Works that compel. Russian writers about the meaning of life

Life is movement, and the main thing in it is constant work on yourself. In order to make fewer mistakes and gain as much useful knowledge as possible, it is worth choosing the right sources of information. We offer you a list of works that are required reading for everyone who wants to change themselves and better understand this world.

• Carlos Castaneda. "The Teachings of Don Juan"

The book describes the philosophy of an Indian sorcerer Don Juan, whom I personally met Castaneda. The shaman offers his theory of understanding the world through the interpretation of energy signals from the Universe. Don Juan promotes the construction of his model of the universe, based on sensations.

• Gabriel Garcia Marquez. "100 Years of Solitude"

A novel about a mysterious village Macondo, lost in the depths of the Colombian jungle. This is a poignant story of the family of the founders of the village - the clan Buendia. Clan Buendia– endless repetition of identical names and destinies. Members of the clan are revolutionaries, hermits, alchemists, writers and businessmen. But they are united by one quality - awareness of loneliness and some kind of evil fate weighing down on everyone Buendia and the village Macondo. In the novel, real historical events are intertwined with mythical ones.

• Franz Kafka. "Letter to Father"

This is an autobiographical work. The writer’s extremely frank reflections on the difficult relationship with his father and how they influenced the writer’s work and his development as a person. The book may be especially interesting for parents as a guide on how not to raise their children.

• ​Kurt Vonnegut. "Cat's Cradle"

One of the author's most famous novels along with " Slaughterhouse number five" A work about the responsibility of scientists for their inventions. The book also addresses issues of the environment, wars and religions. The narrative is ambiguous and the plot unpredictable.

• Nikolay Berdyaev. "Self-Knowledge"

The book cultivates unconventional views and the eternal search for meaning. Correlation of oneself with the world environment. Reflections on God and creativity.

• Marquis de Sade. "Justine, or the Miserable Fate of Virtue"

The main character of the book is a girl from a noble family. Having become an orphan, she is forced to earn a living herself. At the same time, the girl strives to act in accordance with moral laws. But life is merciless. Justine constantly faces the cruelty of others. Lies, kidnapping, rape - all this the poor girl has to endure. The book is incredibly frank.

• Ruben Gallego. "White on Black"

The book gives the reader the opportunity to learn about the lives of people with disabilities first-hand. The author also poignantly talks about the so-called communist morality, the essence of which is to deprive a person of the opportunity to be human. Despite the sad topic, the book gives an incredibly bright reading experience. The author makes you look at sad things through the prism of kindness.

• Paulo Coelho. "Alchemist"

This short work is filled with deep thoughts and simple truths. The book is read in one breath, although many thoughts are written between the lines and are not always revealed immediately. The main character is a shepherd Santiago, who goes on a journey to the pyramids to find treasures and answers to questions about happiness and the meaning of life.

• Jerome Salinger. "Catcher in the rye"

I re-read this book twice, and how strange it was that its meaning changed for me each time. The story is about how the main character (a 16-year-old boy from New York) tired of the falsehood, hypocrisy and meaninglessness that he encountered every day, and how he found out what was really important to him, what should be valued in life and what was worth living for.

If you suffer from insomnia, or you simply don’t know what to do in the evening before bed, then start reading! But be careful, because some books are so interesting that you won't even notice the morning comes!

Photo: goodfon.ru

So, a list of fascinating books that will interest both “avid readers” and novice “book lovers”:

“The One Who Has Come in Large Numbers”, Narine Abgaryan

This is a tragicomedy about a young and ambitious girl who, at the beginning of the difficult 90s, decided to leave her native small mountainous republic and conquer the capital. And she immediately realized that each visitor, whom the author calls “who came in large numbers,” has his own Moscow. Some people see it in the millions of people scurrying through the streets, while others get the opportunity to get close to such people. And some of them protect, protect, care, help, support and simply love. The author of the book talks about his small piece of that very “common” life of a newcomer, which many indigenous residents of big cities have no idea about. And there is room for heroic deeds, the most important of which is to decide to emigrate and accept a new place as it is, and to sincerely love it. And then Moscow will certainly reciprocate.

"The Collector" John Fowles

This is the author’s debut story, and for many it almost chills the blood, because this is a real psychological thriller that excites the mind. The plot is the destinies of two people connected with each other. He is a butterfly collector. There is an emptiness in his soul that he strives to fill with beauty. And one day Ferdinand finds himself a beautiful victim - the girl Miranda. It’s as if she was created to create and enjoy freedom. And he understands that he will give everything to have her. And so, Miranda becomes Ferdinand's prisoner. But will he be able to keep real Life, Beauty, Freedom and all the most beautiful things that can be in the human soul within the walls of the castle?

The story is built on the delicate relationship between the victim and the villain and allows you to rethink many of the stories of world classics that seemed to have long been worn out.

Forrest Gump, Winston Groom

This is the story of a mentally retarded guy, which he himself outlined on the pages of a now legendary book, which formed the basis of the film of the same name. The plot can be called practically the embodiment of the myth about that very “American Dream” that disturbed the minds of millions of young people who lived in the second half of the last century. But at the same time, this is a sharp and even slightly cruel satirical parody of the society of that time, which was not ready to accept people who were somehow different from the mainstream. Forrest Gump was different and therefore became an object of ridicule. But this boy is not crazy at all. He is different, and he has access to what others cannot see and feel. He's special.

Amsterdam, Ian McEwan

The author of the book is one of the representatives of the “elite” of modern British prose. And for the work, which became a real world bestseller, he received the Booker Prize. Viktor Golyshev, who translated this creation into Russian, also received the award. It would seem that the story is simple and very relevant. But how many nuances there are in it, how many thoughts, how many doubts! The main characters are two friends. One of them is a successful editor of a popular newspaper. The second is a brilliant composer of our time who is writing the “Millennium Symphony”. And they enter into an agreement on euthanasia, under the terms of which, if one falls into a state of unconsciousness and ceases to understand what he is doing, then the other will take his life.

"Amendment 22" by Joseph Heller

Although more than half a century has passed since the release of the first book, this work still remains legendary and one of the most popular, and many publications included it in the list of the best novels.

This is not your typical story about US Air Force pilots in World War II. They all find themselves in absurd situations, encounter absurd people and rash actions, and commit incomprehensible acts themselves. And all this is connected with a certain amendment No. 22, which actually does not exist on paper, but states that every military man who does not want to carry out a combat mission is completely normal and therefore fit for service. But in fact, in this story one can see not so much an anti-war novel, but a deep and global mockery of modern everyday life, of society and current laws.

"A Conspiracy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

The author of this book, who, by the way, lived to see the Pulitzer Prize awarded for this creation, was able to create a literary hero unlike any described in satirical literature. Ignatius J. Riley is a creative, imaginative and eccentric personality. He fancies himself an intellectual, but in reality he is a glutton, a spendthrift and a quitter. He is like a modern Don Quixote or Gargantua, who despises society for its lack of geometry and theology. He is reminiscent of Thomas Aquinas, who began his own hopeless war against everything and everyone: representatives of non-traditional sexual orientation, the excesses of the century and even intercity buses. And this image is so interesting, unusual and, unfortunately, relevant that everyone can see a part of themselves in it.

“Monday begins on Saturday”, Strugatsky Brothers

This book is a real masterpiece of Russian science fiction, a kind of embodiment of the utopia of the Soviet era, a kind of artistic fulfillment of the dream of the possibilities of modern man to learn, create, understand and solve the mysteries of the Universe.

The main characters of the book are employees of NIICHAVO (Research Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry). They are masters and magicians, real pioneers. And they will encounter many amazing events and phenomena: a time machine, a hut on chicken legs, a genie and even an artificially grown man!

"The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

This book became a real bestseller. This is a mysterious and fascinating story of a girl, Rachel, who, from the train window, watches, as it seems to her, ideal spouses. She even gave them names: Jason and Jess. Every day she sees the cottage of a man and a woman and understands that they probably have everything: prosperity, happiness, wealth and love. And Rachel had all this, but not so long ago she lost it all. But one day, approaching an already well-known cottage, the girl realizes that something is going wrong. She sees frightening, mysterious and disturbing events. And then the perfect wife Jess disappears. And Rachel understands that it is she who must reveal this secret and find the woman. But will the police take her seriously? And, in general, is it worth interfering in someone else’s life? This is for the readers to find out.

"The Book of Life: Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom

In the last months of his life, the old professor managed to make several important discoveries.

He realized that death is not the end at all. This is the beginning. And that means dying is the same as preparing for something unknown and new. And this is not scary at all, but even interesting.

Before leaving for another world, the old man passed on such knowledge to everyone who was with him in the last minutes of his earthly life. What's next? Will we find out?

