[Note: Every Friday on First Thoughts we host a discussion about some aspect of pop culture. Today’s theme is influential books. Have a suggestion for a topic? Send them to me at jcarter@firstthings.com]
Earlier this week economist Tyler Cowen started a meme by asking bloggers to list the top ten books that have influenced their view of the world. (See the lists by Peter Suderman, E.D.Kain, Arnold Kling, Michael Martin, Niklas Blanchard, Bryan Caplan, Will Wilkinson, and Freddie deBoer.) Because it combines three things I love—lists, books, worldview analysis—I thought it would be interesting for our Friday pop culture discussion.
Like Cowen’s, mine is a “gut list” rather than the “I’ve thought about this for a long time list.” I also chose to leave out the Bible and other classic works that are a bit too obvious. For the same reason, classic works on political conservatism didn’t make the cut (we’ll save those for another day).
Because I couldn’t narrow it to ten, I cheated by listing ten pairs of books:
1. How Should We Then Live?: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture | He is There and He is not Silent by Francis Schaeffer — I stumbled upon HSWTL at the New Boston, Texas library at the age of fifteen. After that, my life was never the same. Schaeffer made me realize that a Bible-believing evangelical could be—should be—interested in culture, philosophy, and the life of the mind. Schaeffer used to say that he was an evangelist rather than a scholar and it often shows in his work. Many of his claims are misguided (he was completely wrong, for instance, about Thomas Aquinas) but these books—along with his collected works—have had a significant influence on my thinking for twenty-five years.
2. Discipleship of the Mind: Learning to Love God in the Ways We Think by James Sire | In, But Not Of: A Guide to Christian Ambition by Hugh Hewitt — Sire taught me how to shape my mind as a Christian while Hewitt taught me how to put it into practice. Every few years I return to Sire’s book and find new ways to “think Christianly.” It’s proven to be an invaluable vade mecum. The same is true of Hewitt’s book, which he says he wrote as “an attempt to encourage people under the age of forty-five to take seriously acquiring influence so it can be used for good purposes.” “It’s a very practical guide,” he says, “I like to describe it to people as Dale Carnegie meets Chuck Colson.” The advice ranges from the obvious but often ignored (#36 – Be slow to show your knowledge) to the practical but often ignored (#9 – Tatoos: Don’t). Because of the book I started a blog and moved to Washington, D.C., both of which changed my career trajectory. No other book—aside from the Bible—has had as much of a recognizable impact on my life as this one.
3. Modern Times by Paul Johnson | The Passion of the Western Mind by Richard Tarnas — The two books that sparked my interest in intellectual history.
4. From Bauhaus to Our House | The Painted Word by Tom Wolfe — The best book on modern architecture and the best book on modern art by the best essayist in the modern world.
5. The Defense of Duffer’s Drift by E.D. Swinton | Enders Game by Orson Scott Card — I read both of these books as a young Marine (they are both on the Marine Corps Professional Reading List) and it opened my eyes to tactical thinking. Swinton’s book uses an intriguing series of dreams to teach a tactical exercise. Armchair warriors can learn a lot from this brief tome. (An online version can be found here.) Card’s book also provides lessons on tactics in one of the best science fiction books ever written. (Another I’d recommend is the U.S. Marine Corps manual on Warfighting. A premier example of that most rare genre: the literary government publication.)
6. Technopoly | Conscientious Objections by Neil Postman — Postman was not only our most astute media critic but one of the most prophetic voices of the last forty years. Essential reading for understanding how our culture is shaped by media and technology. (Amusing Ourselves to Death would be a third choice.)
7. The Mad Scientists Club by Bertrand R. Brinley | The Encyclopedia Brown series by Donald J. Sobol — TMSC was the ubertext for pre-Atari Gen-X nerds. It taught me to appreciate the tinkerer/maker ethic. Encyclopedia Brown taught me—for better or worse—to be a generalist and to love a broad range of subjects. (Note: Joseph Bottum wrote an essay about TMSC for First Things in April 2006.)
