Letters and Papers From Prison, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer - a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and martyr. He participated in the German resistance movement against Nazism. He was jailed and sentenced to death for an assination attempt on Adolph Hitler. He was a great influence and inspirtion for Christians across broad denominations and ideologies, including figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr and Archibishop Desmond Tutu. 1943-1945

The Tragedy of Julius Caeser, by William Shakespeare - it portrays the 44 BC conspiracy against the Roman dictator Julius Caesar, his assassination and the defeat of the conspirators at the Battle of Philippi. Marcus Brutus struggles with conflicting demands of honor, patriotism, and friendship. The play reflects the general anxiety of England over succession of leadership because Queen Elizabeth had become elderly and had refused to name a successor. 1599 CE   Kindle$1

Nineteen Eighty-four (1984), by George Orwell - an oligarchical, collectivist society - the Oceanic province of Airstrip One in a world of perpetual war, government surveillance, and public mind control. The individual is subordinate to the state. A civil servant, Winston Smith, continues the parties propaganda by revising history to make the party look good and always correct. 1949 CE  http://www.george-orwell.org/1984

Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley - a future scifi novel set in London in 2540AD. It talks about developments in reproductive technology (test tube babies) and sleep learning that changes society. http://www.huxley.net/bnw/

Aeneid, by Vergil - a latin epic poem tells the story about Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. Aeneas had been a character in the Illiad. This epic tied Rome to the legends of Troy, glorified Roman virtues and legitimized the Julio-Claudian dynasty as decendents of the founders, heros and gods of Rome and Troy. 29-19 BCE  http://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/Virgilhome.htm  or Kindle$free

Funeral Oration, by Pericles - a famous speech from Thucydides' History opf the Peloponnesian War. He was an eminent Athenian politician and he delivered his speech at the end of the first year of the Peloponnesian war (431-404 BCE) as part of the annual public funeral for the war dead. The speech glorifies Athen's achievements, and was designed to stir the spirits of a state still at war. 431 BCE  http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GREECE/PERICLES.HTM

Gettysburg Address, by President Abraham Lincoln - one of the best known speeches in United States history. It was delivered four and a half months after the Union armies defeated those of the Confederacy at the battle of Gettysburg. He invoked human equality, defined the Civil War as a "new birth of freedom" that would bring equality to all of its citizens, and would enhance federal rights over states rights. 1863 CE   http://americancivilwar.com/north/lincoln.html

Analects of Confucius - a record of the words and acts of the central chinese thinker and philosopher Confucius and his disciples. It continues to have a major influence on today. It's really not a religious document but more of a way of life. 475-221 BC http://www.sacred-texts.com/cfu/conf1.htm  or Kindle$free

The Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith - is a reflection on economics at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and argues that free market economies are more productive to their societies. It was written for the educated and is considered to be the foundation of modern economic theory. 1776 CE http://www.bibliomania.com/2/1/65/112/frameset.html or Kindle$1

Faust (or Faustus), by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - was developed from a classic German legend about a scholar who is unsatisfied, and makes a deal with the devil, exhanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. The name has been used to describe an arrangement where an ambitions person surrenders moral integrity in order to achieve power and success. The original German ledgend was created in the 16th Century, but Goethe reworked it in the 18th Century. 1808-1829 CE http://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/German/Fausthome.htm or Kindle$free

Walden, by Henry David Thoreau - is a work of personal declaration, of independence, social experiment, voyage of spritual discovery, satire, and a manual for self reliance. 1854 CE http://thoreau.eserver.org/walden00.html or Kindle$1

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire , by Edward Gibbon - a six volume book covering the period of the Roman Empire after Marcus Aurelius, from 180 to 1453. It describes the decay and eventual fall of the Roman Empire in the East and West.According to Gibbon, the Roman Empire succumbed to barbarian invasions in large part due to the gradual loss of civic virtue among its citizens. They had become weak, outsourcing their duties to defend their Empire to barbarian mercenaries, who then became so numerous and ingrained that they were able to take over the Empire. Romans, he believed, had become effeminate, unwilling to live a tougher, "manly" military lifestyle. He further blames the degeneracy of the Roman army and the Praetorian guards. In addition, Gibbon argued that Christianity created a belief that a better life existed after death, which fostered an indifference to the present among Roman citizens, thus sapping their desire to sacrifice for the Empire. He also believed its comparative pacifism tended to hamper the traditional Roman martial spirit. Finally, like other Enlightenment thinkers, Gibbon held in contempt the Middle Ages as a priest-ridden, superstitious, dark age. It was not until his own age of reason and rational thought, it was believed, that human history could resume its progress. 1776-1789 CE or Kindle$free

De Officiis (On Moral Duties or On Obligations), by Marcus Tallius Cicero - he expounds on the best way to live, behave, and observe moral obligations. He was trying to stop revolutionary forces from taking control of the Roman Republic. It has been characterized as an attempt to define ideals of public behavior. Absense of political rights will corrupt moral values. 44 BCE http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cicero/de_Officiis/home.html  or Kindle$3.26

The Story of My Experiments with Truth, by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi  - An autobiography of Gandhi's live from early childhood through to 1920. He was born in 1869 and lived to 1948 and was a pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement. He pioneered resistance to tyranny through mass civil desobedience. 1920 CE or Kindle$1

Purpose Driven Life , by Rick Warren - This is the largest selling Christian book next to the Bible. There are five purposes that you are here for: 1. Worship - you were planned for God's pleasure; 2. Fellowship - you were formed for God's family; 3- Discipleship - you were created to become like Christ; 4. Ministry - you were shaped for serving God; 5. Evangelism - you were made for a mission.