"The Trial", Franz Kafka

The author is one of the most beloved, mysterious, readable and popular writers of the last century. He managed to create a unique artistic Universe, in which everything is completely different from real life. She is sad, dreary and almost absurd, but incredible and bewitchingly beautiful. Her characters constantly become participants in strange adventures, they search for the meaning of life and try to get answers to questions that have long tormented them. The novel “The Trial” is the work that will allow us to most clearly understand the mysterious nature of Franz Kafka’s work.

Lord of the Flies, William Golding

This book can be called strange, scary and incredibly attractive.

In the story, boys brought up in the best traditions find themselves on a desert island. The author told readers a philosophical parable about how fragile the world is and what can happen to people who forget about kindness, love and mercy. This is a dystopia with some symbolic overtones, which explores the behavioral characteristics of children who find themselves on a desert island during wartime. Will they be able to maintain their humanity or will they submit to natural instincts?

"Rita Hayworth or the Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King

The plot of this book is the story of a man whose terrible dream suddenly became a reality. He, innocent of anything, was thrown into prison, into a real hell in which he would spend the rest of his life. And no one has ever managed to escape from this terrible place. But the main character does not intend to give up and put up with what was destined for him by fate. He took a desperate step. But will he be able to not only escape, but also get used to freedom and the new world, and survive in it? By the way, this work by the real king of fantasy Stephen King served as the basis for the film of the same name, which starred Morgan Freeman and Tim Robinson.

The events take place in England in 1960. Jennifer Sterling wakes up after a terrible car accident and realizes that she can't remember who she is or what happened to her. She doesn’t remember her husband either. She would have continued to live in ignorance if she had not completely accidentally found letters addressed to her and signed with the letter “B”. Their author confessed his love to Jennifer and persuaded her to leave her husband. Next, the author takes readers to the 21st century. Young reporter Ellie finds one of the letters written by the mysterious “B” in the newspaper archives. She hopes that by taking up the investigation, she will be able to unravel the mystery of the author and recipient of the messages, restore her reputation, and even understand her own personal life.

"A Lady with Glasses with a Gun in a Car" by Sebastien Japrisot

The main character of the book is blonde. She is beautiful, sentimental, sincere, deceitful, restless, stubborn and clueless. This lady, who has never seen the sea, gets into a car and tries to escape from the police. At the same time, she constantly repeats to herself that she is not crazy.

But those around me do not agree with this. The heroine behaves more than strangely and constantly finds herself in ridiculous situations. She believes that wherever she goes, she can be harmed. But if she runs away, she will be able to be alone with herself and free herself from what she hides, from what worries her so much.

The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt

The author wrote this book for ten whole years, but it became a real masterpiece. It tells us that art has power and strength, and sometimes it can radically change and literally turn our lives around, and quite suddenly.

The hero of the work, 13-year-old boy Theo Decker, miraculously survived the explosion that killed his mother. His father abandoned him, and he is forced to wander around foster families and completely strange homes. He visited Las Vegas and New York and almost despaired. But his only consolation, which, by the way, almost led to his death, is the masterpiece of the Dutch old master, which he stole from the museum.

Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell

This book is like a complex mirror labyrinth, in which seemingly completely different and unrelated stories miraculously echo, intersect and overlap each other.

There are six main characters in the work: a young composer who is forced to sell his soul and body; 19th century notary; a journalist working in California in the 70s of the last century who uncovers a conspiracy of a large company; a clone servant working in a modern fast food establishment; a modern small publisher and a simple goatherd living at the end of civilization.

"1984", George Orwell

This work can be classified as a dystopian genre; it describes a society in which a strict totalitarian regime reigns.

There is nothing more terrible than the imprisonment of free and living minds in the shackles of social foundations.

"Blackberry Winter" by Sarah Gio

The events take place in 1933 in Seattle. Vera Ray kisses her little son good night and heads off to her night job at a hotel. In the morning, a single mother discovers that the entire city is covered in snow, and her son has disappeared. In a snowdrift near the house, Vera finds the boy’s favorite toy, but there are no traces nearby. A desperate mother is ready to do anything to find her child.

The author then takes readers to modern-day Seattle. Reporter Claire Aldridge writes an article about a snowstorm that literally paralyzes the city. By chance she learns that similar events already took place 80 years ago. As Claire begins to explore the mysterious story of Vera Ray, she realizes that it is somehow mysteriously intertwined with her own life.

"Blindness", Jose Saramago

Residents of a nameless country and a nameless city are faced with a strange epidemic. They all quickly begin to go blind. And the authorities, in order to stop this incomprehensible disease, decide to introduce strict quarantine and move all sick people to the old hospital, taking them into custody.

