The Books That Shaped My Life

The Godfather, Mario Puzo
If you exclude the illegitimate means, The Godfather is an extraordinarily inspiring tale of leadership, risk-taking and wealth creation. Vito Corleone and Michael Corleone are towering role-models. Coincidentally, The Godfather starts by selling Italian olive oil in America, just like I did years later with Leonardo Olive Oil in India!

Life After Life, Dr. Raymond A Moody, Jr.
This book brought me great comfort and showed me “the light” when my father died. The author’s path-breaking research catalogues out-of-body experiences in near-death or “clinical” death cases. Read it to know what you’re likely to undergo when you die. The sequence of events isn’t unlike what Hinduism suggests and is based on empirical research, not anecdotal evidence.

The Third World War, Humphrey Hawksley
Can anyone actually predict the turn of world events? With every passing year after 2003, I gawk and wonder at the author’s crystal ball clarity. This book helped me in understanding the role of rogue players in global geo-politics.

Timeline, Michael Crichton
What if we lived, not in a universe, but in a multi-verse—with several universes existing side-by-side, simultaneously? Michael Crichton not only considers this to be incontrovertibly true, but also believes that it will be possible to traverse different universes in the lifetime of our children. For me, this mind-bending journey, which includes time-travel, opened up breathtaking new possibilities.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach
Quite simply, the most inspiring book I’ve ever read. Life, learning, struggle, freedom, a higher purpose, perfection, karma, the meaning of heaven and hell—this book taught me all that and more. It’s not fiction, its philosophy.

—As told to Anumeha Chaturvedi