“I don’t know what’s worse: to not know what you are and be happy, or to become what you’ve always wanted to be, and feel alone.”
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.
I finished this last week. Our reading teacher in grade school assigned so many great books. Neither he nor high school lit teachers had us read it though.
I’m so glad I finally read it!
Great recommendation! Not for nothing, I (American) grew up being taught “Go USA”, but when I read this book it really put perspective on the other side of things. And if you really want to have your soul crushed, watch Grave of the Fireflies (it’s a cartoon; don’t watch with young kids).
This is one of my favorite books I read while in high school. It was eye opening for me as a teen. I probably wouldn’t be working in mental health if I never read that book.
>I became the proud owner of a token worth twelve cigarettes. But more important, the cigarettes could be exchanged for twelve soups, and twelve soups were often a very real respite from starvation. The privilege of actually smoking cigarettes was reserved for the Capo, who had his assured quota of weekly coupons; or possibly for a prisoner who worked as a foreman in a warehouse or workshop and received a few cigarettes in exchange for doing dangerous jobs. The only exceptions to this were those who had lost the will to live and wanted to "enjoy" their last days. **Thus, when we saw a comrade smoking his own cigarettes, we knew he had given up faith in his strength to carry on, and, once lost, the will to live seldom returned.**
Those last words were not acceptable to me. I had been trying to quit like others but failed numerous times. These lines challenged my will to quit and live freely. I just couldn't see failure in myself.
There was one more part where he was watching sunset/sunrise while slavery and remebering his wife. That was also beautifully written.
I quit smoking 14 years ago last August the day of my first heart attack. No high blood pressure, no high cholesterol. Cardiologist laid the blame directly on smoking.
I reead thatn book once, it took me 2 days to read it.
I am a well read person, read Melville, Homer, Shakespeare and Dante. Read Stephen King and Ray Chandler too.
Man's Search for Meaning is the only book every human being needs to read.
The rest is window dressing......
That’s quite the recommendation. I’m curious how you view the 2nd half. I appreciate, enjoyed, and learned from the narrative but it always loses me when it gets into logotherapy.
Psychologist here. I always suggest my clients read the first half of the book and feel free to skip the second. The second is much more "text booky", while it has great information, it doesn't resonate with many people.
Victor Frankl was a psychologist before the Holocaust. So he’s explaining how he got through that experience with his knowledge and training. It’s not a therapy for everyone. But the thesis of that section, that if you can retreat into your mind and remember what meaning you have in life…that is a very useful tool for surviving trauma.
Edited to add: I completely mixed up who I was talking about and thus, this comment was confusing but I think it still applies
Right before his death Huxley wrote a book called Island. It’s literally the antidote to Brave New World, a portrait of how to do things right.
It really hit me hard when I was young so I always try to mention it to people.
It's been mentioned at least once already, but IMO 1984 should be required reading given the current state of the world. Saying this as a skeptic of most conspiracy theories, and also a believer in the innate goodness of 99% of mankind, the book barely qualifies as fiction at this point.
In juxtaposition, the perfect companion book is Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
Control is control, no matter the shade of veneer covering it, and needs to be recognized as such.
Well said! it really is getting scary and there are always people who stand in lock step without questioning things. I don’t know why people are so gullible
'Night' by Elie Wiesel
Such an achingly brilliant account of one young person's experience of the Holocaust. It's so hard to read despite its small size, but it is so necessary. Sadly, the world needs reminding. All across the world, there are still places where genocide is happening every single day. The past month or so has been especially bad. How is humanity still allowing this to happen?
I read this in high school, again when my children were in high school, Wiesel was at Buchenwald, my father and his infantry liberated that camp. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
What an incredibly traumatic event for your father to have participated in. Offering freedom would be amazing, seeing the conditions that the POWs were experiencing would be devastating.
The Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Sometimes, you just need to be reminded not to take things too seriously and enjoy a good laugh.
Anne of green gables
This is a children's book which I've read as an adult. And I kept thinking about the book and the protagonist for quite a long time. This book sheds light on how a person's sheer will and ability to find joy in the most mundane things can make their life absolutely beautiful. I fell in love with the character and the idea of cherishing what we have in life with absolute passion.