The main characters of the work are an infected ophthalmologist and his pretending to be blind wife. They are trying to piece together the world and find order in this chaos that is gradually enveloping everyone.

“Three apples fell from the sky”, Narine Abgaryan

This book is the story of one small village, which is located somewhere high in the mountains.

Its inhabitants are all a little grumpy, a little eccentric, but at the same time, real treasures of the spirit are hidden in each of them.

This is a witty, sublime and unusual dystopia about a modern consumer society, which is programmed at the genetic level. And in this world unfolds the sad story of the Savage, whom the author regards as the Hamlet of our time. He still retains remnants of humanity, but people, divided into castes of social consumption, do not want to recognize him or simply cannot do so.

If we list noteworthy books by contemporary authors, we cannot fail to mention the work “Social network “Ark” by Evgeny Vetzel, which consists of three parts.

The main character falls from the roof, but is reborn again. Having lived a little in the 11th century, he finds himself in the distant future - in the 36th century in Moscow. The author touches on many interesting devices, psychology and sales techniques, modern reflections on life, and reasons to think seriously about rhetorical issues. The second book describes life in America and the theory of one of the variants of a worldwide conspiracy. And the third part tells about the adventures of the hero on another planet where white angels live.

These were the most interesting books that are worth reading even for those who think that they don’t like to read. They will change your views and even your ideas about the world.

P.S. What books do you remember most?

1. "100 Years of Solitude" - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
While reading this novel, you will probably see some of your friends or relatives in the characters. This is a wonderful book about life, love, friendship, different human destinies and death, which is worth reading.

2. "Catcher in the rye" — Jerome Salinger
The story of a young man who was able to see in a deceitful, hypocritical and cruel world that bright and important thing that must be protected and valued above all else.

3. "Letter to Father" - Franz Kafka
The work is an autobiography that will make you think about a lot and teach you not to make mistakes in life and in raising children.

4. "451 degrees Fahrenheit" — Ray Bradbury
A fantastic work about the future, in which there is no place for learning and books, morality and values, and all that people live for is empty entertainment. But one man will try to change the system. Will recognition and success await him, or will all attempts be in vain...

5. "I would choose life" — T. Cohen
Tried to leave this life because of rejected love. But after two years, fate will give him a meeting with his old love. What is this, a reward or a punishment?...

6. "A little prince" — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
This book is worth reading. Written in a fairy-tale style, it tells about the most important things in life - love, friendship and fidelity, forgiveness and immortal beauty.

7."Three Comrades" - Erich Maria Remarque
A magnificent novel about love and friendship full of trials, and the fate of three people connected by strong, kind and bright relationships that are worth cherishing...

8. "After" — Guiem Musso
What does a person need who has a great job, recognition, money and family. Probably a loss. This is a story about a man who, in pursuit of his ambitions, loses the most important thing in life - his loved ones. Will he be able to get back what he lost, and what does it feel like to know what awaits you after...

9. "The Tale of a Real Man" – Boris Polevoy
A documentary story about a war hero who, having become disabled, did not lose his strength and desire to live. After reading this book, you will understand and emphasize a lot for yourself, and most importantly, you will realize that there is only one life, and you need to be able to live it with pride.


10. "White on Black" — Ruben David Gonzalez Gallego
What is it like to live but not be able to walk, write or talk? In this book, the author will talk about the difficult life of people with disabilities. How to learn to look at life with a positive attitude and not lose humanity and kindness?

Erich Maria Remarque - “Three Comrades”

Erich Maria Remarque entered literature as the author of books about the fate of the “lost generation” - young people who experienced the horrors of the World War. His style is unique, and his books have long become classics.

“Three Comrades” is a poignant novel about loneliness and mutual understanding, about friendship and love, about devotion and the fragility of human life. Robert Lokamp, ​​Otto Kester and Gottfried Lenz are trying to forget their hungry childhood and find love, but they cannot escape the ghosts of the past. They are ready to do anything for friendship. Despite the death that permeates it, the novel speaks of a thirst for life.

Quote: “Just don’t take anything to heart,” said Kester, “After all, what you accept, you want to keep. But you can’t hold anything back.”

Jenny Downham - "While I Live"

Knowing that she is dying, the sixteen-year-old heroine of this book writes a list of things that need to be done in life. She definitely needs to be in time, because the countdown has already begun...

A controversial work: on literary forums they often say that the main character is a dummy, a hypocrite, an egoist... She is condemned for sex with an unfamiliar guy, for drugs, for reckless actions.

