Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and the sequel Lila, both by Robert Pirsig.
They're pretty interesting deep dives into the philosophy behind ideas like quality, worth, and morality, and even if you don't accept all of Pirsig's ideas, they give you a lot to think about. They're also not dry lectures, but told through travelogue and autobiography. (And Pirsig's biography is fascinating in itself: he was very open in the book about his mental health issues and time spent in institutions.)
Never Let Me Go is a strange science fiction tale by Kazuo Ishoguro. It's a meditation of the ordinariness of oppression and how it works through the stories we tell, set in a seemingly benign alternate and aging UK. It vividly shows how people might accept and become complicit in their own brutal dehumanization when the whole society considers it normal.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and the sequel Lila, both by Robert Pirsig.
They're pretty interesting deep dives into the philosophy behind ideas like quality, worth, and morality, and even if you don't accept all of Pirsig's ideas, they give you a lot to think about. They're also not dry lectures, but told through travelogue and autobiography. (And Pirsig's biography is fascinating in itself: he was very open in the book about his mental health issues and time spent in institutions.)
Very good description. Thanks.
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius totally shifted how I deal with things I can't control.
The FIve People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom
Have you read Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch?
I have not!
Read Hesse and Kerouac and the whole shabang when I was 16 and it did indeed shaped me a lot.
More recent reads that took me for a mental ride were Cloud Atlas, Hous of Leaves and The Wind-up Bird Chronicles.
Think fast and slow by Kahneman
Noise by Kahneman
I recently read Eichmann in Jerusalem by Hannah Arendt and it's a stark note on the nature of human evil. It was honestly terrifying
Did you read The Origins of Totalitarianism?
Hesse had a way to make you think. For me, it was Demian. Absolutely hit a nerve as a teenager.
Im a teacher now. I still think about some parts of that book when dealing with children.
Never Let Me Go is a strange science fiction tale by Kazuo Ishoguro. It's a meditation of the ordinariness of oppression and how it works through the stories we tell, set in a seemingly benign alternate and aging UK. It vividly shows how people might accept and become complicit in their own brutal dehumanization when the whole society considers it normal.
Came to recommend Ishiguro! I’ve read five of his books and each one is equally profound, often in the most understated ways.
On the Abolition of All Political Parties, an essay by Simone Weil.
Eckhart Tolle - A New Earth
I think about siddhartha every couple of days. It’s been 30 years since I read it as a teen.
It was one of those I skimmed through and didn't appreciate at that age. I could hit my younger self now for neglecting such a treasure.
I Who Have Never Known Men - really makes you think about what it means to be human. Still lingers with me.
I was going to comment this. Made me think about the value of life if no one is around to remember you
Yes!! Really humbling in a lot of ways.
ICAO Doc4444.
The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot. It will change how you view reality.
Almond
By way of Deception
Marcus Aurelius - Meditations
Sapiens
I recently read 1984 by George Orwell. It really made me think about freedom, society, and how much control we give away without noticing.
Orwell meant it as a warning, not a prediction. It's an open question as to whether he was listened to.
I just read this also!
"Birdy" by William Wharton. True friendship, the horrors of war, mental illness, and the ultimate escapism.