I have been meaning to do this for some time. I am not saying these are my favorite books or the ones I most recommend. I am saying they are the ones that were most influential in decisions I made, or most reflected realizations at which I had arrived.
Adiós muchachos. Memoir of an ex-Sandinista. Professor Zero’s political book.
Alice in Wonderland. Ostranenie, and my general experience of life.
Altazor. Poetry.
Amulet, The. Traveling, time, laughing off the silliness of adults.
Art of Loving, The. A non violent world.
Go Tell It on the Mountain. Life outside the mall.
Green Fairy Book, The. Fairy tales are important.
Masters and the Slaves, The. Amazing patriarchal sophistry.
One Hundred Years of Solitude. The past is here.
Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Wherein teaching does not replicate state power. Professor Zero’s professional book.
Popol Vuh. The enchanted world. Professor Zero’s religious book.
Romance de lobos. Comedia bárbara. My favorite title, for wildness.
Satanism and Witchcraft. Research is fun.
Trilce. Advanced poetry.
Zen Buddhism. I am so glad I read this before the Bible.
Some fun with statistics on the authors of these books: what do these facts suggest about my background?
Gender: 14 men, one woman. At least there is one.
Sexual orientation: At least one is gay.
Nationality: 2 Brazilian, 2 British, 1 Chilean, 1 Colombian, 1 French, 1 German, 1 Guatemalan, 1 Japanese, 1 Nicaraguan, 1 Peruvian, 1 Spanish, 1 United States. In terms of continents, Africa is missing, and I have listed no white “Americans.” Note the heavy representation from Europe and Latin America.
“Race:” 1 Asian, 1 Black, 5 Caucasian (all Europeans, ethnicity and religion vary), 6 “Latin” (Latin Americans, of any color, speaking European languages), 1 Native American. Note that every famous color is represented: white, yellow, red, brown, and black.
Authors’ languages: 4 English, 1 French, 1 German, 1 Japanese, 1 Mayan, 2 Portuguese, 5 Spanish. I am Latin American, but then you know that already, since I am a skull on a stela at Copán.
Axé.
coldhearted scientist وداد 
I’ve just completed revising another chapter. It took me the best part of today to do it. It was more difficult as it was one of my earlier chapters and I hadn’t developed nearly as clear a perspective in terms of my shamanistic paradigm as I have now. It was more like I wrote it on the basis of flashes of insight, rather than clear thought. Every time I have to revise, I look at where I was before and can’t imagine how I knew so little.
Oh well.
Your list of books is interesting. I find I cannot write a list of books at all, at least not now. I have too many ideological considerations in my head.
I find I only enjoy one genre of anything these days and that is technical or adventure documentaries. Air Crash Investigations gives me the best of both these worlds, since I learn something about technology, have an adventure, and then, as a poor third, there is the human interest angle. But that is what I like — something logical, complex, and also, of course, with a frontier aspect (the encounter with deadly danger). Must have that.
Amazing how rewriting is — you go deeper and deeper on the second go-round.
Good for you.
I could comment more, on more, but I’m at work.