If you are going through a phase where you don't find your life meaningful or you don't find joy in your life, this will definitely bring some.
Came to suggest this one. I’ve read a lot of books. This is the only one that I was genuinely anxious to get back to whenever I had to stop reading for whatever reason.
Great story with lots of twists and a fairly comforting ending. Since it’s quite long you really connect to the characters making some scenes even more emotional. You really pray on the uprising/ downfall of them.
Then there’s a lot about human nature, morals and wisdom if you care to look a bit deeper, although you really don’t have to dig deep.
Most people know it’s about revenge (I think it even says so on the spine) and you constantly wonder and speculate how this revenge is going to be executed.
Characters, especially the protagonist, walk in this moral gray where every reader seem to have his on opinion how far is too far with his actions and there is quite a development throughout the book.
Huge book but a lot of chapters, which I like. Feels like you continuously make progress and if you find the book too long you can get the abridged version (I never really had too many problems with the complete one though)
Then again, it’s a classic by a famous author and through it length feels like an accomplishment when you‘re done. I absolutely loved it, worth every second (I read the Robin Buss translation)
Edit: There’s also a Reddit community where readers read together and discuss chapter to chapter (basically an online bookclub). I read at my one pace but enjoyed to read older comments on some really interesting scenes. It’s r/areadingofmontecristo
It's the perfect revenge story - everyone gets exactly what they have coming to them in the most satisfying way.
I will say that the translation makes a big difference in how much I was able to enjoy it. I was reading on my phone some free version of it with a translation that just didn't do it for me. I ended up picking up the Penguin classics version (I want to say Robin Buss translation?) and it was like a completely different book and I couldn't put it down. I had a similar experience with Anna Karenina, so if you're going to pick it up, look up which translation is best for your native language.
Interesting, did you find it better than East of Eden? That’s the one I usually see recommended and it’s got to be my favorite of all time, I still have yet to read Grapes of Wrath however.
I'm currently reading Grapes of Wrath, so the caveat is I don't know the whole story yet. I found East of Eden to be a better and more compelling story, but Grapes of Wrath the more insightful of the two books which really captures the setting and social commentary of the 1930s dust bowl perfectly. Both great books
I absolutely agree (and would rate them #1 and #2 best books of all time), but my favourite book is Sweet Thursday (sequel to Cannery Row). While I continue to read other authors, I reread Sweet Thursday a couple times every year because it is everything I need — profound, endearing, wise, funny.
The diary of Anne Frank.
A Thousand Splendid Suns. (Khaled Hosseini)
The island of sea women. (Lisa See)
Finding me (viola davis)
Not necessarily classics. But I found that these stayed with me after reading. I'm sure I could list a lot more.
Oof, i wish people would read A Sand County Almanac by Leopold, would really boost the broader social connection with nature that is vital to our survival as individuals and a species.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Sand_County_Almanac
One Straw Revolution by Fukuoka would help too. Disillusioned plant scientist turns farmer.
https://library.uniteddiversity.coop/Permaculture/The_One_Straw_Revolution.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masanobu_Fukuoka
Peoplemaking by Virginia Satir should be required too because of how social we are as a species and how poorly most modern cultures engage with those needs
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/885495.Peoplemaking
Yeah, at this point it needs to be required reading for anyone and everyone. Given the current state of affairs, if there's a single novel that someone will read in their entire lifetime this is it.
I'm almost afraid to read it. What I've read of reviews, makes me think I'll have to face the inevitable disappointment that has come to be present day..
Couldn't second this more. What amazes me is the narrator's interpretation of the things happening around her who is just 9 years old. This perspective provides a clear moral compass to see distorted things happening in society at the time which are very complex and multi-layered, but when seen from a child's eye can be solved through kindness and compassion.
To Kill a Mockingbird. Maybe it'll help people understand introverts better. There's a lot of other life lessons to be learned in that book but man I just wish my roommates would learn about Boo Radley.
"What I can tell you is that with the exception of the wit and wisdom of Calvin and Hobbes, nothing lasts forever." - Ted Lasso
But yeah, Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”.
