Since Mitt Romney selected Paul Ryan as his VP, the books of Ayn Rand have become a trending topic. That's because U.S. Rep. Ryan, R-Wisc., has famously and repeatedly cited Rand's works as highly influential in his development. 

In a 2005 speech Ryan said:

"[T]he reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would be Ayn Rand. And the fight we are in here, make no mistake about it, is a fight of individualism versus collectivism.”

The stories on Rand's influence on Ryan are stacking up. See here, here, here, here, here and here. 

The buzz will almost surely sell a few more copies of books by Rand, who died in 1982. Her most famous are Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.

Our question today, however, deals with books and their influence. What book(s) influenced your ideology/politics? Use the comments section below to cite a title, author and reason.

Oh, and to get the ball rolling, allow me to offer my nominee: George Orwell's 1984, a novel that forecasts life under a totalitarian state. It's probably best read alongside Orwell's novella Animal Farm, an interest examination of the corrupting influence of power.