Most recommended books

The Bible

Recommended in 34 interviews and reading lists

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Who recommends it

  1. How Writing Can Change The WorldArticle
    The Bible is the most influential book in history. It has shaped Western civilization and values for centuries. It has also had a profound impact on other cultures and religions around the world.
  2. How Books Changed The WorldArticle
    Another example of a book that changed the world is the Bible. The Bible is a religious text that has had a profound impact on billions of people around the world. It teaches about God, morality, and ethics. It also contains stories that have inspired generations of artists and writers. The Bible has shaped our…
  3. Mike MassiminoInterview
    I would give them a book about baseball in New York back in the 1920s, but I can’t remember the title. But I think it’s a good read on our culture, some of our history and some of our sports heroes. I’d give them Apollo 13 by James Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger, which was originally called ‘Lost Moon’ but was renamed when…
  4. Stephen WaltInterview
    I’d have to say The Bible. I’m a firm atheist now, but I was fairly religious until sometime in college and a lot of Judeo-Christian ethics undoubtedly seeped into my consciousness in different ways. Of course, the other book that had a huge impact on me personally was my own dissertation—subsequently published as The…
  5. Jeffrey VereggeInterview
    The Bible has impacted my life like no other. My first Bible was given to me when I was 8 and although I am no longer a Church-going man, I still turn to this book in my darkest hours of need.
  6. Adam WilberInterview
    Wow. I would probably give them The Bible, The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle and then maybe a classic. Perhaps The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain or Moby Dick by Herman Melville.
  7. Christopher GreysonInterview
    Besides the Bible, it would have to be The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis because it really lit the fire of my imagination. The dream of adventuring into a world created by someone else was so cool I wanted to make my own world and invite people to come there.
  8. Christian B. MillerInterview
    Naturally as someone who is religious, I’d want to point to a book that is central to my religious tradition, in this case the Bible. Or a book that does a good job making the claims of my tradition relevant and engaging today.
  9. Lauren K. DentonInterview
    The Bible. And I don’t say that in a contrived way. I think it has the messages of true hope and reconciliation and kindness and forgiveness that the world needs.
  10. David BurkusInterview
    I’m a Christian, so my first level answer would be The Bible, it’s actually 66 books written by very different authors throughout several thousand years and it tells a story of people interacting with God and with each other. Even if you just look at it as a piece of literature, it still is one of the biggest and most…
  11. Brenda JacksonInterview
  12. Ahir ShahInterview
    Realistically it’s probably the Bible. I mean, I’m an atheist and I’ve never read it, but having been born and socialised in a Western liberal democracy it’s undoubtedly had more of an impact on my entire worldview via osmosis than anything else I could possibly consume.
  13. Gina BrillonInterview
    The Bible. I feel like wearing DEF con five right now globally. Honestly, though I think we’re just in need of more inspirational books that teach us how to be better people to each other.
  14. Ruth OostermanInterview
    I think the only answer to this question for me would have to be the Bible. My faith in God is a huge part of my life, not only has it defined my life thus far but impacts my day to day choices, the Bible to me holds the meaning to life, love.
  15. Jack KetchumInterview
    The Bible. So you’d have a clear notion of all the nonsense and violence embedded therein.
  16. Hamid DabashiInterview
    Yes the Bible in its Persian translation. It is so astonishingly beautiful when read in Persian.
  17. Louise GrayInterview
    It’s a cliché, but the Bible. I am not a practising Christian but much of the stories and sermons have influenced my life. It also helps to understand writers of the past.
  18. Luciano FloridiInterview
    A selection of The Bible. It’s obvious: you cannot understand western civilization without it.
  19. Kelle HamptonInterview
    The Bible. Misinterpretations of it made for some of the saddest periods of my life and affected a lot of paths in our family. If anything, it’s an example of the power of written word. It can heal, comfort and change the course of lives in amazing ways but holds the same potential to hurt.
  20. Adele Paula RoyceInterview
    Actually, I’m re-reading A Movable Feast by Ernest Hemingway. It always inspires me to go to Paris. I also have a variety of spiritual books on my bedside table— The Bible, and Studies in Non-Deterministic Psychology by Dr. Gerald Epstein.
  21. Rolf PottsInterview
    I typically tell people Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, since it did such an amazing job of cluing me in to life’s ecstatic possibilities when I was still young. To this day I return to the pages of Leaves of Grass to feel inspired and enriched. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention The Bible, since, as a member…
  22. Charlie HolmbergInterview
    Possible unpopular answer? The scriptures. The Bible and, since I’m LDS, The Book of Mormon. Or, to be slightly less religious, the works of C.S. Lewis. That man was a genius.
  23. Sarah BesseyInterview
    Hand’s down, it’s The Bible. I’ve wrestled with scripture most of my life and I still am challenged by this collection of books, refined and renewed by it. I love the endlessness and layers and possibilities of the bible.
  24. Marcus GillInterview
  25. Joel GrimesInterview
    The best selling book of all time, The Bible. The Bible is a revelation of our humanity. My success does not come from my ability to create a great picture, but by the ability to overcome my humanity.
  26. Leah WalkerInterview
  27. Christina PazsitzkyInterview
  28. Shavonne WongInterview
  29. Bernard CornwellInterview
    The Bible. It was a horrible childhood, but on the other hand, there’s a great advantage in having had the King James Version of the Bible hammered into the brain because it’s a great manual of style.
  30. Dan WaldschmidtInterview
    The Bible – since my family was deeply religious. I had to read a book a day growing up (mostly biographies) but some 3,000 books later my favorites were the Westerns written by Louis L’amour.
  31. Simon HøgsbergInterview
    I would think that the book that has had the single biggest impact on my life is The Bible. Written by… I forget the authors’ names. I never read the book, I’m not sure my parents read the book but many people did, and the truthfulness hidden in the many parables in the book has been taken in and shared by people of…
  32. Scotty DickertInterview
    I have to say the Bible. I don’t take all of its context literally, but I think that in general it teaches a sense of right from wrong, and it’s incredible the staple it is in this world thousands of years after it was written by so many different people. No human can be absolutely certain what to expect after this…
  33. Paul Anthony SmithInterview
    The Bible. It’s a book that reminds me of my family and people within the church.
  34. B. DolanInterview
    I realize this is far from a good answer to the original question. A single book? The Bible. If I could only have one, there’s enough hallucinogenic imagery, incest and blood to keep the engine fed for years.

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