"Rich Dad, Poor Dad" was the first "self help" book I ever read when I was 16 years old. I remember it was my Junior year in High School. At that point in my life, i absolutely hated reading.. i was more interested in football and girls.. but we had a "silent reading" period everyday for 15 mins and I had a teacher who was a real ball buster. So I randomly picked up this book for like $2 at my neigbors garage sell. I brought into class... and after 3 months of pretending to read it.. I finally read a couple pages. I was hooked.. From there I have never stopped reading books like this.
Now that I look back, Rich Dad, Poor Dad wasn't all that great (at the time i was amazed!) .. but it was definitely my starting point.. so I cant bash the book to much. My favorite inspirational writer is without question Napoleon Hill. Hmm... as far as his best book.. I'd have to go with:
"How to sell Your Way Through Life" - Napoleon Hill.
That is a must read for anyone.