Welcome
Welcome to <strong>Vanishing American</strong>.

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community, you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple, and absolutely free, so please, <a href="/profile.php?mode=register">join our community today</a>!

'Books that make you think...'

A forum for discussing books we are reading.

Moderator: Recluse8747

'Books that make you think...'

Postby Vanishing American on Fri Apr 18, 2008 2:36 am

http://ask.metafilter.com/86960/Engross ... little-bit

I came across this interesting question at the liberal MetaFilter blog:

''What books have transported you to another place, and occupied your thoughts for days whilst you read them? ''

There's a lengthy thread there, but what book or books would make the list here on this forum?
User avatar
Vanishing American
Site Admin
 
Posts: 1536
Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2007 3:28 am
Location: Among the Yankees

Books that changed my life

Postby Mary B. on Fri Apr 18, 2008 9:22 am

Top of my list is "Orthodoxy" by G. K. Chesterton. Since first reading it two years ago I have reread for the third time this year in honor of it's 100th year in print. Every time I read it I absorb deep insights I hadn't understood before. I now see Christianity and democracy in light of our ancestors and how both have created Western Civilization. I now work to get books like this back in our public libraries. I'd also like to add another Chesterton book, "Everlasting Man" to my list of life changing books. This book has led me to read many C. S. Lewis books of which the most "life changing" of his books for me has been "Mere Christianity." As for fiction, "The Brothers Karamozov" and in particular the chapter "The Grand Inquisitor" (which I've see published as a book on it's own), really made me ponder for weeks what Christ did when he resisted the devil.
Mary B.
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2008 9:47 pm

Postby Recluse8747 on Fri Apr 18, 2008 4:35 pm

I few I can think of a few...

The War With Hannibal by Livy
To see what a great nation looks like at the height of it's glory

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
To see what a great nation looks like in fall and debasement

Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville
To understand what traditional America was and why it was the greatest civilization man has ever conceived

The Federalist Papers and The Anti-Federalists
To understand the basis of the union and that the seeds of it's destruction were already sown before the Constitution was ratified

The Real Lincoln by Thomas J DiLorenzo
To understand just what we lost as a nation as a result of our most brutal and destructive war

The Creature from Jekyll Island by G Edward Griffin
I only recently finished this one and would have included Larry Bates' The New Economic Disorder instead had not this book been so thorough in explaining the New World Order. Anyone hoping to understand the intellectual elite and the international bankers would do well to read either
Recluse8747
 
Posts: 121
Joined: Sat Jan 19, 2008 10:40 pm

Postby islam o' phobe on Wed Apr 23, 2008 5:01 pm

Hello,

I would recommend The Republic by Plato which I just read very recently.

People often say "Oh, Plato criticised democracy you know" but his criticisms of democracy are very astute and seem to apply especially to modern liberal societies.

Also he comes off at times like a feminist which was very surprising to me considering the work is over 2,000 years old.
islam o' phobe
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2008 4:55 pm

Postby Recluse8747 on Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:49 pm

islam o' phobe-

Welcome.

Increasingly I'm becoming more and more disillusioned with Plato's ideal Republic as it seems that elites are trying to become the literal Guardians. I really don't want to see what their concept of the philosopher-king may be.

I do agree that Plato's depiction of democracy is indispensable. It was the first text that had made me seriously question the practicality of democracy and as time goes on I become more and more convinced Plato was right on this point.

Certainly everyone should read The Republic at least once.
Recluse8747
 
Posts: 121
Joined: Sat Jan 19, 2008 10:40 pm


Return to Book Club

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests

cron