Hodgepodge and Balderdash

Has a book ever inspired you to change anything in your life, fiction or non-fiction alike?

Books never fail to inspire me. From the very first books I read, which cultivated in me a love for reading, to the books people recommened that made me fall in love with different authors and genres, books have always touched my life. Every book I read touches my life in some way- sometimes small, sometimes big. There are books that make me rethink my life, there are books that make me wnat to go out there into the world and make a difference and there are books that make me want to be a better person. To state the one book that has inspired me would be difficult. There are tons of them. There are autobiographies like "Desert Rose" by Waris Dirie that opened my eyes to the plight of women elsewhere in the world. There are books like "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand that made me rethink my philosophy and beliefs. There are books like "No Longer At Ease" and "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe that kindled an interest in a different culture and way of life. There are books by Maya Angelou, Sylvia Plath, Margaret Atwood, Toni Morrison that made me look at women and their issues in a new light. And all these authors and books have left an indelible mark on my life and made me the person I am. However hard I try, I simply cannot isolate a single book from the hordes I have read and point it out to be a source of inspiration. Every one of the books I have read have inspired me- right from my book of fairy tales to Freud.

Every book I read  opens up a new world to me. A new world where ideas and lives and cultures are way different from the ones I am used to. And sometime eerily similar to what I have seen. And they all influence me in some way. And this will continue throughout my life. :) Am sure.