However, everything she does is not only a desire to try the forbidden, but also simply an unbridled desire to live. Move. For something to happen. What else could she do - humbly wait for death? This work is about how you need to appreciate every minute of life and not be afraid to take risks.

Quote: “People grow up in different ways: some quickly, some slowly, and some in the moment. And everyone lives differently. Not just on purpose, but due to circumstances. The stronger these circumstances are, the greater the height of the flight or the depth of the fall of this or that fate. Where to fly - up or down - everyone decides for himself. But there is always a choice"

Boris Vasiliev - “And the dawns here are quiet”

Boris Vasiliev is one of those writers, eyewitnesses of the war, who themselves went to the front and defended the country.

After reading it, it is impossible to understand who is more pitied, the young girls who ruined their lives in the name of the Motherland, or Sergeant Major Vaskov, who went through so much with them and remained alive.

The plot of the book is based on real events and this makes it even scarier. This is a story about war, about its mercilessness, about the sacrifices that both men and women made to protect their country.

Quote: “It was so stupid, so absurd and implausible to die at nineteen”

John Boyne - "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"

A small book that talks about terrible things in simple language. Through the eyes of a child who naively believes in friendship between “different” people and in world peace, the Auschweitz concentration camp is shown, a tragedy of the Second World War about which so much has been written. But this particular story proves that children pay for the mistakes of adults. Valuing your own life.

You can’t talk much about this book - you need to read, experience this story with Bruno, just a child who fell into the killing machine of the Third Reich, but who believed in the justice of the world to the end.

Quote: “Of course, all this happened a long time ago and will never happen again. Not in our days and not in our century."

The novel ends with these words.

Alice Sebold - "The Lovely Bones"

Just like the book “While I Live,” this work is surrounded by a lot of controversy - about the audience to which the book is addressed, about the genre - if it’s a detective story, then why is there so little blood and investigation, if it’s a drama, then why these horrifying details of the crime?

But regardless of this, this story evokes a whole heap of unimaginable emotions in everyone’s soul - from quiet melancholy over the vivid images of a peaceful American suburb to alarming bursts of “what if.”

A book about awareness: if you lose someone, it’s forever. And sometimes, so stupidly, for no reason, a loved one, just like the heroine of a book, can up and disappear.

Or are you yourself? What could be worse than the thought that you will be forgotten, that you will turn into a locked room that is no longer visited?

This story is definitely worth reading. At a minimum, to think about how fleeting life is and how easy it is to lose it.

Quote: “We stood on each side, a dead daughter and a living son, and each wanted one thing. So that your father will always be there. But this could not come true for both at once."

Daniel Keyes - "Flowers for Algernon"

Literary forums are full of positive reviews of this work and define it as “a masterpiece of modern American literature.” And for good reason: a deep plot - a story about a mentally retarded boy who, in the course of a scientific experiment, becomes a genius and must learn to live again: to realize what love, friendship, sex, self-determination are... In order to walk the path that people have allotted their whole lives to, he must spend only months and answer the main question: “Who am I?”

A very touching and sometimes even naive book. Must read.

Quote: “If you don’t want to remain a child forever, you can’t wait for clues from others. You must find a solution within yourself - feel what will be right. Learn to trust yourself"

Charlotte Brontë - "Jane Eyre"

This name has already become a household name - the image of a modest, brave girl, ready to fight for her love, is subsequently present in many works of literature. However, it was Brontë who was able to endow the main character with those qualities that make you fall in love with Jane Eyre from the first lines and empathize with her until the last page.

The book “Jane Eyre,” which has become a classic, is still popular today, thanks to the precision of expression of human feelings that the author was able to achieve.

Quote: “You yourself could fly and cling to my heart if you wanted. But, grabbed against your will, you will slip out of my arms, disappear like a fragrance, without even allowing me to inhale it.”

Marc Levy - "Shadow Thief"

Almost everyone has heard about this master of the American word. His famous novels “Those Words We Didn't Say to Each Other” and “Between Heaven and Earth” do not linger on bookstore shelves. It’s the same story with the book “The Thief of Shadows,” which is also a great success both in Russia and around the world.

At first it may seem that this is fantasy or a good fairy tale, but once you open the first pages, it becomes clear that this is a very strong novel, albeit small in volume. The story of a boy who has the gift of communicating with the shadows of other people and who so desperately wants to help everyone around him, but cannot help himself. Useful for relieving fatigue from the soul.