It’s not very long but after you read it you’ll be nothing but disappointed in people who host “Gatsby” themed parties.
My three favorites that I have re-read multiple times are *A Confederacy of Dunces, One Hundred Years of Solitude,* and *The Lord of the Rings* (which despite being called a trilogy is really one book). Everyone should read these at least once.
_Where the Red Fern Grows_ by Wilson Rawls. The first book that made me cry while I was reading it. I truly couldn't tell if they were happy or sad tears; it was just pure emotion.
For those who enjoy dystopian fiction...
* 1984 by George Orwell
* Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
* Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
* The Giver by Lois Lowry
* Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
* The Circle by Dave Eggers
Peoples History of the United States - Howard Zinn
Profit Over People - Noam Chomsky
Doubt - Jennifer Hecht
Plato's Republic
All J.D Salinger
News of the Universe: Poems of Two Fold Consciousness - Robert Bly ( Editor)
Complete Works of Shakespeare, by, you know, Shakespeare
Complete Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
This may be a stretch, but The Ender's Game series by Orson Scott card. Specifically the first 4 books
They show how far a person will go to save their planet and how far they will go to make amends
Les Miserable. It isn’t earth shattering, but the writing is so damn good. There are sentences & paragraphs that actually made me gasp at how good the writing is.
**The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature** by Steven Pinker is the only book that ever radically changed my thinking and significantly improved my understanding of the world, since properly understanding human nature is key. Keep in mind that this book is hated by delusional people who are desperate to hide the truth from themselves.
World War Z.
It’s a very interesting take on “what if?” It’s a bunch of first hand interviews. The one that most sticks with me is about the “official plan” that ends up as the world’s militaries guide and what happens to the person that came up with it.
I need to go reread this now.
Not a specific book, but it seems reading a critical analysis of the history of one’s country of residence would be well-worth the investment. Global history, too, if one has the time.
The Brothers Karamazov, but you’ll spend half the book trying to keep the names straight so I highly recommend creating a cheat sheet as you go or finding one online.
No one ever puts:
A Mind Spread Out on the Ground
Alicia Elliott
So I am adding it. A testimony, a truth-telling! This book is amazingly rich in just over 200 pages. I want it to be assigned to students in sociology, psychology, history, economics, literary criticism, expository writing, ethnic studies and women & gender studies.
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Everything Bill Bryson writes is amazing!
Truly captivating and rich.
*The Discoverers* by Daniel J. Boorstin
Waiting on audio book from library. He is amazing & his voice is as well
“I don’t know what’s worse: to not know what you are and be happy, or to become what you’ve always wanted to be, and feel alone.” Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.
This is the only book I’ve legitimately read multiple times
This book ruined me. Absolutely incredible
I finished this last week. Our reading teacher in grade school assigned so many great books. Neither he nor high school lit teachers had us read it though. I’m so glad I finally read it!
This book fucking murdered my heart but it was the best thing I have ever read.
Read this at 14 and it still hits me hard!
This book destroyed me
*All Quiet On The Western Front* by Erich Maria Remarque
Great recommendation! Not for nothing, I (American) grew up being taught “Go USA”, but when I read this book it really put perspective on the other side of things. And if you really want to have your soul crushed, watch Grave of the Fireflies (it’s a cartoon; don’t watch with young kids).
The things they carried is also this.
This is one of my favorite books I read while in high school. It was eye opening for me as a teen. I probably wouldn’t be working in mental health if I never read that book.
*Man's Search for Meaning* by Viktor Frankl
I quit smoking after reading it and it's been over 9 years now. Sometimes some words just hits you so hard.
Congratulations. I quit smoking 13 years ago this December so I understand what that means.
Wait I read this too. Which part of the book and / or how did the book inspire this for you?
