little over 1,700 pages, if they don't find a job right away, they'll have something to occupy their time this summer.
You could also give them a gift certficate from your local book seller. Maybe put it in a nice card that everyone can sign?
-B
Re:Geeks love cooking, right? (Score:2)
Zen, Gita, C, Forth (Score:5, Interesting)
Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
The Baghavad Gita
The C Programming Language
Thinking Forth
Re:Zen, Gita, C, Forth (Score:2)
I mean, I love it, but why for programmers?
Re:Zen, Gita, C, Forth (Score:4, Insightful)
One aspect is that of Right Action. The Gita teaches us to follow the path of Right Action without Desire for the particular end. This has direct applications in engineering. Why must I spend my time testing and documenting? I hate it it's boring. Don't desire for the testing and documentation phase to end. Just do what you're supposed to do.
When you look across the battle lines and see your QA and Management families lined up, and you understand that you must put them through extensive pain in the war we call a Release, don't worry about it. Just do what you are Supposed to do.
Sorry if this sounds a little metaphysical. It is also probably Wrong in some ways. But grok it anyway I promise it will help.
Re:Zen, Gita, C, Forth (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Zen, Gita, C, Forth (Score:2)
Re:Zen, Gita, C, Forth (Score:2)
It probably is. Fortunately, I have not yet reached middle age, and I tend to be oblivious to my own mental ilnesses, so I probably missed these parts of the book completely.
Actually, when I was reading the book, I though of the mental illness part as a sort of cop-out: like when a movie ends with someo
Re:Zen, Gita, C, Forth (Score:2)
Re:Zen, Gita, C, Forth (Score:2)
I read the book as a damning indictment of the US treatment of mental illness. Rather like One flew over the cuckos nest.
Re:Zen, Gita, C, Forth (Score:2)
I saw it more as explaining how Western Philosophy, which is the basis of science, including computer science and programming shapes our thinking about problems.
Phaedrus pursues this "break everything into smaller provable pieces" way of thinking till he separates himself from his own cultural mythos.
It is by his own intellectual excess that he ends up no longer eating and sitting in a pool of his own piss.
To me it is both a manual about how to think, but also a cautionary tale
Walden (Score:2)
A really potent one, that.
Educational? Motivational? (Score:2)
If, on the other hand, you're feeling like motivating people, how about Nickel and Dimed, on (not) Getting by in America [amazon.com]. Excellent read, and likely to make them study twice as hard in college.
Richest Man in Babylon (Score:3, Interesting)
HHGTG & 1984 (Score:4, Interesting)
on the other i have 1984.
take your pick
IMPACTFUL?! (Score:2)
These Books Inspired an Entire Geek Generation (Score:2)
I'm talking about The Martian Tales of Edgar Rice Burroughs (starting with "A Princess of Mars"). While giving a set of 11 paperbacks is not special, if you found early printings, with the pulp style illustrated covers, it could be a gift with historical significance.
They're not, by any means, based on science, but the s
Re:These Books Inspired an Entire Geek Generation (Score:2)
Re:These Books Inspired an Entire Geek Generation (Score:2)
The paperbacks are still for sale, though, in many stores.
A Book to Change and LENGTHEN Your life (Score:2)
Udo Erasmus' monumental tome Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill [udoerasmus.com] is an extensive discussion about all aspects of a healthy diet and nutrition. This book cuts through all the double-speak and bullshit marketing about what is healthy and what is not. Although the emphasis is on fats, the book goes into a discussion about macronutrients (e.g., proteins, carbs), micronutrients (e.g., vitamins, minerals), and the other things you never hear about from reading the newspaper (e.g., prostaglandans). The level of deta
Dijkstra, Gries, Kernighan & Plauger (Score:2)
David Gries' Science of Programming.
Kernighan & Plauger's Software Tools.
Frank Harary's Graph Theory.
Haven't checked them, but Dijkstra and K&P are certainly still in print.
