<p>kite runner and my sister's keeper are amazing books..</p>
<p>also </p>
<p>the invisible man by ralph waldo emerson </p>
<p>^^ FABULOUS!</p>
<p>I love the love Ayn Rand is getting in this thread. :)</p>
<p>My D swears by </p>
<p>The Power of One</p>
<p>yeah brand_182. though its funny to see people listing the fountainhead as a favorite book on this thread, then asking how to change their lives to make themselves more desirable to admissions officers in other threads.</p>
<p>^ came out a little harsher than intended.. sorry!</p>
<p>The Catcher in the Rye- I HATED this book when I read it junior year, but now that high school is coming to an end and I'm entering the "adult world" I appreciate it a lot more!</p>
<p>To Kill a Mockingbird- Atticus is my hero! I love this book so much, it's one of the few books that's ever made me cry. I think it gets a bad rap sometimes because people have to read it for school (and of course being forced to read a book for school takes all the fun out of it), but it's really an amazing book. I remember when I was buying it at this tiny little book shop in my town (I try to support the local people before I resort to Borders/Barnes and Noble), the old guy who rang it up for me said, "This book will teach you everything you need to know about life." I don't know about "everything," but it definitely inspires you to be a better person. </p>
<p>Prep- It's a "teenager" book but it's surprisingly emotional and deep- it deals with a lot of adult, "real world" themes like race, sex, social class, etc.</p>
<p>The Bible- I'm Christian so I guess I'm sort of "biased," but it really did change my life. But I think that all religion in general is fascinating, and even if you're not religious you can learn a lot from reading the Bible (or any other religious text for that matter). </p>
<p>Other recommendations (I'm too lazy to type long descriptions for all of these):
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (it's a play, and you should read or at least be familiar with Hamlet first)
-Candide
-The Lovely Bones
-A Tree Grows in Brooklyn*
-The Feminine Mystique*
* You have to be a girl to really appreciate these, in my opinion... not that guys can't read them too, but I think they have much more of an impact on girls</p>
<p>The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky- about three brothers, their varying religious beliefs, and their father's murder</p>
<p>Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card- kinda sci-fi but really interesting</p>
<p>1984 by George Orwell- Big Brother is watching!</p>
<p>I'd have to say Jane Eyre, however cliche it may sound. I read it years ago, and Jane's sticking to her principles and independence as a person is still inspiring for me.</p>
<p>I just got through A Streetcar Named Desire, and that book made me think a lot. Though it doesn't do that for everyone, it really applied directly to how I think. Actually it verged on the disturbing.</p>
<p>
[quote]
yeah brand_182. though its funny to see people listing the fountainhead as a favorite book on this thread, then asking how to change their lives to make themselves more desirable to admissions officers in other threads.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Lol. Harsh but well said.</p>
<p>The Picture of Dorian Gray
- Probably the best school-assigned book I have read throughout high school... If you really analyze the book, you'd learn so much things about life in general. </p>
<p>The Odyssey
- If you can swallow the long verses in this epic poem then you'll realize how many of the stories of today are inspired/come from this... It took me a few days to digest though... It's worth it in the end though.</p>
<p>in cold blood. is the best book ever.</p>
<p>and there are no children here. only book i have read that is true live changing. i read it when i was a sophomore and it changed my life.</p>