What should be the one mandatory book?

[SemiHumanTarget]

Considering the police state we're living in? 1984

 

[The Random One]

Sophie's World.

What's religion?

 

[The Stonker]

I would definetly say Twilight.
Why?
Because it's a good read for everyone, it deals with real life people and their forbidden love and from that you can see that the author puts forth alot of mormon values, which are great.

 

[Auninteligentname]

The dictionary. Everyone should at least have read it once...

 

[Mercurio128]

There are an awful lot of excellent books in this thread!

If the chosen book/series is going to be read at school age, when most people study literature, I think Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy would be a good choice. It has plenty of depth - the philosophical question of how to live your life which is at the series' core, the way the plot is used as an allegory for The Fall but with key ideas being flipped on their heads. In this sense it is like many older classic novels, but it is much easier to read. I think the combination of depth, readability and, of course, brilliant writing makes it an excellent series for educational use.

I second this wholeheartedly. I read these in my early teens and loved them, especially THAT ending. The ending that made me glad they never went on and made films after the first one, because as we all know, Americans don't do so well with anything that vaguely challenges religious ideas, so it would've been completely butchered.

 

[effilctar]

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking.

 

[randomsix]

For me it would be a three-way between The Giver, 1984, and QED.

 

[Curlythelock]

The Richest Man in Babylon by George Samuel Clason.

 

[Sjakie]

All of my friends keep telling me to read Dune. I will, I just haven't got my hands on a copy yet. Supposedly it is THE sci-fi book.

Yes, get that book if you like sci-fi. While your at it pick up: Hyperion by Dan Simmons

 

[The_Splatterer]

Of mice and men. Mandatory for our English classes... Short and easy read but actually pretty good

Or the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, if you haven't read this i really recommend it, it's written from the perspective of a 15 year old boy with autism. It's an incredible read.

 

[-KC-]

Uncle Tom's Cabin .....

 

[thefrizzlefry]

Slaughterhouse-Five. It's fairly short, absolutely incredible, and is an absolutely life-changing book. I swear to you that I'm a better person for reading it.

 

[Klarinette]

The dictionary, pre-times when they started adding 90s and 2000s slang.

 

[uzo]

Tough choice.

BRAVE NEW WORLD, Aldous Huxley

Ahh yes ... we all know that Orwell's 1984 is a society where the flag is (sorry, I paraphrase .. haven't got the book handy) 'an image of a boot stamping on a face into eternity'; Huxley's Brave New World is a world where the flag is an image of a a sublimely vacant face smiling towards eternity, but only able to see tomorrow.

People whine and ***** about how our society resembles 1984? That's fucking bullshit. Our society does NOT resemble 1984, not even fucking close. Our society, however, DOES resemble the society of Brave New World. Extreme sexual liberation, the disintegration of family units, the doping of society with happy drugs, the disgust with the 'unproductive', and an incredible obsession with economics to the point that we are engineered from birth to PRODUCE and CONSUME.

With a few minor ethical issues removed (namely, the removal of genetic engineering taboos), we WOULD be in the Brave New World. And, frankly, I don't see it as that bad. Now pass me my soma tablets!!

 

[Syntax Error]

I just had this thought today and wondered what you guys would answer. If there was one book or book series that every literate person in the world would be required to read, which do you think it should be and why? Just one rule, no sort of scripture (for example The Bible, The Quran or, yes, even The God Delusion). It's too obvious and this is not a religious discussion.

I'm not asking about your personal favourite or what would be a good introduction to literature, but more about what should everyone know? Is there a children's book with a particularly valuable lesson, is there an old classic that should be read to get insight into what came after it, is there a modern book that's just so insightful that everybody should have to read?

I'm specifically asking about books, but feel free to apply it to games, movies or whatever if you so feel so.

As for my answer, I don't know, that's why I'm asking. I may edit in an answer based on your comments.

Serious answer: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. It's about spurring the reader into ACTION so that he can start accumulating wealth through stimulating his creativity. THough it's primarily about wealth accumulation, you can apply the lessons in pretty much any endeavor. Really good book. Written in the 1920's-30's, but still pretty relevant today.

 

[KingofallCosmos]

A short history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson. Just as it says.

I do agree with the essential Eric Carle books...

 

[MozzUK]

Chiming in with "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy (as it hasn't been mentioned yet).

 

[Seabear]

His Dark Materials. Fantastic real story of love, heroism, etc, But with science and religion thrown in. Incredible set of books.

Failing that, the QI Books.

EDIT- or Freakonomics.

 

[Aiedail256]

1984 was the first thing that I thought of, but Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy would be a good idea as well.

I'd also like to say that every self-proclaimed fantasy fan should be required to read the Inheritance Cycle (Eragon and sequels). I would've been extremely impressed if the most unique aspect of its magic system was that it's the the only one I've ever seen that doesn't try to sidestep (or, in many cases, completely ignore) the Law of Conservation of Energy, but that's not all it does. By the end of the third book, that law in the context of magic use is the focal point of the entire plot! Magic + science = win.

 

[Zantos]

I just had this thought today and wondered what you guys would answer. If there was one book or book series that every literate person in the world would be required to read, which do you think it should be and why? Just one rule, no sort of scripture (for example The Bible, The Quran or, yes, even The God Delusion). It's too obvious and this is not a religious discussion.

I'm not asking about your personal favourite or what would be a good introduction to literature, but more about what should everyone know? Is there a children's book with a particularly valuable lesson, is there an old classic that should be read to get insight into what came after it, is there a modern book that's just so insightful that everybody should have to read?

I'm specifically asking about books, but feel free to apply it to games, movies or whatever if you so feel so.

As for my answer, I don't know, that's why I'm asking. I may edit in an answer based on your comments.

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, also known as the True Holy Bible

I knew this was going to be up in the top few answers. I must only stress that it must be the 4 part version, not with the additional and not very good fifth part.

There's a sixth part as well...
Does anyone else agree with me that the 3rd, Life, the Universe and Everything, is the best part?

Oh god, when did that happen?!? They were all good, and it's in desperate need of a re-read, however from what I remember from last time I read it (last year maybe) that the 4th part was the best, if only for God's final message.