The good thing about literature is that simply by opening a book we can transport ourselves to any world imaginable . But many times, we focus too much on the good things about entering new and stimulating worlds and ignore, in the meantime, the possibility of making new points of view enter into us.

Books don’t have to be just a tourist destination to disconnect and entertain us. They can also be experiences that give a twist to our way of understanding things , to our philosophy of life.

Books that can change your life

Below you can find a selection of books, fiction or non-fiction, that have the power to change the way we interpret reality.

1. A Brief History of Almost Everything (Bill Bryson)

One of the books you can learn the most from a single reading. Among its pages is a review of the development of science, the way in which some of the main discoveries were made, and the flesh and blood people behind them. Moreover, everything is written with a simplicity and honesty that made the work a best seller .

  • Are you interested? You can find more information about him here.

2. The Pentateuch of Isaac (Angel Wagenstein)

The story of a Jewish man who went through the two world wars and, despite that, did not lose his sense of humor. A story that combines the moving with the jokes and that, curiously, does not fall into the trap of trivializing suffering or violence.

  • To read more about this book, click here.

3. 1984 (George Orwell)

It is already a classic, but it is no less capable of leaving a mark on our ways of thinking . This book, based on a dystopia, shows that violence does not have to be physical, but can also go beyond it and permeate all aspects of daily life through a system of surveillance and propaganda.

  • To learn more about this classic, click here.

4. The Lord of the Flies (William Golding)

To what extent is our identity linked to the norms of the society in which we have always lived? We usually believe that we are the fruit of our own mind, and that external influences influence us in some details or limit us in certain aspects, but they do not change who we are.

This book questions that idea and shows, through a kind of mental experiment, to what extent we are what we are because without realizing it we have internalized certain norms and rules. And does so by resorting to a group of children trapped on a desert island .

  • To know more about this work, access this page.

5. Epileptic (David B.)

A graphic novel that delves into the life of its author and the relationship he has had with his brother with epilepsy over the years. Rich in symbolism , honest and inspired, this story transports us into the universe of the protagonists without the slightest effort.

  • More information can be found here

6. High fidelity (Nick Hornby)

A story by and for thirty-year-olds in crisis of identity and life projects, but also a love story . The quality of this book has not gone unnoticed, and in fact it has a film adaptation starring John Cusak.

  • There is more information on this page.

7. A Happy World (Aldous Huxley)

A story that raises interesting questions about the kind of societies we live in and the way we manage pleasure. Do we exist to experience pleasant sensations, or is it worthwhile to channel our forces into something else? Unlike other dystopias, this one doesn’t make it clear what the right option is, so the debate is served.

  • If you are interested in the book, click here.

8. The Concept of the Mental (Gilbert Ryle)

It wasn’t all going to be light readings. In this work, the philosopher Gilbert Ryle tackles one of the most used and, at the same time, most mysterious concepts: the “mind”. After all, we tend to use this concept in a very vague way, despite the fact that our identity is linked to this sense of consciousness.

  • To read more about this work, visit this page.

9. Wonder (R. J. Palacio)

A story of overcoming a deformed young man’s face. In addition to being inspiring, this book serves to self-examine and reflect on the ease with which we can come to dehumanize people.

  • Here you can see more details about the book.

10. Steppenwolf (Herman Hesse)

One of Herman Hesse’s best-known books. In it, he delves into problems that many people go through, especially those associated with isolation and melancholy, although this is a very personal story.

  • If you’re interested, you can buy it here.

11. Fictions (Jorge Luis Borges)

A collection of stories you’ll never see written by any other author. Borges describes in prose situations that are pure poetry and that mix fantasy with metaphysical scans.

  • To read more about this book, access this page.