A few off the top of my head..... (Score:3, Interesting)
2) The Age of Spiritual Machines, or just about anything by Ray Kurzweil. Help them develop their geek blueprint for what they want to accomplish with their life.
3) Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. This is a tough one for some people though. Some people that have grown up thinking that self interest automatically is bad, while altruism is automatically good, and a lot of these people will despise the message in this book. That's unfortunate, as this book is one title that people consistently mention when asked what their favorite book is.
Re:A few off the top of my head..... (Score:3, Interesting)
The reason that they mention it as their favorite book is that it allows them to feel superior to others, while simulitaniously justify
Rand (Score:2, Interesting)
Funny thing about Rand Fans, "Let's all be individualists, just like Ayn Rand." Perhaps that's unfair of me. Second thing about Ayn Rand, I once saw a picture of her, in a 'leisure setting.' Perhaps she had once suffered and worked
Re:Rand (Score:3, Informative)
First, I have met people from all walks of life that have read the book, and were able to take something positive away from it. Yes, there are a ton of mindless, directionless fools that latched on to the legacy of the Ayn Rand foundation (Leonard Peikoff for one) and have made it into an organization that it is best to ignore. The fact that s
Coupland (Score:3)
It's done wonders for my mental state and, not coincidentally, the quality of my work.
There's lots of other good books mentioned in this thread too, so good luck trying to choose just one! That said, make sure that whatever you get is a nice hardcover edition.
Theaetetus (Score:3, Insightful)
Several thoughts (Score:2)
1) The Pragmatic Programmer
2) After the Gold Rush (out of print, readily available, and about to come out in a second edition)
"Mathematics for the Nonmathematician" (Score:3, Informative)
This 1960s text is one of the drue diamonds in the rough for me.
I had advanced math, and science all thruogh high school, like many fellow slashdotters, but this book REALLY put all the pieves together.
It is a fantastic read of the history of math, and HOW we got to where were are. It begins with the concept of zero, axioms of truth, and how these truths are built upon... all the way through calculus.
It is an absloutly fascinating text, that really awakened me to the world of abstract mathematics, their buildings from basic truths, the realization that we STILL have a long way to go, and there is still a bleeding edge of mathematics.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0
Bertrand Russell (Score:2, Interesting)
Dianetics (Score:5, Funny)
The Art of War (Score:2)
by Sun Tzu.
If you can apply the techniques of war to business, you'll be off to a great start.
Some things are very obvious (divide and conquer), and others are not (however, they are just as intriquing).
this is slashdot (Score:3, Funny)
you must be new here, right?
De Re Atari (Score:2)
Completely useless in the real world, but De Re Atari, published in 1982 is one of those rare examples of what a comptuer book should be like. In depth details on the atari computer, yet somehow still fun to read!
I'm sure you can find other classics.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne (Score:4, Insightful)
A good lesson in stick-to-it-ivness, and it helped launch my life-long interest in Science Fiction, which helped launch my interest and career in technology, as an engineer.
As a bad side-effect, I never looked at any of the many 20,000 Leagues movies quite the same, after that book, since none I've seen were truly faithful. (Most tried to hint at nuclear power, instead of really good batteries, etc.)
I really ought to reread the book, some time. For all the books I've read and re-read, I've never re-read that one.
In Search of the Big Bang (Score:2)
For me it was a kind of aventure story whose protagonists were the scientists struggling to understand the meaning behind their observations. And how the next generation always builds on the discoveries of the previous.
You learn how we began to measure distance in the universe,
Michael Moorcock's "Eternal Champion" series (Score:2)
Green Eggs and Ham! (Score:3, Interesting)
Ok maybe it was a little bit of a joke, but something light, enjoyable and has absolutely nothing to do with anything at all is a better gift then something thats meant to teach. People need to relax more, when I've just finished a course, the last thing I want is more reading material on the exact same subject, and I always hate people that give gifts with the attitude, 'this helped me, learn from it.' Maybe I do need to learn more, but I do it on my own time. If you give someone more and more heavy material without a break, they're going to burn out or ignore it all, either way it means very little.