8. Essential Truths of the Christian Faith by R.C. Sproul | Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem – The books that most shaped my view of Christian doctrine.
9. Flatland by Edwin Abbot | Metaphors We Live By by George Lakoff – Two very different, but equally interesting, works that helped me to see math and language from a new perspective.
10. Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview by Albert Wolters | Plowing in Hope: Towards a Biblical Theology of Culture by David Bruce Hegeman – While Schaeffer laid the foundation for my becoming a Kuyperian/Neocalvinist, these two short books built upon it and helped me to understand the creation-fall-redemption theme that shapes Reformed thinking. I can’t recommend these two highly enough for all Christians (even if you’re not a Calvinist).
What books would be included on your list?
March 19th, 2010 | 10:55 am
Man, too many to list. In my mind right now: “The Idea of a University” by Newman and “Another Sort of Learning” by James Schall; both on education.
And for something completely different: “Grendel” by John Gardner. (Not the John Gardner business writer, nor the John Gardner who’s a James Bond novelist. The other John Gardner.)
“Single Issues” by Joseph Sobran. That rare thing: a collection of topical essays that does not go out of date.
“The Everlasting Man” by Chesterton. “St. Thomas Aquinas” by Chesterton. I would add the Summa Theologica, but that might be on the “obvious classic” list.
“The Abolition of Man” by C.S. Lewis. Also “God in the Dock.”
“How to Think about God” by Mortimer Adler.
“Riddley Walker” by Russell Hoban.
“The Soul of the Embryo” by David Albert Jones.
“Making Sense out of Suffering” by Peter Kreeft.
Perhaps a bit like sucking up, but reading First Things every month has been an ongoing renewing of the mind.
I just realized that I could sit here and type all day. So I’ve got to stop.
March 19th, 2010 | 10:58 am
I can’t leave out: anything by P.G. Wodehouse, but especially the Jeeves books. Are these an “influence” or a pleasure only? I don’t know, but I read them continually. (Along with the ghost stories of M.R. James.)
March 19th, 2010 | 11:17 am
Your link for Will Wilkenson is broken.
In addition to the fine volumes suggested herein (Postman, Schaeffer, Sire, Wolters), I’d volunteer:
“Desiring God” by John Piper
“The Fifth Discipline” by Peter Senge
“Against Christianity” by Peter Leithart
“The Next Reformation” by Carl Raschke
Early David Eddings (what can I say; I was a teenager)
“Cryptonomicon” by Neal Stephenson
March 19th, 2010 | 11:37 am
OK, also off the top of my head, and I will stick in the classics, because it’s no good assuming they are a common ground anymore. Also, my criteria includes ‘have read them more than once’ – one of the problems, probably the chief problem I have with books is that I’ve already read so many that deserve rereading that it’s difficult to fit in much new stuff. Oh, well, there are worse problems.
1) Divine Comedy, Dante: Theology, art, politics converge in one brilliant late medieval mind. An antidote on many levels for the stupid idea that we’re smarter now just because more time has past.
2) Canticle for Leibowitz, Miller: Miller’s way of looking at the world is, like Dante’s, bracing.
3) The Gorgias, Plato: Sums up, criticizes and disposes of, among other things, our current narcissistic political and social obsessions. The one dialogue in which, it seems to me, Socrates argues for a position he actually holds.
4) The Metaphysical Club, Menand: Wow. This was a case where, not only could I not put the book down, but, when I got to the end, I had to read it again. Another in a recurring theme: books that will rock the assumptions at work in modern culture and politics.
5) Origin of Species, Darwin: Actually reading Darwin, a careful observer and scientist, helped me appreciate how off the rails the likes of Sagan and Dawkins have become.
6) The Rediscovery of Man: The Complete Short Science Fiction of Cordwainer Smith: Trust me on this one – obscure SciFi by a writer all your favorite writers site as a key influence. Mind-bending stuff.