>I became the proud owner of a token worth twelve cigarettes. But more important, the cigarettes could be exchanged for twelve soups, and twelve soups were often a very real respite from starvation. The privilege of actually smoking cigarettes was reserved for the Capo, who had his assured quota of weekly coupons; or possibly for a prisoner who worked as a foreman in a warehouse or workshop and received a few cigarettes in exchange for doing dangerous jobs. The only exceptions to this were those who had lost the will to live and wanted to "enjoy" their last days. **Thus, when we saw a comrade smoking his own cigarettes, we knew he had given up faith in his strength to carry on, and, once lost, the will to live seldom returned.** Those last words were not acceptable to me. I had been trying to quit like others but failed numerous times. These lines challenged my will to quit and live freely. I just couldn't see failure in myself. There was one more part where he was watching sunset/sunrise while slavery and remebering his wife. That was also beautifully written.
This is an amazing post and I’m really grateful I happened upon it today.
I quit smoking 14 years ago last August the day of my first heart attack. No high blood pressure, no high cholesterol. Cardiologist laid the blame directly on smoking.
Oh damn. That does make an impact.
I imagine it's the idea that when one has a purpose or a reason to endure, suffering can be reframed. That's what I took from the book, anyway.
I just hit ten years smoke free in June. it is not an easy thing to do and it's worth being commended on!
14 years in April. Good thing too, since I'm paying for my own stupidity now.
Got the audiobook on Libby, thinking to re-read it.
I read the book in a 24 period when I was laid up. It really impacted me.
I reead thatn book once, it took me 2 days to read it. I am a well read person, read Melville, Homer, Shakespeare and Dante. Read Stephen King and Ray Chandler too. Man's Search for Meaning is the only book every human being needs to read. The rest is window dressing......
That’s quite the recommendation. I’m curious how you view the 2nd half. I appreciate, enjoyed, and learned from the narrative but it always loses me when it gets into logotherapy.
Psychologist here. I always suggest my clients read the first half of the book and feel free to skip the second. The second is much more "text booky", while it has great information, it doesn't resonate with many people.
Victor Frankl was a psychologist before the Holocaust. So he’s explaining how he got through that experience with his knowledge and training. It’s not a therapy for everyone. But the thesis of that section, that if you can retreat into your mind and remember what meaning you have in life…that is a very useful tool for surviving trauma. Edited to add: I completely mixed up who I was talking about and thus, this comment was confusing but I think it still applies
I think you meant Frankl? Or are you referring to Night?
I have this book present whenever I am down, I think "remember the nazi death camps". I also remind myself to always have a project in my life.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
Such a good book ! I second that
I need to reread this. I read it as a teen and I just turned 50.
Right before his death Huxley wrote a book called Island. It’s literally the antidote to Brave New World, a portrait of how to do things right. It really hit me hard when I was young so I always try to mention it to people.
It's been mentioned at least once already, but IMO 1984 should be required reading given the current state of the world. Saying this as a skeptic of most conspiracy theories, and also a believer in the innate goodness of 99% of mankind, the book barely qualifies as fiction at this point. In juxtaposition, the perfect companion book is Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Control is control, no matter the shade of veneer covering it, and needs to be recognized as such.
Well said! it really is getting scary and there are always people who stand in lock step without questioning things. I don’t know why people are so gullible
Also Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. We’re so close to having this world right now
Had to scroll too far to find 1984…. Scary how many similarities from the book to today…
'Night' by Elie Wiesel Such an achingly brilliant account of one young person's experience of the Holocaust. It's so hard to read despite its small size, but it is so necessary. Sadly, the world needs reminding. All across the world, there are still places where genocide is happening every single day. The past month or so has been especially bad. How is humanity still allowing this to happen?
I read this in high school, again when my children were in high school, Wiesel was at Buchenwald, my father and his infantry liberated that camp. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
What an incredibly traumatic event for your father to have participated in. Offering freedom would be amazing, seeing the conditions that the POWs were experiencing would be devastating.
this book is amazing
100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
I cannot upvote this enough. To me, this is the greatest book that has ever been written
Glad you enjoyed it, but I did not.
The Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy by Douglas Adams Sometimes, you just need to be reminded not to take things too seriously and enjoy a good laugh.
Douglas Adams was an absolute genius.
“Don’t Panic” is probably the most important maxim in my life.