Microserfs (Score:5, Interesting)
microserfs [mccormick.com] by doug coupland [coupland.com] is by far one of my favorite books of all time. i read it my sophomore year of high school and even now it still resonates strongly with me. actually, i really like almost all his books (particularly all families are psychotic [amazon.com], hey nostradamus! [amazon.com], and generation x [amazon.com]).
i have a hard time expressing just how profound an effect doug coupland's work has had on me microserfs was the book that cemented my decision to major in c.s. for the first time in my life there was a book with characters who i could actually relate to. looking back now, a lot of the technological details seem a bit quaint, but it is still a really excellent read.
Re:Microserfs (Score:2)
and this is the danger of multi-tasking (also, not previewing) --- the real link is here [amazon.com]. the lesson, dear kiddies: never discuss cooking shrimp with people who don't know what old bay seasoning is while writing posts for /.
Hackers (Score:2)
Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution [amazon.com]
by Steven Levy
Know your geek history (Score:5, Informative)
In The Beginning Was The Command Line [cryptonomicon.com] by Neal Stephenson is a good overview of the culture of Linux, Macintosh, Be, and Microsoft in essay form. I've given it to non-computer geeks to teach them about Linux, and why it's different from windows. He talks about how modern society tries to impose a false image over everything to make things easier to deal with(like Disney) and compares that to the GUI vs. CLI differences. I don't agree with everything he says, but Stephenson is definitely a great writer, and he has the book available free at the link I put in.
Hackers by Steven Levy covers important epochs of the hacker culture, from its beginning at MIT to game developers in the 80s. It even has a chapter on Stallman starting GNU! A must-read for any geek.
Siddhartha (Score:3, Interesting)
Three Different Areas (Score:3, Interesting)
Science: The Elegant Universe (Green)
Language: Orality & Literacy (Ong)
Descarte was one of the first philosphers to discuss the quandry about a "thinking machine", mentioning the problem in viewing a machine dressed up in a hat -- can we consider it human?
The Elegant Universe is a brilliant read on string theory, which is just an utterly amazing concept (down to the quantum theory level).
Orality & Literacy describes how a cultures that have a written language will evolve differently than those who only speak. It examines how an oral society will not consider an "oak" tree to be anything similiar to a "pine" tree, because the concept of a "tree" doesn't exist. Literacy brings about abstractions.
I also recommend that you look at an older slashdot article Books on Programming Theory [slashdot.org] for more books.
Future of Ideas by Lawrence Lessig (Score:3, Interesting)
Roots (Score:2)
The Cat in the Hat (Score:2)
Only one choice. (Score:3, Interesting)
Changed my life, in that it encouraged me to get a university degree in the first place, and continues to encourage me to get my PhD.
The Art Of War by Sun-tzu (Score:4, Informative)
The Catcher in the Rye (Score:4, Interesting)
Hackers and Feynmann, and here's why... (Score:4, Informative)
and What Do You Care What Other People Think? both by Richard P. Feynman et al.
Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution by Steven Levy
All three of these books I happened to have read between my sophomore and junior year of high school.
These books changed my life because they provided accounts of people (geeks) pursuing their love of science/technology in a fiercely dedicated and independent way, all at a young age (you get early accounts of folks like Stallman, Gates, Jobs, Woz, etc. as 20-somethings in "Hackers") , and ended up making huge contributions to research/industry. You also get to hear about the enormous sacrifices, regrets, and risks taken (some succeeding, some failing), and ultimately an important perspective on the lives of some very smart and important characters in a way that I think is still relevant to graduating high school kids today.
Best,
Andrew
Design & Evolution of C++ (Score:2)
So I'll offer a suggestion that isn't blue-sky theorizing, but instead a hard-headed look
A List to Alter Your Worldview... (Score:2)
books I find indispensible (Score:2)
out so I had it spiral bound. Now it lays flat. Should have done it sooner.
Best reference for CS theory: The Art of Computer Programming. Only read this
if you're serious about not just coding well, but elegantly in any language. Bonus points if
you can keep from getting bogged down in volume 2.