Quote: “In adolescence, we all dream of one day leaving our parents, but another day comes when our parents leave us. And then we dream of only one thing: to once again become, at least for a moment, the children who lived under their roof, to hug them, to tell them, without shame, how much we love them, to cling to them tighter, so that they can calm us down at least once more.”

Stephen King - "The Green Mile"

The name of this author has long been known to all fans of fantasy, action films, detective stories... But before us is a completely “different” work of his, “The Green Mile” - a parable about existence and people, about how terrible death is, even when you have to face it daily.

Many people say that reading this book is scary. And this is true, because there is so much in it: physical and mental pain, love of life, love of people, struggle with oneself and the world, fear of death and the vision in it of deliverance from suffering, the story of true friendship and the versatility of betrayal, human meanness and questions of honor... And all these questions and problems cannot be solved; neither the author nor the reader has an answer to them.

This is the case when you become so deeply immersed in the story that it is no longer possible to tear yourself away.

Quote: “...I discovered a monstrous truth: sometimes there is absolutely no difference between saving a soul and condemning it to eternal torment.”

Cecelia Ahern - "One Hundred Names"

This book is worth loving if only for how believable the plot is. The author did not come up with something super-outstanding: she was an ordinary journalist whose career was collapsing - and then a list of a hundred names fell into her hands. How are they connected? Why did her terminally ill friend choose them?

“One Hundred Names” is a novel about how no one in the world should be alone, about how people can help each other avoid tragedy.

Cecilia Ahern, in one short work, managed to show that everything in life can be changed, that every person is interesting and unique.

Most likely, this story, thanks to the happy ending, will not bring you to tears, but a slight smile. But the author of the blog sincerely cried over how wonderful it is when there is someone nearby who is ready to support.

Quote: “You’re not afraid to fly, you’re afraid that you won’t be able to get off the ground.”

What books make you cry?

Some time ago, a quote from Thomas Carlyle was published in our VKontakte community: “The best thing a book can do for a person is to make him act.” Along with it, readers were asked what books inspire them. We have collected some answers in this article, added (or used the reader’s) small descriptions to the named works and are sharing them with you.

Jack London "Martin Eden"

The novel by the American writer undoubtedly deserves to be on such a list. A book about achievement, loyalty to the intended path, strong character, overcoming oneself, external conditions and circumstances. And also about working on yourself, development and aspirations. We are not specifically talking about the plot - you definitely need to read the work yourself. Everyone will take something different from it, but one thing is for sure - “Martin Eden” is probably able to give even more to everyone who is interested in numerous issues of self-development than many non-fiction books on this topic.

Bible

The Bible does not need long introductions, so we will give only an excerpt from the answers of our readers. According to them, the Book of Books inspires because it opens up a person and teaches him deep spiritual and moral values, allowing him to be useful and real. She can transform lives like no one else can. And it can be a daily guide to action and decision making.

Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead

Wikipedia, citing a public opinion poll conducted in 1991 by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club, operates with the following fact: in the United States "Atlas Shrugged" is the second book after the Bible that led to changes in the lives of American readers. According to adherents of Rand's work, this work is about the role of personality, individuality, inviolability of beliefs, and abilities. Critics are confident that the plot is based on hyperbolization, the poles of opposition are too sharp and exaggerated, and the book glorifies selfishness and unregulated capitalism. This alone, without going into assessments, should be enough to read Atlas Shrugged and form your own opinion.

Talking about "Source", Ayn Rand noted that its main theme is: “the contrast between individualism and collectivism, not in politics, but in the human soul.” In addition, this book is about aspirations, the strength to go against conventional wisdom and pursue goals.

Richard Branson "To hell with everything! Take it and do it!”

This book by a British entrepreneur is about perseverance and working on yourself to unlock your potential, regardless of external conditions and innate characteristics. It is seasoned with personal experience and flavored with tips and recommendations that are designed to help you achieve your goals. And make dreams come true.

What is typical for evaluations of such books is that they are diametrically opposed. For some, it is a banal work about success and the general things associated with it. For others, it’s a first-hand story, something of a formula, as well as a motivating reminder of what’s really important. As you know, there is no arguing about tastes. Therefore, the matter of forming an impression of the book is entirely yours.

Robert Kiyosaki "Rich Dad Poor Dad"

Dale Carnegie described the work as follows: “If you want excellent advice on how to treat people, manage yourself and improve your personal qualities, read the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - one of the most fascinating stories of life.”

The list is in random order and is not a ranking. Supplement the article with your own book options and share your thoughts on the topic in the comments.