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Books That Made the Difference: What People Told Us
Famous people and ordinary Americans describe the impact of particular books on their careers and personal lives
104 pages, Library Binding
First published May 1, 1983
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 6, 2025
a great topic- could be updated, and a little less slanted.
January 21, 2008
My husband ordered seventeen books for me for Christmas from my wishlist. This one cost one penny. What a well spent penny!
Authors Gordon and Patricia Sabine interviewed 1,400 Americans, asking two questions: What book made the greatest difference in your life? What was that difference?
Responding were not only celebrities including Studs Terkel and Baroness Maria von Trapp, but every day people like a Dallas doorman and a Southern store clerk. Books often cited included the Bible, classics, biographies, and novels. Books were said to have changed lives by causing readers to switch vocations, enlarge perspectives, deal with tragedy.
It’s an older book (1983). It would be interesting to see a new survey, twenty-five years later.
Authors Gordon and Patricia Sabine interviewed 1,400 Americans, asking two questions: What book made the greatest difference in your life? What was that difference?
Responding were not only celebrities including Studs Terkel and Baroness Maria von Trapp, but every day people like a Dallas doorman and a Southern store clerk. Books often cited included the Bible, classics, biographies, and novels. Books were said to have changed lives by causing readers to switch vocations, enlarge perspectives, deal with tragedy.
It’s an older book (1983). It would be interesting to see a new survey, twenty-five years later.
July 5, 2014
When I was a member of the Book-of-the-Month Club in the 1970-80's, I would occasionally receive from them free little books on various topics. This book, published in 1984 and an abridgement of the original 1983 version, was one of them. I hadn't read it back then and gave it to my mother, who culled it from her books this summer. So before handing it off to the AAUW's used book collection, I took it back to read. And now...? I have a new list of books to read. Happiness! :)
The appendixes in the back list "Titles of the Books They Named;" "The Authors of Those Books;" "Where the Readers Live and Work;" "Their Occupations;" and "Their Names." It all makes for a extremely varied and interesting group of people and books.
The appendixes in the back list "Titles of the Books They Named;" "The Authors of Those Books;" "Where the Readers Live and Work;" "Their Occupations;" and "Their Names." It all makes for a extremely varied and interesting group of people and books.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews