(in case of curiousity, all of these books are intended for mature adults) Science Fiction: Ursula le Guin - The Found and the Lost - this one will be higher

(in case of curiousity, all of these books are intended for mature adults) Science Fiction: Ursula le Guin - The Found and the Lost - this one will be higher impact if you're North American, but it works anywhere. Pretty much any of her books are mind bending and perspective opening. Not that they'd help become a better computer developer say - but you'd probably be a wiser person for the exposure. C.J.Cherryh - Cyteen - on individual, on programming personality and more. C.J.Cherryh - Voyager in Night. (on a perspective on alien thinking) (author has a lot of excellent books as writes for an intelligent and well educated audience. I will note neither are easy reads and the second might be harder to get through) Nonfiction: T.E.Lawrence - 7 pillars of wisdom. (watching "Lawrence of Arabia" doesn't hurt either, they sync reasonably well). He was a deeply cynical atheist in a whole series of very violent episodes that shape life in the modern world more than you'd think. This one more for a perspective on history than changing one's own view of the world. (edited for presentation only)