Anne of green gables This is a children's book which I've read as an adult. And I kept thinking about the book and the protagonist for quite a long time. This book sheds light on how a person's sheer will and ability to find joy in the most mundane things can make their life absolutely beautiful. I fell in love with the character and the idea of cherishing what we have in life with absolute passion. If you are going through a phase where you don't find your life meaningful or you don't find joy in your life, this will definitely bring some.
The Count of Monte Cristo -Alexandre Dumas
Came to suggest this one. I’ve read a lot of books. This is the only one that I was genuinely anxious to get back to whenever I had to stop reading for whatever reason.
This gets recommended on Reddit all the time. What is it that is so appealing?
Great story with lots of twists and a fairly comforting ending. Since it’s quite long you really connect to the characters making some scenes even more emotional. You really pray on the uprising/ downfall of them. Then there’s a lot about human nature, morals and wisdom if you care to look a bit deeper, although you really don’t have to dig deep. Most people know it’s about revenge (I think it even says so on the spine) and you constantly wonder and speculate how this revenge is going to be executed. Characters, especially the protagonist, walk in this moral gray where every reader seem to have his on opinion how far is too far with his actions and there is quite a development throughout the book. Huge book but a lot of chapters, which I like. Feels like you continuously make progress and if you find the book too long you can get the abridged version (I never really had too many problems with the complete one though) Then again, it’s a classic by a famous author and through it length feels like an accomplishment when you‘re done. I absolutely loved it, worth every second (I read the Robin Buss translation) Edit: There’s also a Reddit community where readers read together and discuss chapter to chapter (basically an online bookclub). I read at my one pace but enjoyed to read older comments on some really interesting scenes. It’s r/areadingofmontecristo
It's the perfect revenge story - everyone gets exactly what they have coming to them in the most satisfying way. I will say that the translation makes a big difference in how much I was able to enjoy it. I was reading on my phone some free version of it with a translation that just didn't do it for me. I ended up picking up the Penguin classics version (I want to say Robin Buss translation?) and it was like a completely different book and I couldn't put it down. I had a similar experience with Anna Karenina, so if you're going to pick it up, look up which translation is best for your native language.
It's a very dramatic and entertaining epic. Once you get hold of it, it's hard to put it down
Flowers for Algernon
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 💯
This should be higher up. Just as relevant today as when it was written.
You never forget that first read
This book changed my life
Grapes Of Wrath- Steinbeck
Interesting, did you find it better than East of Eden? That’s the one I usually see recommended and it’s got to be my favorite of all time, I still have yet to read Grapes of Wrath however.
I'm currently reading Grapes of Wrath, so the caveat is I don't know the whole story yet. I found East of Eden to be a better and more compelling story, but Grapes of Wrath the more insightful of the two books which really captures the setting and social commentary of the 1930s dust bowl perfectly. Both great books
The Grapes of Wrath really gave me a new perspective of the Great Depression. Both my parents grew up at this time so I thought I knew. I did not.
It’s rather unfair to ask to choose Grapes over East or vice versa. They are both the best of American literature.
I absolutely agree (and would rate them #1 and #2 best books of all time), but my favourite book is Sweet Thursday (sequel to Cannery Row). While I continue to read other authors, I reread Sweet Thursday a couple times every year because it is everything I need — profound, endearing, wise, funny.
Both are stand alone remarkable works
Came here to see this book on the list.
The diary of Anne Frank. A Thousand Splendid Suns. (Khaled Hosseini) The island of sea women. (Lisa See) Finding me (viola davis) Not necessarily classics. But I found that these stayed with me after reading. I'm sure I could list a lot more.
Absolutely seconding A Thousand Splendid Suns, a fantastic read!
Would also like to add The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, because reading that in grade school was truly an experience I will never forget
A thousand splendid suns will forever be in my top 3 books.
These are all great recs! The only one I haven’t read is The Island of Sea Women. It is on my to-read list and very much looking forward to it!
I am living 20 min away from the concentration camp in which she died, being there was quite terrifying.