7) Till We Have Faces. Lewis: My favorite Lewis book, a retelling of the myth of Psyche. Subtle and powerful in a way different from his other works. Recently read it aloud to the kids – rocked their world.
8) Assorted Chesterton – difficult to pick just one (or 5!). And they all reinforce each other. At least Orthodoxy, The Dumb Ox, Everlasting Man. Recurring theme again – he wages war with the lazy, narrow way we all tend to look at the world.
9) The Oxford History of Britain, Morgan et al.: Don’t know if this is a great book, but, at the time I first read it, it gave me a skeleton to hang things on – ever since, I tend to read history, especially for times and places I know little about, looking for that framework that will help me make sense of what’s going on. Modern Times, mentioned above, is also good for this, but covers too much ground too fast for me.
10) History of Private Life, vol I especially: This is one of those odd books where pages will go by when you’re not exactly sure you’re getting anything out of it or if the book is even any good, then some few pages or even passages will leave you thinking for days. The chapters on the early Franks, for example, totally reshaped the way I think of French culture – Christian French culture developed over the centuries is such a triumph considering the utter barbarism from which it sprang that I will forever cut the French a lot of slack for their odd (to an American) self-referential pride.
Anyway, off the top of my head, influential, not necessarily great or even good.
Good topic!
March 19th, 2010 | 11:54 am
Great list, Joe, and great commentary.
March 19th, 2010 | 12:09 pm
Craig: Your Chesterton, Adler, and Lewis books are some of my favorites too.
Joseph Canticle for Leibowitz. . .The Metaphysical Club, Menand. . .Cordwainer Smith
I’m reading Canticle now and love it (for some reason I had always thought the book was a Jewish version of Knowles’ A Separate Peace, though I don’t know why. Weird.)
I started Menand’s book years ago when it first came out but never finished it. Sounds like I need to go back and give it another try.
I hadn’t heard of Smith but I’ll look for his book this weekend.
Freddie Great list, Joe, and great commentary.
Thanks, Freddie, I appreciate that. I can’t wait to see your list, though I’m afraid it will just add more books to my must-read list.
March 19th, 2010 | 12:42 pm
Wow! After that intellectual tour de force I’m somewhat intimidated to set out my meager offering. Books which most influenced me:
1. The Bible, only book I read every day and try to put into practice.
2. Free To Choose, Milton Friedman, probably most influential and important book of the 1980s.
3. Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis. How I would like to write. Avoids the affliction common to so many intellectual writers of confusing obfuscation and jargonation for scholarship.
4. A Personal Odyssey, Thomas Sowell, my favorite prof. at UCLA who taught me that if you can’t explain something simply it’s because you probably don’t understand it.
5. I Believe In Visions, Kenneth Hagin. A Christianity without the supernatural is just an argument.
6. Jesus Rabbi & Lord and The Jesus Sources, Robert L. Lindsey. You can’t understand what Jesus said if you don’t understand that Jesus was a Jew, spoke Hebrew, and was part of Rabbinic Judaism. What Jesus meant by the Kingdom of God. What the word we translate righteousness meant when Jesus used it. From a truly exceptional and humble scholar.
7. Jesus, David Flusser, An orthodox Rabbi and professor at Hebrew University who loved Jesus and believed that he rose from the dead.
8. Christian Thought Revisited, Justo Gonzalez. Christian theology is to a large extent repackaged Greek philosophy.
9. Our Father Abraham, Marvin R. Wilson, People who appeal to the traditions of the fathers often ignore the traditions Jesus observed.
10. Light From The Christian East, James R. Payton Jr. You don’t really understand the assumptions you make about Christian doctrine until you see the assumptions other Christians are making.
11. The Mountain of Silence, Kyriacos C. Markides. Charismatic Christianity before it was popular.
12. Good To Great, Jim Collins. Faith is not optimistic.
13. Be Quick But Don’t Hurry, Andrew Hill with John Wooden. The team which makes the most mistakes usually wins.
March 19th, 2010 | 12:54 pm
Joe,
Happy Feast Day, BTW.
