I read Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four in high-school, and I'd say it had a pretty profound impact on me. On the "business side", I'd say Steve Blank's The Four

I read Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four in high-school, and I'd say it had a pretty profound impact on me. On the "business side", I'd say Steve Blank's The Four Steps to the Epiphany also had a marked impact on my thinking. The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins also helped reform my world-view in certain areas. Specifically it helped dispel any lingering credibility that I might have assigned to the "irreducible complexity" argument. Another would be Report from Engine Co 82 by Dennis Smith. That book (along with watching Emergency! on TV) as a kid had a direct impact in terms of steering me towards the fire service, where I eventually served 10+ years as volunteer firefighter with three different departments in NC.