BTT: Oh, Herman!
I’ve seen this question floating around the blogosphere a few times the last couple of days, so thought I’d pass it forward.
Which Book Changed Your Life?
Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!
Well, darlings, that’s an easy one: every book we read changes our lives in some way, of course!
I kid.
But, in all honesty, the reason I read is to engage in somewhat of a life altering experience so, yes, every book could be plopped into this post, good or bad.
The book that sprang to mind, immediately, though, was Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse. It’s hard to explain the book without giving too much away but I suppose, in a nutshell, it’s just a fun little story about existentialism. I read it post-college and, for some reason, it had more of an effect on me than anything I’d read in sixteen years of over-analyzed schooling.
This is a terrible answer because it’s not exactly a book I can easily summarize. It’s a little book, though, so I’d say just read it and maybe it will have life altering properties for you, as well.
I will add, though, that, I think Hesse might need to be moved up in my ranking of favorite writers (not that he’s low on the list) because a month ago, I answered a Thanksgiving mini-challenge post with Narcissus and Goldmund as the book I was most thankful for.
Guess I just love my Herman!
Iwriteinbooks's Blog 
Interesting about Steppenwolf. I think I also did not read Hesse until post-college. I didn’t feel the same way about him as you did, but there’s no denying his books are thought-provoking!
I must say, I never heard of him or his books, I guess I need to go looking at the library for him some day.
I’ve read some Hesse, but not Steppenwolf. I think I will look into it. For me, I couldn’t pick a favorite so I really did just argue that all books are essentially life changing (was that just me copping out?)
I love Hesse, too. Not sure I’d say his books were life-changing for me, but he certainly wrote a lot of great books. My favorite is probably The Glass Bead Game – I’m thinking of rereading that one soon.
Siddharth by Hesse too, is a GREAT book.
Here is my BTT: Life-changing post!
I’ve never read any of Hesse’s books. That’s what makes this week’s question so interesting – if these are life changing selections they are worth checking out. 🙂
Which book changed your life?
I would have to say the Harry Potter and Twilight series because they sparked so many conversations with people I know well and people I just met. It’s also fun talking with people about the different aspects between the books and the movies.
I have heard of Hesse, but never actually read him.