A chest of books is like a treasure trove. As you read a book, the author inevitably leaves an indelible imprint on your memory. Books can even shape your outlook and force you to re-think the way you look at the world and those around you.

Several different books played influential roles in various phases of my life. Some of these books were more memorable than the rest - I found I was drawn to mostly non-fiction, though a couple of novels stand out.

I grew up on a staple of Enid Blyton books and Agatha Christie detective stories featuring Hercule Poirot. These developed my interest in reading and writing over my formative years.

Later, I read the Bible cover to cover. It wasn't easy, especially when I got bogged down in the technical details of Deuteronomy. Some parts made more sense and were easier to understand than others. Things got easier once I started breezing through the pages of the New Testament, where the language was straight forward and clear. It was here that I first encountered the kingdom which Jesus heralded, a kingdom of justice, love and peace.

Other books have helped to flesh out this vision and encapsulated the struggle for change.

I liked Nelson Mandela's autobiography "Long Walk to Freedom". It taught me that real change doesn't come easily. All may seem lost but where there is hope, the dream lives on. Who would imagine that he would emerge after 27 years of imprisonment to finally dismantle the oppresive apartheid system and bridge the racial divide.

The other influential books in my life were those authored by Noam Chomsky and John Pilger. Noam Chomsky, in his various books, opened my eyes to the reality of superpower hegemony and realpolitick, where globalisation and US military dominance go hand in hand. Pilger, in his study "The New Rulers of the World", expertly showed how huge transnational corporations are now dictating the economic direction of the world, often at the expense of ordinary people. John Le Carre's novel "The Constant Gardener" provided me with a telling insight into the unsavoury world of the lucrative pharmaceutical industry. 

In the meantime, I read a number of books on Creative Writing. The most lucid and down-to-earth that I have come across is Pat Schneider's "Writing Alone - and with others". It is an essential manual for writers who are struggling to define their own writing style, overcome writer's block and inspire our own creativity.

Finally, I would like to mention John Dominic Crossan's "Historical Jesus: The Life of a Mediterranean Jewish Peasant" which provides a cross-disciplinary scholarly study of who Jesus is and what he said. The text challenges our thinking using a combination of social anthropology, history and textual analysis of writings from the era. I found it fascinating because, whereas the bible is about faith and our relationship with God and one another, this book provides the setting to deepen our understanding of the milieu in which Jesus lived, and thereby provides the crucial context for his words and his vision. 

Reading all these books have helped to crystalise my own thinking. Over the years, it has dawned on me that there is an alternative vision for our world that is different from the corrupt, materialistic, militaristic and environnmentally unsustainable world that we live in. A spiritual vision vs Caesar's vision, so to speak - and that's a tension and conflict between two alternative value systems - one alternative and the other mainstream - that continues until today. We do not have to accept the world as it is. We can bring about change.

At the moment I am reading Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography, while another book has just popped up in my mailbox - Martin Luther King's biography. I look forward to plunging into these.

Isn't it amazing how books can influence our lives and shape the way we look at the world?