Greatest insight into how large corporations work: The Prince. I read this
about once a year to maintain a healthy level of cynicism. Machiav
a good book... (Score:3, Interesting)
"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" [amazon.com].
Even though I wasn't taking that course, I was curious and bought the book. Once I opened it, I couldn't put it down.
It is a an excellent look at curiosity and discovery, and a very funny book besides. The subject of the book, Physicist Richard Feynman, became a Nobel Prize winner.
Just excellent.
Soul of a New Machine (Score:2)
It was assigned in my computer architecture class. One of my favorite books, computer-related or otherwise. It's a book about a group of engineers working together to put together a new computer. It's great as a story about accomplishment and business, plus it's got lots of geekiness thrown in.
And it won the Pulitzer.
Atiyah-MacDonald, Dym-McKean, The Publican (Score:2)
Atyiah-MacDonald, Introduction to Commutative Algebra:
Dym-McKean, Fourier Series and Integrals:
Not exactly PC, but this is one's also a good read - it's the history of the world, as seen through the eyes of a tax collector:
Read History, Try Not to Repeat it... (Score:2)
Then, read some non-fiction - once you get through this list, you may become suicidal:
In my humble opinion... (Score:2)
Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
It changed my perspective in how I looked at the world. And eventually ended up buying a motorcycle of my own after reading it
So many classics, so little time (Score:2)
A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking
The Principia, by Isaac Newton (find a good translation)
Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin
Six Easy Pieces and Six Not-so-Easy Pieces, by Richard Feynman (2 books) QED is also recommended. Also, an essay, "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom."
The Art of Computer Programming, by Donald Knuth
Engines of Creation, by Eric Drexler
Design Patterns, by Gamma et al
I seem to recall that one of Noam Chomsky's books on languag
Here's two books you might not anticipate... (Score:3, Interesting)
Truman Capote's In Cold Blood [amazon.com].
Whaaaa?
Stephen Covey is the best selling author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. In First Things First he teaches a character-based (personal values, not ASCII) method of time management. It basically asks you to identify what things are absolutely important to you and asks you to commit to priorities that will make those goals happen in a way you can support. It sounds like Pointy-Headed Boss babble-speak, and it is to a point, but if you can separate the "Businessman's Book" vibe it becomes a simple way to ensure you're living the life you want to live.
In Cold Blood is for a completely different reason. It's the first 'true crime novel', and quite possibly the best. It's part detective story, told from the point of view of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation police officers that tried to solve the brutal quadruple murder of the Clutter family in rural Kansas. It's also a psychological study of the two murderers: on the run, their capture, and execution.
Truman Capote spent several years researching the crime. His childhood friend Harper Lee (the author of To Kill A Mockingbird) helped him with his research. He wrote a compelling character study that captures the times and the events beautifully and horribly.
Both books are ones that aren't 'geek-lit 101', but they did change my life.
books that the best students would LIKE to receive (Score:3, Interesting)
You seem to imply that there are multiple subject areas, so I'll list multiple books, broken down by subject.
The assumption is that the student will actually want a copy of this book, which might not be the case with some other recommendations like The Art of War [amazon.com] or Gödel, Escher, Bach [amazon.com].
Since the student is graduating, how about How Would You Move Mount Fuji? [amazon.com], by William Poundstone. It's subtitled "Microsoft's Cult of the Puzzle - How the World's Smartest Company Selects the Most Creative Thinkers" and describes the roots of logic questions in interviews (specifically Microsoft's notoriously difficult interviews).
Since you mentioned Java or Linux, we can probably assume that the student knows his Design Patterns and UNIX Power Tools. How about Hardware Hacking: Have Fun While Voiding Your Warranty [amazon.com], by Joe Grand, Ryan Russell, and Kevin Mitnick?
