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Book that changed your life? How/why? Amother enabled
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sequoia




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jun 15 2016, 8:24 pm
PinkFridge wrote:
Sequoia, are you following this thread? I'd love to know what you think Tongue Out
I would say that with this author, yes, we clearly know her perception. If someone is inclined to think the same way, a gifted writer (not having got through any of her books, I don't know if she is) could definitely make an impact with an evocative enough story.


I was about to comment. Changed my mind. Came back to the thread to find I had been summoned Smile

My original comment would have been: on the contrary, for better or for worse, fiction is the most powerful catalyst for change.
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amother
Powderblue


 

Post Wed, Jun 15 2016, 8:25 pm
leah233 wrote:
Fiction only pinpoints the authors perception.

Therefore you can not make any real lifestyle changes based on it.


And may express and clarify the things which bother you and yet you can't put your finger on.

And hence, start a process where you have the words to describe what disturbs you about certain things, and what you can do about it in your own life.

Just to clarify, I'm still frum, and I think I've only gotten closer to Hashem since then. It was the impetus, not a catalyst. The things that bothered me were the catalyst. And yes, they are real lifestyle changes which have been sustained through a number of years.
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amother
Rose


 

Post Wed, Jun 15 2016, 8:31 pm
Lots of books have made a great impact on my life.
Most recently was Planetwalkers, which inspired me to be more active in nature, and I'm loving how it makes me feel.

Someday I'd like to walk for days on end, but I'm not yet sure how I'll work that out.
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ludicrous




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 16 2016, 5:45 pm
chizuk by rabbi Eliezer parkoff
seven secrets of slim people
intuitive eating
thin side out. have your cake and your skinny jeans too. by Josie spinardi
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amother
Slateblue


 

Post Tue, Jun 21 2016, 2:31 pm
did anyone mention Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus?
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amother
Scarlet


 

Post Tue, Jun 21 2016, 2:35 pm
An oldie but a great book....how to win friends and influence people. Teaches basic social skills in a fun, interesting way...written by Dale Carnegie. A real classic!
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sourstix




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jun 21 2016, 2:42 pm
It's such a good thread
Keep it coming
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amother
White


 

Post Tue, Jun 21 2016, 2:49 pm
I loved a book called the boy in the moon about a disabled child. it touched me very deeply.
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5mom




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jun 21 2016, 2:54 pm
leah233 wrote:
Fiction only pinpoints the authors perception.

Therefore you can not make any real lifestyle changes based on it.



Fiction offers insight into the soul. Of course you can make real changes based on it. That's the power of literature.

Self-help books come from one person's perspective, too. How many of them will still be read hundreds of years from now? Classic literature endures because it speaks to our essential humanity.
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leah233




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jun 21 2016, 6:10 pm
5mom wrote:
Fiction offers insight into the soul. Of course you can make real changes based on it. That's the power of literature.

Self-help books come from one person's perspective, too. How many of them will still be read hundreds of years from now? Classic literature endures because it speaks to our essential humanity.


What works for a fictional character may not work for you. But I will amend my comment to

"You can not make life changes based on a fictional polemic attacking a certain group."

Using fictional polemics has always been a tool of demagogues. Starting at least from the days of Korach. Possibly earlier.

If someone writes fiction like George Orwell or Harper Lee that doesn't explicitly attack anyone but everyone know what they are referring to that is a legitimate use of fiction to cause change.

Orwell could mean any corrupt government and Lee could mean the trials of Lemrick Nelson.

But if someone just demagogues against a group like Naomi Ragen does no life changes be made based on her. They only pinpoint her bias. Not the real world.

And definitely not the Ratzon Hashem
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amother
Powderblue


 

Post Tue, Jun 21 2016, 6:19 pm
leah233 wrote:
But if someone just demagogues against a group like Naomi Ragen does no life changes be made based on her. They only pinpoint her bias. Not the real world.

And definitely not the Ratzon Hashem


I'll just quote what I said earlier.

And may express and clarify the things which bother you and yet you can't put your finger on.

And hence, start a process where you have the words to describe what disturbs you about certain things, and what you can do about it in your own life.

Just to clarify, I'm still frum, and I think I've only gotten closer to Hashem since then. It was the impetus, not a catalyst. The things that bothered me were the catalyst. And yes, they are real lifestyle changes which have been sustained through a number of years.


Obviously one has to use a filter and a cup of salt at their side as they read anything. Yet there were many things I had experienced within my community which bothered me tremendously, yet I couldn't quite put my finger on what exactly was so wrong. Her fiction helped me crystallize what it was.

And yes, I have only grown in my yiddishkeit since then. And that is Ratzon Hashem, is it not?
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