Glad you’re enjoying Canticle for Leibowitz. It’s a book I give to people mostly because I think they’ll enjoy it, but also as a somewhat subtle intro to Christianity and History.
It’s possible the Menand book affected me disproportionately because of my ignorance of the history of the couple of decades before the Civil War. But I really enjoyed Menand taking the social and political consequences of thought and belief seriously, and to trace our current state of thought back to the cultural – and personal – tragedies of the Civil War.
Warning on Cordwainer Smith: he jumps in with both feet without any warning or warm-up. But hang in there – his universe slowly takes shape over the course of his stories, and it is a strange and wonderful an oddly familiar universe. Linebarger (real name) himself is a fascinating character.
I’ve only read about 3-4 off your list – where do I start?
March 19th, 2010 | 1:33 pm
Joseph I’ve only read about 3-4 off your list – where do I start?
You’ve probably read Ender’s Game already—I was late coming to it. I had studiously avoided the sci-fi genre till I read that one and now I’m hooked.
Let’s see, based on what would take the least amount of time (short books are underrated):
Flatland is also a great little piece of short, imaginative literature. It’s a lot of fun.
The Defense of Duffer’s Drift is an interesting read if you’re at all interested in tactics or military stuff. It sounded so dull that I avoided it for years and was surprised by how clever it was in its presentation.
The two Tom Wolfe books are recommended for anyone who likes Tom Wolfe (and who doesn’t?).
The Postman books are also something I’d recommend to anyone. Conscientious Objections is a collection of essays, and a great intro to Postman’s work.
For Christians interested in culture I’d recommend Wolter’s Creation Regained and then Bruce’s Plowing in Hope: Towards a Biblical Theology of Culture. They are short gems and can both be read in one sitting.
March 19th, 2010 | 2:14 pm
Thanks!
Ender’s Game for me occupies the same space C of Leibowitz has for you – recommended several times (even had a friend say that my eldest son reminds hims of Ender – whatever that means!) but for no good reason have never read it.
I’ll start there and report back. The stack of theology stuff I’ve got is already about 10 books deep, so I’ll probably get to those later.
March 19th, 2010 | 2:44 pm
i was pleasantly surprised by the amount of commonality between the original list and my own. richard tarnas, james sire, and albert wolters were all very formative during my college years. and i thought i was the only one!
as for schaeffer’s “how should we then live?” i suspect it would have been influential had i read it during my teenage years. however, a recent reading left me amazed at its sweeping conclusions, especially regarding saint thomas. the author dismisses aquinas in about two paragraphs!
for what they’re worth, other personally formative books would have to include:
plato: the republic, the symposium, apology
aristotle: nicomachean ethics
augustine: confessions
shakespeare: hamlet
pascal: pensees
hugo: les miserables
twain: huckleberry finn
lewis: till we have faces, the great divorce, mere christianity (especially the chapter on pride), essays such as transposition, meditations in a woodshed, man or rabbit
newman: apologia, idea of a university
wolterstorff: a lament for a son
montgomery: anne of green gables
greene: the end of the affair
tolkien: the lord of the rings
kreeft: summa of the summa and many more
the westminster confession of faith
the catechism of the catholic church
at the top of the list remains:
chesterton: orthodoxy
with lenten blessings,
ac
March 19th, 2010 | 3:45 pm
(1) Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis (Read it my freshman year of college, and it led to my reading everything else on this list, except #10.)
(2) The Everlasting Man, Chesterton
(3) The Mind of the Maker, Dorothy L. Sayers (not a bad intro to the doctrine of the Trinity, really; no doubt there are better ones, but this one caught me at the right time to be profitable for me)
(4) The Message in the Bottle, Walker Percy
(5) Poetic Diction, Owen Barfield
(6) Confessions, Augustine
(7) The Silmarillion, Tolkien
(8) The Beauty of the Infinite, David Bentley Hart
(9) The Defense of the Faith, Cornelius Van Til (though I wonder how many of the other authors I’ve named–Hart in particular!–would feel about being part of a list that includes Van Til . . .)
