QotD: Life-Changing Books
What are five books that changed your life?
Inspired by Ms. Genevieve.
I'm not sure that I would say any single book "changed my life." Kerouac's Dharma Bums and On the Road had an impact, in late high school, as I was pondering my future. Earlier, books like A Brave New World, 1984, The Handmaid's Tale, Animal Farm, and Anthem certainly made me think about not trusting the establishment, and maintaining individuality. A quick list of some of my favorite books of all time:
Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut
When I'm forced to name a favorite book, this is usually what comes to mind. Vonnegut is probably my favorite author. Breakfast of Champions, Cat's Cradle, and Galapagos are other favorites.
Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
Another brilliant anti-war satire with a confusing chronology (or lack of one). Features some of the best -named fiction characters ever (Major Major Major Major, Lieutenant Scheisskopf, Milo Minderbinder).
Prince of Tides - Pat Conroy
A beautifully-written, epic tale of a Southern family. This was one of those books that kept me up all night reading for a week straight. A decent movie adaptation was made, starring Nick Nolte and Barbara Streisand, but you can't convert a 650-page novel into a 2-hour flick without slicing out a lot of plot.
Foucault's Pendulum - Umberto Eco
Each of the books in this list could be considered my all-time favorite. This one stuck with me for a long, long time. When I read The Da Vinci Code, I referred to it as "Foucalt's Pendulum for Dummies."
London Fields - Martin Amis
I'm not quite the Amis fan that my brother is, but this book was brilliant. A hilarious (in a dark and British sort of way) murder mystery, in which the victim plots her own murder.
This, and Lethem's Motherless Brooklyn, are the two best books I've read in the last 5-10 years. Gentrification, comic books, race relations, and the late 70s-early 80s NYC music scene are just a few of the themes in this masterpiece.
Honorable Mentions: A Confederacy of Dunces, Lolita, Midnight's Children, To Kill a Mockingbird, Jitterbug Perfume, A Clockwork Orange.
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