What should be the one mandatory book?

[V8 Ninja]

As other people have said, I'm going with The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. While I like it, it also shows that books can be entertaining to those who don't generally regards books as entertainment. Yes, I was once a believer that books could not be truly "Entertaining". Douglass Adams proved me wrong.

 

[Jourdan Cameron]

The Hunger Games.

 

[GeorgW]

To Kill a Mockingbird
This is a book that is able to put forth a lot of information and symbolism without being to heavily saturated like Heart of Darkness(my personal all-time favorite) or too wordy like LotR(never read it, never saw it, played the "Hobbit" video game though). It is a great introduction to symbolism as the book drips with symbolism. There are also some surprisingly subtle details that can be of interest, such as Bob Ewell's incestuous relationship with his underage daughter.

I'm seeing this a lot, maybe I should read it.
I liked the heart of darkness but it was way too saturated for my taste, so maybe this will be more to my liking.

So...

The Art of War.
2 novels by George Orwell.
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. (and I assume the other books too)
Sophie's World

Anything else that I need to go buy?

I know, this will cost me several trips to my local library.

why ask us to post any book, then say Oh except these aren't we allowed to post what we want? also i say lets not do that because nothing should be forced on people.

I stated my reasons for not wanting scripture. I'm sorry if you don't agree with them.

yeah, also its fine. but why do you think it would be a great idea that we should enforce a book on people to be read.

I don't, it's just a thought experiment.

i wonder how many people would be pissed or if people would even be pissed if the U.S.A or wherever passed a law which required them to read a book. also i've been reading books about logic so i might be looking into this way to deeply.

I don't know, depending on the book it could help society quite a bit. Still, I love the irony if it'd be the apparent winner of this thread, 1984.

 

[McShizzle]

I was gonna say the Bible, though not for religious purposes. Arguably, no piece of literature or any other work of human hands has influenced the entire world (yes WORLD, not just human culture) as it.

Ya, what he said kind of. I'm not religious at all, but western literature derived a great deal from the bible and even up to today it's constantly referencing it. You don't have to believe all that gobbledygook in there (or any sacred text for that matter, I don't) but you should be aware of what's in there if you're gettin all literary serious.

My pick for a book averyone should have to read? How about some children's books, Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass, and Where the Wild Things Are.

 

[Heronblade]

Picking a single book is an exercise in futility. In my personal opinion there are dozens of books that should be read by all. From LOTR to Hitchhiker's guide toBrave New World.

Once one gets past that list, there's another composed of books that should be read according to one's interests, for instance I would include Mein Kampf and Animal Farm for anyone with a serious interest in history/politics, and several different religious texts for those exploring the spiritual side of life. (whether or not from the point of view of a believer)