Since this is my last column of the semester, I decided to give you more insight into who I am through my personality as a reader. I believe that what we read — and enjoy — shapes our personalities and lets everyone know what kind of people we are. Therefore, tada! These are some of my favorite books of all time. In no particular order, of course.
“1984” by George Orwell When I left for college, this was the only book I bothered to bring with me from home. I voluntarily chose this as the topic for the sixteen-page paper that I had to write for my International Baccalaureate diploma. I have read it at least six times, and every time it is equally powerful. It is such an epic dystopian novel, one that will never be surpassed in its cruel, manic, depressing view of human nature. The symbols of power in this novel have progressed to being referenced in everyday life (“Big Brother,” “doublethink”). This is what we fear becoming true in places such as North Korea, and this warning scares me. In my opinion, this should be required school reading along with classics such as “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Catcher in the Rye.”
“Atonement” by Ian McEwan This is a story of how one event of flawed human perception and jealousy can devastate two lives. Told through multiple perspectives, time seems to run together. It is beautifully written and it definitely made me cry several times. If you don’t feel like reading this book, which of course you should, the movie is an acceptable substitute. I usually don’t say that, but the soundtrack enhanced the whole tone of the book in a subtle but pointed way. Though I still appreciate the delicate imagery and powerful characterization in the novel, neither of which quite translates to the movie.
“Rant: The Oral Biography of Buster Casey” by Chuck Palahniuk This is my favorite Chuck Palahniuk book, although “Invisible Monsters” is a very close second. The “oral biography” of a man who creates a rabies epidemic in a fictional world not too far from our own is told through personal testaments of people who knew him, loved him and were infected by him. This book is so weird, so twisted and so completely messed up that it almost makes no sense. Palahniuk’s first look into science fiction, it is definitely more fiction than science and it really captures Palahniuk’s writing style to the tee. Convoluted plot, almost unlikable characters and unbelievable events, yet I am still completely intrigued.
“100 Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez I hadn’t really understood magical realism before discovering this book. It took me a while to read, but I was still completely engrossed in this novel. It weaves the culture of one town in secluded South America with a tale of magic, incest, curses and family power. I really want to read this in Spanish, but I feel like it would take a lot of time and personal commitment to actually be able to understand it properly. The writing takes you directly to that town in South America that is so far from our own urban reality that it becomes unreal.
“Tomorrow When the War Began” by John Mardsen John Mardsen is actually Australian, so I wouldn’t be all that surprised if most people have never even heard of his books. But his “Tomorrow When the War Began” series is an extremely compelling story about a group of teens who wake up to find their entire country overrun by an occupying force. Then they transform into BAMF-y guerilla fighters and try to overthrow the occupiers — you gotta grow up quick when you wake up in a war zone. They go through the trials of forming a community among themselves to the point where their bonds become those of a family. It is a multiple-book series, and I highly recommend you find them somehow.
“The Bean Trees” by Barbara Kingsolver This is a bonding book for my mom and me. I admire the strength of the main character Taylor Greer, driving away from everything that she knew at home and stopping when life told her to stop. It is the story of a girl who tries to escape the future that she would have at home in Tennessee and, instead, fate dropped her future in her car on the side of the road. It is a story about the courage of the human spirit, and about how a new home is not always bad. This relates directly to my mom and me because we move around so much and sometimes we have to be reminded about how good change can be.
“Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger Like every other ninth grade student in the world, I had to read this in English class. But, unlike “To Kill a Mockingbird,” I actually really enjoyed it. I know it would be completely cliché to say that I identified with Holden Caulfield, and I really think that he just amused me more than anything else. It fascinated me (as a self-described goody-goody) that one teen could hold that much anger, hurt and crudeness. He was not the first emo character in literature, but he has become one of the most memorable, especially for those of us who had to read about him moaning and bitching in ninth grade English class.
Again, these are only a part of my list, and it is only a matter of personal opinion. But summer is a long season, and I love having a multitude of thought-provoking books to read. Next on my list is “Eating Animals” by Johnathan Safran Foer.
You can reach this columnist at thescene@theeagleonline.com.
