Talk of The Villages Florida - What is the book that changed your life?

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"A Prayer for Owen Meany" was the foundation story for the movie "Simon Birch." The movie was very well done but the book is even better.

Regarding "I'm OK..You're OK," I had a torturous four year tour teaching Leadership and Management at one of our service academies, and this book as well as "Games People Play" were incorporated into our curriculum. The idea was that Transactional Analysis could be used when dealing with subordinates in a work environment. I discovered that it only would work if the subordinate was not familiar with the concept. My boss actually used it every day when dealing with staff, and it was a joke because we knew when he was changing states and when he was stroking us. We also taught a five step counseling process and, of course, we received performance counseling ourselves. At one of my sessions, the boss asked if I would like a cup of coffee. Then he asked about my wife, and proceeded to ask about my vegetable garden. When he got to the garden, I pointed out to him that I thought we had established enough rapport and that we should move on to step two. I am pretty sure I saw smoke coming out of his ears.

I believe we all become better people by the books we read and the people we hang around with.

I also believe we educate ourselves by what we choose to read.

I can't say one book has changed my life but the bible has had a profound effect.

There are many thought provoking books that have enlighten, all of us.

Catch 22. All you need to know. :doh:

Quote:

Originally Posted by PattyCakes (Post 979408)

"A Prayer for Owen Meany" was the foundation story for the movie "Simon Birch." The movie was very well done but the book is even better.

I very much agree, along with "Hotel New Hampshire " and "Garp". I have "A Widow for One Year" in backlog.
Not to mention "To Kill a mockingbird" which I quote on my TOTV page.

I was recently asked if a day goes by that I do not read. The answer is "no". Reading is a superpower that I use daily. Yet, the book(s) that hooked me on reading was The Bobbsey Twins. Go figure...

A friend of mine teaches Biology at Lawrenceville Prep in NJ.
The 2014-2015 tuition charge for boarding students is $55,350, for day students, $45,780. In addition, there is a required medical fee of $785 for boarders and $490 for day students, and a technology fee of $485 for boarders and $330 for day students.
She teaches in the HS but it's the same tuition for K-8 too.

The students, for the most part are the children of Princeton parents.

I remember in 2002 everyone who could read had to read Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. A book written by Barbara Ehrenreich.

Here's a link. click here

"When someone works for less pay than she can live on ... she has made a great sacrifice for you .... The "working poor" ... are in fact the major philanthropists of our society. They neglect their own children so that the children of others will be cared for; they live in substandard housing so that other homes will be shiny and perfect; they endure privation so that inflation will be low and stock prices high. To be a member of the working poor is to be an anonymous donor, a nameless benefactor, to everyone. (p. 221)"

I read it too. I don't think it changed my life but it got me thinking. I hope it changed their lives.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomwed (Post 979713)

A friend of mine teaches Biology at Lawrenceville Prep in NJ.
The 2014-2015 tuition charge for boarding students is $55,350, for day students, $45,780. In addition, there is a required medical fee of $785 for boarders and $490 for day students, and a technology fee of $485 for boarders and $330 for day students.
She teaches in the HS but it's the same tuition for K-8 too.

The students, for the most part are the children of Princeton parents.

I remember in 2002 everyone who could read had to read Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America is a book written by Barbara Ehrenreich.

Here's a link. click here

"When someone works for less pay than she can live on ... she has made a great sacrifice for you .... The "working poor" ... are in fact the major philanthropists of our society. They neglect their own children so that the children of others will be cared for; they live in substandard housing so that other homes will be shiny and perfect; they endure privation so that inflation will be low and stock prices high. To be a member of the working poor is to be an anonymous donor, a nameless benefactor, to everyone. (p. 221)"

I read it too. I don't think it changed my life but it got me thinking. I hope it changed their lives.

Yay, tomwed. It was good. There is another, better one on the subject, and I am struggling to remember the title. It's better because it followed actual, real-life situations of some working people at the poverty level, and their struggles to survive, and the many catch-22 situations they were put in because of their jobs. Dang. I'll think of it.

I believe the book is called The Working Poor: Invisible In America, by David Shipler From a review:

Shipler shows how liberals and conservatives are both partly right–that practically every life story contains failure by both the society and the individual. Braced by hard fact and personal testimony, he unravels the forces that confine people in the quagmire of low wages. And unlike most works on poverty, this book also offers compelling portraits of employers struggling against razor-thin profits and competition from abroad. With pointed recommendations for change that challenge both parties (my ed.), The Working Poor stands to make a difference.

THE BIBLE ! Hence, my signature.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CFrance (Post 979714)

Yay, tomwed. It was good. There is another, better one on the subject, and I am struggling to remember the title. It's better because it followed actual, real-life situations of some working people at the poverty level, and their struggles to survive, and the many catch-22 situations they were put in because of their jobs. Dang. I'll think of it.

I believe the book is called The Working Poor: Invisible In America, by David Shipler From a review:

Shipler shows how liberals and conservatives are both partly right�that practically every life story contains failure by both the society and the individual. Braced by hard fact and personal testimony, he unravels the forces that confine people in the quagmire of low wages. And unlike most works on poverty, this book also offers compelling portraits of employers struggling against razor-thin profits and competition from abroad. With pointed recommendations for change that challenge both parties (my ed.), The Working Poor stands to make a difference.

Although not a substitute for the book this interview click here gave me a sense of what you were saying. I don't know if I could read one sad story after another.

The Nickel and Dimmed Book is not as tough a read. The author works in Walmart, as a temp house cleaner, and in a fast food place as I remember. I guess I had similar jobs while I was in HS and breaks during college. For me, there was always light at the end of a short tunnel. I worked for Wedgewood during a summer break and I was side by side with a temp worker older then my dad and he was in a great mood one day because he was making the last payment on a refrigerator. My dad would buy scratch and dent appliances and fix them as needed but he didn't need to get a loan to buy one.

Okay, based on the many comments on this thread I have just now finished reading A Prayer for Owen Meany. What a fabulous book; I couldn't put it down! Thank you so much for the tip. :read:

Now, again based on your suggestions, I guess I'm going to grudgingly go back to Atlas Shrugged, although I sure hope it gets better this time around . . .

Actually, I can't think of a better time to read it. It is 20 degrees here in Virginia and I am enjoying snuggling up with a blanket and my dog in front of the fireplace. :cold:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wandatime (Post 992541)

Wandatime, here is an interesting analysis of A Prayer for Owen Meany. I rarely read a book twice, but I'm thinking of reading this for a third time to look at it from the points in the analysis.
SparkNotes: A Prayer for Owen Meany: Analytical Overview

Dick and Jane. I used it to show my first grade teacher that I already knew how to read. She called my mother and Mom said oh yes, she's been reading for 3 years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wandatime (Post 992541)

I would also recommend "The World According to Garp', "The Hotel New Hampshire" both by Irving (I have "A Widow for One Year" in backlog.