(10) The Long, Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, by Douglas Adams. (Had to throw something lighter in there somewhere . . .)
March 19th, 2010 | 3:58 pm
Hans Kung – “On Being A Christian”
March 19th, 2010 | 4:22 pm
Having read Canticle for Liebowitz for the first time some 45 years ago, I envy anyone reading it for the first time. Today I am constantly reminded of the perpetual tension between “God’s priest” and “Caesar’s traffic cop”!
March 19th, 2010 | 5:46 pm
A lot more science fiction on here than I would have expected. So I’ll throw in the original “Amber” series (the first five short novels) and “Lord of Light,” by Roger Zelazny; Zelazny’s short story collections, especially “The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth” and “The Last Defender of Camelot”; the early Harlan Ellison collections, such as “Strange Wine,” “Shatterday,” and “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream”; Tolkien’s work, of course; the original “Dune” by Frank Herbert; and I already mentioned Hoban and Gardner. Somewhat guilty pleasure: all the “John Carter, Warlord of Barsoom” books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and most of the early Doc Savage books.
It’s been a while since I read any of the above, so I don’t know how they’ll hold up. But I do remember that they were quite an influence on me.
March 19th, 2010 | 10:18 pm
Influential? “Degenerate Moderns” by E. Michael Jones, “Intellectuals” by Paul Johnson, “The Closing of the American Mind” by Allan Bloom. Enjoyment? Many books and short stories by Somerset Maugham. I recommend “The Outstation” and his last novel “Catalina”, a delightful fable with a wonderful comic surprise towards the end.
March 20th, 2010 | 8:04 am
Thank you for the spur. Upon recollection, each of these works I truly enjoyed reading. In each case this affection lead to a further reading and appreciation of the author’s sometimes more insightful or beautifully crafted works (not listed.) From the beginning, in order of appearance:
1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Lewis
2. The Razor’s Edge. Maugham
3. The Lessons of History. Durant(s)
4. From Dawn to Decadance. Barzun
5. All the Pretty Horses. McCarthy
6. Waiting for God. Weil
7. Insight. Lonergan
8. The Point of View of My Work as An Author. Kierkegaard
9. Leisure: The Basis of Culture. Pieper
10. “To double business bound.” Girard
March 21st, 2010 | 2:35 pm
have enjoyed the thread. here’s another one.
sertillanges: the intellectual life
March 21st, 2010 | 7:41 pm
Excellent topic, my favorite one on First Thoughts so far.
My list:
Augustine, Confessions. I’ve returned to this book over and over because I don’t think there has ever been a better or truer insight into our private, emotional lives.
Tolstoy, Anna Karenina.
Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov.
Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita. Not as well known (at least not in the West), but there is very little of the human experience that is not covered in this amazing satire.
Anything of Chesterton’s. He writes the way I would like to be able to think.
Waugh, Brideshead Revisited. I hate every adaptation of this book because none of them capture the true meaning: the very quiet way in which faith changes everything.
All the Jane Austen novels. The importance of loving every word of the books you read cannot be underestimated.
Bolt, A Man For All Seasons. Not a book as such, but it inspired my lifelong interest in Tudor history.
Undset, Kristin Lavransdatter. This is the first book I read which picked me up out of my world and transported me to an entirely different place. Since reading it, I’ve been unable to enjoy any book that does not do the same.
March 28th, 2010 | 8:47 pm
[...] naming the top 10 books that influenced you the most. Ross Douthat, David Bernstein, Matt Yglesias, Joe Carter, Arnold Kling, Tyler Cowan, Peter Suderman and Andrew Norton have been amongst the many who [...]
April 14th, 2010 | 1:23 am
[...] by Huston on April 13, 2010 After reading this great post about the ten books that most influenced an author over at First Thoughts (one of my favorite [...]
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