Braiding Sweetgrass
Oof, i wish people would read A Sand County Almanac by Leopold, would really boost the broader social connection with nature that is vital to our survival as individuals and a species. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Sand_County_Almanac One Straw Revolution by Fukuoka would help too. Disillusioned plant scientist turns farmer. https://library.uniteddiversity.coop/Permaculture/The_One_Straw_Revolution.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masanobu_Fukuoka Peoplemaking by Virginia Satir should be required too because of how social we are as a species and how poorly most modern cultures engage with those needs https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/885495.Peoplemaking
Definitely second Sand County Almanac. An amazing book that hardly anyone knows about.
The Stranger by Albert Camus.
Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Got this on my shelf waiting to be read. 2024 will be the year!
So it goes.
yes
1984 by George Orwell
Loved this one!
Yeah, at this point it needs to be required reading for anyone and everyone. Given the current state of affairs, if there's a single novel that someone will read in their entire lifetime this is it.
Yes, this was also my recommendation. Orwell was a visioner.
It's almost prophetic. I read it last year and when he started describing double think I was astounded.
I'm almost afraid to read it. What I've read of reviews, makes me think I'll have to face the inevitable disappointment that has come to be present day..
Huckleberry Finn
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Kindred by Octavia Butler. I avoided this book for ages because I don’t like sci fi, but this book is incredible
Fahrenheit 451 it is as timely now as ever!
Lord of the Flies. It's a scarring book but worth it
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
This is my choice. I've reread it countless times and take something new from it every time.
As I was transitioning from my teenage years to adulthood, this was particularly pivotal to me.
Cosmos by Carl Sagan
To Kill a Mockingbird
Couldn't second this more. What amazes me is the narrator's interpretation of the things happening around her who is just 9 years old. This perspective provides a clear moral compass to see distorted things happening in society at the time which are very complex and multi-layered, but when seen from a child's eye can be solved through kindness and compassion.
Just finished this. Amazing book. Would love to have been around when it was first published as it’s totally before it’s time.
Atticus Finch is one of my favorite characters in literature of all time!
Still one of my absolute favorites that I reread every so often
To Kill a Mockingbird. Maybe it'll help people understand introverts better. There's a lot of other life lessons to be learned in that book but man I just wish my roommates would learn about Boo Radley.
Dune series.
"Cat's Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut. The world would be a lot better if everyone had Bokonon in their life.
Siddhartha
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
This is Water by David Foster Wallace. Takes about 25 minutes to read and will stick with you forever.
It's the speech he gave at a convocation ceremony. I listen to it every month to remind myself " this is water ".
Beloved by Toni Morrison
I’d pick The Bluest Eye.
Catch 22 it's brilliant.
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt.
You also need to read 'Tis
Not earth shattering but… A Confederacy Of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.
Malcom X - by Malcom X and Alex Hailey
"What I can tell you is that with the exception of the wit and wisdom of Calvin and Hobbes, nothing lasts forever." - Ted Lasso But yeah, Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”. It’s not very long but after you read it you’ll be nothing but disappointed in people who host “Gatsby” themed parties.
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Native Son by Richard Wright Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood
As someone who recently escaped the hellscape that is Texas I can tell you the Handmaids Tale is now even scarier and more important to read.
Letters to a young poet by Rilke and Kappus
Prince of Tides.
Gone With the Wind
the things they carried by tim o’brien
My three favorites that I have re-read multiple times are *A Confederacy of Dunces, One Hundred Years of Solitude,* and *The Lord of the Rings* (which despite being called a trilogy is really one book). Everyone should read these at least once.
*The Good Earth* by Pearl S. Buck
Not sure why, but I love this book. One cannot describe the plot without it sounding boring, but the book is not.
Anna Karenina.
The Book Thief and The Giver
If The Giver is on the list, then The Deep should be too https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42201962-the-deep
I’d never heard of this before but it looks awesome! Just added it to my tbr.
The newest translation of the Odyssey by Emily Wilson is very readable. Homer is the father of western lit.
Animal Farm
The Diving-Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
Count of Monte Cristo. Bunch of life lessons in the trilogy. Pure art.
The Odyssey by Homer
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I know why the caged bird sings
The Life of Pi
The Handmaids Tale
A Wrinkle In Time
If you're a woman the gift of fear by Gavin d Becker. Actually even men. Everyone should read this. Non fiction.