Of course, it the student is a hardcore coder, you probably can't go wrong with the Art of Computer Programming, Volume 3 [amazon.com], Volume 2 [amazon.com], or Volume 1 [amazon.com], by Donald Knuth. Or if the student is an Open Source or Free Software zealot, then The Cathedral and the Bazaar [amazon.com] may be an obvious choice.
Guns, Germs and Steel (Score:5, Interesting)
well, it might be a little far afield, but guns, germs and steel [amazon.com] is one of the few books i've read that dramatically changed my point-of-view about a lot of things all at once. it basically sets out to figure out why the disparities between different cultures and races exist.
along the way, he draws from several diverse disciplines (botany, genetics, anthropology, archeology, etc), which is probably the most relevant facet of the book to the question -- it does a great job of showing how to use different approaches to solve problems.
-esme
My List (Score:3, Interesting)
- The Selfish Gene [world-of-dawkins.com]
- Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology [amazon.com]
- Chimpanzee Politics [amazon.com]
- Getting to Yes [amazon.com]
- In a Different Voice [amazon.com]
- The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind [julianjaynes.org]
- Consilience: The Unity of Human Knowledge [amazon.com]
- The World's Religions [amazon.com]
- Life 102: What To Do When Your Guru Sues You [amazon.com]
- Zen Flesh, Zen Bones [amazon.com]
Plus a number of other books mentioned here.Note that I don't necessarily believe everything in these books, but all of them provided me with important insights. Also, props to my 6502 assembler manual, long since turned to dust.
My list of good books (Score:3, Informative)
The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner (Score:3, Insightful)
One of my professors loaned me his copy of The Shockwave Rider in 1982. I don't know if this book changed my life, but it certainly made me think about how computers could (and should) be used. Written in 1975, John Brunner guessed wrong about the details of the technology, but scored a direct hit on the results of technology on society, and what it will mean for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the 21st century. This book was out of print for years, and it took me more than a decade of scowering used book stores to find a copy for myself -- I now have several copies so that I can lend them to others.
Buy it from Amazon [amazon.com] or Barnes & Noble [barnesandnoble.com].
Off the top of my head (Score:3, Interesting)
Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman! Adventures of a curious character compiled by Ralph Leighton. I was handed this book the night before Feynman was scheduled to give a talk, and I consumed it all at one reading. I sat in awe during his speech, amazed at his wit and quick mind. Then a group of us went out to dinner with him, and sealed forever his place as one of the people I worship.
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. Both versions, the 1939 short story first published in Thrilling Wonder Stories, and the 1956 novel. One of the first books I read which explored profound societal changes caused by a discovery. He truly thought out the consequences of being able to jaunte, and the obsolescence of things like prisons, borders, and women's rights.
The Lord of the Rings By some british guy. I heard they made it into a movie recently. The book which kicked off my interest in mythos, languages, and adventuring.
1984 by Eric Blair, and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Books I read when I was capable of understanding the perverse and twisted self-supporting arguments used by those in power to maintain their hold on tenuous authority.
Starship Troopers by RAH. Again, a book about fascism, ultra-nationalism, and blind obedience to authority. Plus some cool weapons and tactics. This book opened my eyes how cool toys could be used to seduce young men to perform extreme acts without thinking about their actions or consequences.
Harry Potter by JK Rowling. After reading the first two books, I realised how difficult it is to write easy reading prose, and I've never tried to write fiction since. I also like the carefully camouflaged deeper meanings, such as Aquinas' 7 virtues and vices, good/evil/lawful/chaotic house themes, use of latin and greek root words to betray the truth behind people, spells, and creatures.
The Lensman Series by E. E. Doc Smith. First sci-fi books I picked up as a child, and forever fueled my imagination for space flight.
The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene and The Kama Sutra, both are completely unconnected to the modern western world, but contain nuggets of knowledge hidden within. Both need to be read with an eye on how each situation can be translated into dealing with modern women. ESR's sex tips is a good, albeit stilted, distillation of these books translated into geek, for geeks.
There are others, fun books like HHGTTG, and the Disc World series. But those haven't really changed my life other than as mild sources of humourous quotes.
the AC