the first novel I ever read was JAws, when I was six (I peaked early in the intellect department). I grew up on the water, in a town near Montauk, the real town that the fictional Amity Island was based on. Jaws made me think about that water before jumping right in.


Fear and Loathing in America. This is a compilation of letters Hunter S. Thompson wrote from the late 60's to 1976 (I think). Not only are they often hysterical, they are very educational in learning about the times and in learning about new and crazy ways to deal with people and situations.


Catch Me If You Can. Frank Abagnale's story (not the movie). I read this freshman year of college and it taught me quite a bit on how to carry myself with confidence.


there are many, many other books that have left me with some kind of impact but these three really stick out at the moment.

It has come to me...

L. Ron Hubbard : Dianetics (the "Bible" of Scientology)

This book changed my life.
I see the world and living with scientific mind
with 'engram'.
Engram theory is the best psychological theory since Freud.

Ishmael By: Daniel Quinn by far. this book got me reading for pleasure

Derrick Jensen's books are also very very good

Beyond a shadow of a doubt,
the Chinese classic "Journey to the West".

Also I loved the Ramayana (except for the last few chapters) and the Mahabharata.

I believe that these books have given me insight, which is worth more than any material gain.

The biggest impacts on my life so far are from the following books:

1. Our stolen future, by Theo Colborn et.al. Dr. Colborn is Senior Scientist at the World Wildlife fund. For more info and follow-up on the science findings (on the downside of using plastics) since the book first was published, look online:

www.ourstolenfuture.org...

I recently received an e-mail from the Association for Computing Machinery decrying the almost complete lack of teaching about the scientific method in American colleges in recent years. Well, this book walks us completely through thie writer's use of the scientific method to discover a topic, develop a hypothesis, test it out over many years, the whole thing. I really would not be surprised to hear that Theo Colborn is someday nominated for the Nobel Prize.

2. White privilege -- essential readings on the other side of racism, edited by Paula Rothenberg. Reading this was a jawdropping experience for this here Caucasian.

3. Aama in America--a pilgrimage of the heart, by Broughton Coburn. A lifelong resident of a Nepalese village, a 94-year-young woman accompanies her adopted son (Peace Corp volunteer Broughton Coburn) on a journey through North America. Noting that for Americans, "machines are your gods", Aama later asked, "Why do Americans treat strangers like family and treat their families like strangers?" Wow!

The Book of Jobs in that I was absolutely determined to have even double his patience in going about exactly what is right.

May 5th, 2000 got me thinking about the pyramids, life and a million other things.

What an awesome read aplenty The Hobbit truly is and and I can't tell how stupid New Line Cinema was in not turning this into a movie when they had the chance.