Eye opening books?

If you want to see the hidden side of everything that doesn't matter, try "Freakonomics" by Steven Levitt. Awesome book, and it's really easy and fun to read.

If you want to try to understand how a lot of things that do matter actually work, try "The Armchair Economist" by Steven Landsburg.

If you're looking for an "eye opening" experience, both of these books are perfect because they will change the way you look at the world.

 
I've read a lot of books that people have listed and honestly, some people have said some dumb shit. If your looking for a good book, then (most) of these are good suggestions. But you specifically asked for an eye-opening book. Do you mean something that will make you see the world differently? Or just something where after you read it you are like wtf, but then you reflect on it and are just like holy shit, that was nuts.

If your looking for an easy read, with a good dose of violence and sex (usually mixed together) with clever lines that make you stop, re-read, think about and just go wtf thats nuts I've never though about it like that, or thats sooo true, then go with a Chuck Pahluniuk book. Fight Club is the best. (same story as the movie). Also Rant and Haunted were RIDICULOUS.

Haunted (by Chuck Pahluniuk) was NUTS. Gave me chills when I just typed its name. So nuts. Its a collection of short stories bound together by a main story. The short stories are ridiculous. At the end of some I was just like, holy fuck. The end of the book is nuts too. This is what you are looking for 100% and its a GREAT READ.

If you decide to read haunted or want to know more, send me a pm
 
fuckkk the alchemist the most contrived book ever for simple minded people.

on the road by jack kerouac is a much better book with similar themes.
 
for sure. i also liked cat's cradle and sirens of titan by him.brave new world by aldous huxley is another good one.
 
If you want to read some fucked up shit that even has footnotes you can check up on at the back read The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein. Be careful though, some serious leftist shit in there but some of the parallels she draws are whack. The lady is super intelligent.

Also, check out East of Eden for a good fiction story, it's by John Steinbeck. Or the Grapes of Wrath also by Steinbeck - this is pretty eye opening to how fucked up people can be to their own countrymen.

Lastly, my favourite book of all time is A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, not necessarily "eye opening" but a fantastic read nonetheless.
 
1984, Clockwork Orange, The Stranger (that one is so good and is only like a 100 pages so a really quick read), Unbearable Lightness of Being.. and im sure theres a ton of others
 
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ah nick!!! you asshole! stealin my book i wanted to post!!!

but yeah amazing very eye opening book. def everyone should read it. and if you dont wanna read the whole book at least read something on Randy Pausch. he was a good guy.
 
High Fidelity helped me realize some things about myself, I felt like I had written the book.

Also Jesus Lived in India, even though the book is probably bullshit, its crazy to think about
 
YESSSSSS best book ever.

I read this in 3 days during college finals. I was crying laughing at many times during this book.

READ THIS.
 
EXACTLY my suggestions minus into the wild..i liked it but...i tdidnt really alter my beliefs or change my life.

the alchemist changed my life. for sure.
 
You're really recommending the Divine Comedy?
Although it is hard to argue that it is not important, it is definitely not a book (poem) that someone would sit down and read. You really need analyze each line in order to comprehend what Dante is expressing.
Some college courses are based entirely off of Dante's Divine Comedy, and sometimes it not poem in it's entirety, just parts or most often the Inferno.
And on that note, if you choose to read The Divine Comedy, afterwards try John Milton's Paradise Lost.
 
hahaha, i agree with that first line, but it's worth even reading the wikipedia summary to get the gist of Dante's concept of heaven, hell and purgatory.
 
well i didnt mean that you can read it like a book... but its something people should at least look into, and maybe read a few of the more well known passages.
 
george orwell books like 1984 or animal farm. Into the wild is good and I really like catcher in the rye. Also tuesdays with morrie and the shack are good books
 
Siddhartha and Into the Wild are my favorite books and I read quite a bit, neither of them made me go "holy fuck" but my mindset was already close to the same as them, so I could many other people being totally mind blown by them though.
 
Not eye opening in the sense that it will change your life but is definitely eye opening in the sense that you will lose many pre conceived beliefs by reading the book "Columbine" about the shooting. It is like the in cold blood of the columbine shootings
 
The omnivores dilemma by michael pollen. Literally one of the most interesting books i have ever read. It is all about diet, nutrition, and food in the US. It will make you think differently and is DEFINITELY eye opening. Please read it, honestly i wish i could make everybody in the US read it because i think it would solve a lot of problems

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regeneration- pat barker

inside Gunatanamo -Gordon Cucullu

As i lay dying -william faulkner, thats some wierd shit
 
+++ Karma, just finished a graduate class on Paradise Lost. I really enjoyed it, a very influential, and critical text. Recommend it but like Dante, i doubt 99% of NS will ever read it or take the time to understand, you can't just skim through these.

What I would recommend is just read. There is no such thing as a terrible book, sure I have read books that I did not like but there is something in any of them. Don't worry about reading Hemmingway, Vonnegut (whom i find overrated, but that's my opinion) etc until you are ready to see the skill they write with. If you just want an exciting book pick up a bestseller like Ludlum's Bourne series etc.
 
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