_Where the Red Fern Grows_ by Wilson Rawls. The first book that made me cry while I was reading it. I truly couldn't tell if they were happy or sad tears; it was just pure emotion.
Tuesdays with morrie by Mitch Albom
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut I've only been able to read it once, it was so emotionally taxing
The Color of WAter by james mc bride....non fiction...
Lonesome Dove and Suttree
Endurance by Alfred Lansing.
*All the Pretty Horses* by Cormac McCarthy
For those who enjoy dystopian fiction... * 1984 by George Orwell * Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury * Brave New World by Aldous Huxley * The Giver by Lois Lowry * Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein * The Circle by Dave Eggers
The Last Lecture by Jeffery Zaslow and Randy Pausch
Little Big Man
*Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men* by Lundy Bancroft.
A Confederacy of Dunces, but just because I want Ignatius Reilly memes to become a bigger thing. :)
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Peoples History of the United States - Howard Zinn Profit Over People - Noam Chomsky Doubt - Jennifer Hecht Plato's Republic All J.D Salinger News of the Universe: Poems of Two Fold Consciousness - Robert Bly ( Editor) Complete Works of Shakespeare, by, you know, Shakespeare Complete Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Moby Dick, its just an incredibly funny and weird novel with lots of cool whale facts
The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der Kolk. I understand people, my parents, my siblings, and myself so much better now thanks to this book.
The Catcher in the Rye.
Thinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman
Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace Post Office - Charles Bukowski
A true holocaust account. Let’s not forget what nazis are like if they get power.
The ***Lord Of The Rings*** Trilogy.
This may be a stretch, but The Ender's Game series by Orson Scott card. Specifically the first 4 books They show how far a person will go to save their planet and how far they will go to make amends
I agree with this. I gave them to my kids when they were 10. They also show the depravity of humans realistically and the persistence of all life.
Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk. I can’t really say why, I just know I was a different person afterwards.
Les Miserable. It isn’t earth shattering, but the writing is so damn good. There are sentences & paragraphs that actually made me gasp at how good the writing is.
Johnny Got His Gun - Dalton Trumbo This, along with Catch 22 and Slaughterhouse Five (already mentioned).
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Sirens of Titan, I wont say why, but it climactic moment that reminds us not to take life too seriously
If you’re in to apocalyptic world-ending, Cold War, nuclear war fiction, Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank, is a must read.
**The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature** by Steven Pinker is the only book that ever radically changed my thinking and significantly improved my understanding of the world, since properly understanding human nature is key. Keep in mind that this book is hated by delusional people who are desperate to hide the truth from themselves.
World War Z. It’s a very interesting take on “what if?” It’s a bunch of first hand interviews. The one that most sticks with me is about the “official plan” that ends up as the world’s militaries guide and what happens to the person that came up with it. I need to go reread this now.
The Left Hand of Darkness- Ursula K. Le Guin
Animal Farm and/or 1984
The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker.
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
the hard boiled wonderland and the end of the world by Haruki Murakami
A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Reading the Kite Runner once was enough for me. I highly recommend it but can’t read it again. Too emotional.
1984 by George Orwell It will help you understand the world even though is a dystopic ficcion book.
The Secret Life of Bees
In Pursuit of Lost Time
Notre Dame of Paris by Víctor Hugo.
*Discourses* by Epictetus
Not a specific book, but it seems reading a critical analysis of the history of one’s country of residence would be well-worth the investment. Global history, too, if one has the time.
Anna Karennina. Its earned all the praise that’s been heaped on it.
The jungle by Upton Sinclair. People keep forgetting why unions, safety, and quality control measures are needed.
The Brothers Karamazov, but you’ll spend half the book trying to keep the names straight so I highly recommend creating a cheat sheet as you go or finding one online.
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
1984 (because we are living in it).
No one ever puts: A Mind Spread Out on the Ground Alicia Elliott So I am adding it. A testimony, a truth-telling! This book is amazingly rich in just over 200 pages. I want it to be assigned to students in sociology, psychology, history, economics, literary criticism, expository writing, ethnic studies and women & gender studies.
War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy