What real estate book made the greatest impact on you?

[Leatha L. Luttrell]

Books are the best life hack.  What book do you feel has made the greatest impact on you and why?  Do you stay focused on one specific subject or dabble in a little of everything?

[Jody Sperling]

I've read so many of the books recommended on the BP podcast, and many of them have helped me learn and sharpen my focus. Still, for me, fiction is the source of inspiration. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson changed who I was as a young man. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace inspired me to set my goals higher and think harder. Any of Flannery O'Connor's short stories helped reshape my faith, which continues to be a cornerstone to how and why I do the things I do. Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson is one of the finest, most rewarding reads ever written, reminding me that material things return less than experiences. Anything by Bernard Malamud is perfect.

Fiction won't teach you how to buy houses or build your real estate empire, but fiction may reshape your mind and soul into the kind of person who doesn't fail when times are difficult, and who doesn't overstep when times are good. Fiction builds character, and strong character creates lasting success.