[Publib] Re: Mind Changing Books

[Andy Barnett]

I gave up reading books that did nothing but reinforce my existing mind. 
Rants  that I either agree or disagree with are just not entertaining 
enough to compensate me for my time. What's the point? I save good books 
for when I can take time to slowly devour them and regret each passing page.

Not that I don't read some books like french fries - especially history 
titles, where I am fitting new information into an existing framework. This 
isn't life changing, but it is evolutionary. Of course, I read mysteries 
and historical fiction too, which I don;t expect to change my life, but 
they sure ease my commute.

Maybe my life changes too much because this is a very partial list:

Dune - Frank Herbert (ecology, religion and management styles all in one)
Pentagon's New Map (and the sequels) by Thomas PM Barnett (changed how I 
view the world)
Maus - Art Spiegelman (convinced me that there was more to GNs than the 
Dark Knight)
Laurie King, Patrick O'Brian and John Le Carre showed me what lapidary 
means when applied to writing, setting the bar high for genre reading.
Garry Wills' What ___ meant series helped me understand my faith more 
deeply. He must have gone to a great high school.
Lots of Ursula LeGuin, from Earthsea, to her translation of the Tao te 
Ching to her recent YA Powers.  Plus I can't forget The Word for the world 
is forest .
Colleen McCullough and Dorothy Dunnett - any series that runs 3-4,000 pages 
better change you.
Octavia Butler's Exogensis trilogy (what it means to be human) and her 
later works (Survivor, Parable of the Sower)

Andy Barnett, Asst. Director		McMillan Memorial Library
490 East Grand Ave. Wisconsin Rapids, WI  54494			
		www.mcmillanlibrary.org	
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that 
matter.  -  Martin Luther King, Jr.