Already read books: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

The first time I read it I was ve ry young and I didn't quite grasp the meaning and ending of it, but now it's one of the most influential books of my life. It really teaches you how to step bac k and look at your life in a different lens. I've read it several times and I th ink that the message changes for me each time, since there is so much happening between the lines. It's a great and short book, I definitely recommend it! The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand has helped me to define many of my philosophical va lues through a critical analysis of the book, which I agree with in parts and no t in others. In terms of movies, The Razor's Edge, which is adapted from a novel of the same name by Somerset Maugham, was a really big influence on how I make my decisions today. (Don't listen to the critics who say that Bill Murray's performance was a joke, because his character pretty much embodies existentialism and he pulls it off beautifully.) There's one particular quote that shaped a lot of my major de cisions: "Work without meaning is just empty motion." I'm not too sure about the particular words in that quote, but the idea is what matters. I do what fulfill s me because, if not, it feels like I'm wasting my life. I would much rather do something important to me for low wages than something that I care nothing for f or high wages. This mode of thinking is what led me to choose my major and my sc hool. One that really sticks out is Foundation by Isaac Asimov. It was the first time I had ever read a book that wasn't about the characters. Foundation (and it's se quels and prequels) is a book about ideas. These crazy science fiction possibili ties really opened up my mind to a new way of thinking. They made the future see m bright and like there was so much positive human potential. I blame Asimov for my optimistic, very humanist view of our world and its future. To Read: Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. It greatly explains the concept that religion an d science can exist without conflict, which is an extremely interesting idea for me. Blindness by Jose Saramago and Burgess's A Clockwork Orange have also been very thought-provoking and inspiring. Book: Siddartha Any Paulo Coelho book, they are all very insightful and really changed how I tho ught about people in general. I would also recommend Half the Sky by Nickolas Kr istof. Getting More by Stuart Diamond will forever change the way you interact with peo ple Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Kei th Ferrazzi - this is a great book about networking and important for those of y ou who are looking into internships and/or jobs. What Should I Do With My Life by Po Bronson - an interesting book about people w ho have followed their dreams, or haven't followed their dreams. And how it work ed out for them. I also agree with Dennis (Fountainhead - truly revolutionizing book for me). 'Freedom' and 'The Corrections', both by Jonathan Franzen. I have two books that I can offer you. The first is The Heart and the Fist by Er

ic Greitens. A Rhodes Scholar and a former Navy SEAL, Greitens discusses his exp eriences as a humanitarian all across the world and eventually decides that the many refugees and the oppressed that he meets must be protected. He joins the Na vy as a SEAL and is deployed to fight the War on Terror. He is an inspiring man. The next book I can offer you is The Black Banners by Ali Soufan. As an FBI Inv estigator and expert interrogator, Soufan explains how important it is to unders tand people and to see the world from their perspective. He is strongly opposed to the use of coercive interrogation techniques and uses his knowledge to outwit members of Al-Qaeda that he interrogates and was a leading influential member i n the fight against terrorism. "Into The Wild," by Jon Krakauer! For people who don't know what it is about, it's a true story about a man who gi ves up all his material possessions because he believes that society is fake, to literally travel into the wild on his own. And I learnt from that, that not onl y should we be thankful for the things that we have rather than taking them for granted, we should not take the people in our lives for granted and friends and family are the most important thing, because 'Happiness is best when shared' (Qu ote). It basically taught me to be thankful for what I have got, and it also spurred m e to start living a more adventurous life. "War" by Sebastian Junger, and the accompanying film, "Restrepo," gave me a real ly interesting image of what the War in Afghanistan is like from a soldier's per spective. Additionally, there are a few books by Chalmers Johnson about America as an empire in the post-Cold War era which are quite interesting. "Pay it Forward" was a movie that definitely stuck in my heart. It really made me change the way I see situations in life and how I looked at people. BTW, grea t movie, I cried. "Better" by Atul Gawande I certainly recommend! It just brought to light how man y of us are striving to change the world while refusing to change ourselves in t he process. -4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris is a great book in productivity that was recomme nded to me by a friend. I absolutely loved the book "The Secret Life of Bees". It really emphasizes the power of relationships, the importance of mothers, and female empowerment. The d emonstration of the irrationality of racism really makes you think about all the prejudice that exists in the world. The Spider's Thread and other stories- Akutagawa. I got this from a friend in Ho ng Kong and I read it whenever I feel down. It has so much hidden meaning that I still struggle to apply all of its lessons to life. "Quiet: the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking." Nassim Nicholas Taleb's "The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable" (n ot to be confused with the movie) is a book that forces its reader to reexamine conventional notions of probability. Taleb's Black Swan theory suggests an incap acity on the part of humans to appreciate the significance of improbable, unpred ictable, high impact events as a result of their dependence on linear and narrat ive-driven understanding. A staunch skeptical empiricist, Taleb urges his reader to take nothing at face value, and to reconsider popular thinking that we are a

ble to predict, understand, and learn from unlikely events. A highly probing and provocative book. Robert M. Pirsig's "Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" radically changed my thinking. I can't imagine a better book that achieves its aims - it deconstr ucts and challenges years of philosophy in an accessible way. The book demanded me to question my own values and assumptions about life, and in doing so made me a more open thinker. I highly recommend it. "How to read Literature Like a Professor". Now I think like one when I read Happy, Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream, and Life in a Day. A bo ok that I'm currently reading that really is broadening my mind is Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, which is about a Geisha in the 1930s, and it's such a w hole different spectrum of life, that its really interesting to learn about. Long Walk to Freedom is an autobiographical work written by South African Presid ent Nelson Mandela, and published in 1994 by Little Brown & Co. The book profile s his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years in prison. Under the apa rtheid government, Mandela was regarded as a terrorist and jailed on the infamou s Robben Island for his role as a leader of the then-outlawed ANC. He has since achieved international recognition for his leadership as president in rebuilding the country's once segregated society.[1] The last chapters of the book describ e his political ascension, and his belief that the struggle continues against ap artheid in South Africa. An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It is a 2006 book by Al Gore released in conjunction with the film An Inconvenient Truth. It is published by Rodale Press in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Dear Mr. Watterson Linsanity Stripped Film Scott McCloud: Understanding Comics