Mind Games

Have you ever surfaced from a conversation and realized that you were probably just manipulated into acting a certain way or saying certain things by the actions or words of your partner? Although Ender's Game is absolutely a science fiction novel, packed so full of outer space concepts and futuristic ideas to the point of explosion, one fascinating aspect of this book is that you can extract perhaps a hundred moments in which one character subtly but purposefully moves another character like a chess piece across the board.
The subplots distract the reader from the bigger picture, but those pesky subplots do nothing but mimic the "grand scheme": manipulation. A big hand manipulates a smaller hand, which in turn manipulates a smaller hand, which functions to manipulate a multitude of other little hands. In a sweltering chain of events, you are led from conclusion to another shattering conclusion, and the realization of the depth and intricacy of the webs weaved by these big hands leaves your brain basically imploding. Just when you think you have all the little threads untangled and the strings separated, a mighty gust of wind sweeps through your cute little pile of organization and mucks it all up again.

Don't be fooled: though it is disguised as a children's book, you have to read it more than once and with great comprehension if you want to get those threads untangled in any semblance of finality. Once you do...oh, once you do, you envy to the core of your being the ability to powerful manipulate in the manner of these characters. I've tried...I've failed. My meager mind cannot handle the pressure; I can simply observe others at work. You should join me!

Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card. Take a nap before opening this book.

The best of a book is not the thought which it contains, but the thought which it suggests; just as the charm of music dwells not in the tones but in the echoes of our hearts.  ~Oliver Wendell Holmes