Great Books
This is a continual work in progress where, when the spirit moves me, I'll add titles and perhaps some annotations about books I've known and loved. At no time will this be a complete list since no such thing can ever exist for true book lovers, but part of my joy and duty as a teacher and reader is to share with others the books that have influenced, entertained, and inspired me. I've set up a few basic categories, but some books will, of course, fit in several areas, so book placement is sometimes just a compromise. Since these are all great books, you simply MUST read all of them. I'll give a test at the end of your life, so be ready!
Summer reading:
I haven't added much to the list in a while, so I thought I'd jump start with a list of what I read this summer--and what I'm currently working on. So many great books out there.
Three Cups of Deceit by Jon Krakauer: This is a long essay that points out serious problems with Greg Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea. Compelling and disturbing for those enthralled by Mortenson's work.
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand: This is the unbelievable story of Louie Zamperini who was one of the world's best milers (runners) before WWII and then suffered and survived in ways that are almost impossible to imagine. Read it!
Operation Mincemeat by Ben MacIntyre: Another WWII story about the British using a dead body to fool the Nazis--great fun and true.
Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson: A somewhat dark, brooding novel by a dark and brooding Norwegian. Read it if you're in a dark, brooding mood
Off the Rails by Chris Hatherly and Tim Cope: A compelling true story about two young men in their twenties who ride bikes from Moscow to Beijing. Well written and interesting.
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts by Gabor Mate, M.D.: An important and well-written book about serious addiction with some painful stories about addicts and explorations of the brain and behaviors that make the addict. This is an important book for everyone. I recommend it highly.
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl: This is the famous account and discussion of surviving Nazi concentration camps and how we can find meaning in even the most degrading of circumstances.
Born to Run by Christopher McDougall: This is a hugely fun read about ultra running and the Tarahumara Indians of Copper Canyon, northern Mexico. Wild characters, extreme endurance runs, this book has it all.
Currently reading: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides: This is a compelling novel about, believe it or not, a hermaphrodite. It's a great book and received the Pulitzer Prize. Check it out.
Fiction:
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll: These are freaky classics that are well-known to most. Frankly, I find them a little on the scary side. Maybe they're too much for little kids? Oh, my paws and whiskers, you simply must read them. Beware, you'll find much drug usage depicted therein!
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel: Imagine being stuck on a lifeboat with a four hundred pound Bengal tiger.
Wicked by Gregory McGuire: This is a fanciful and wonderfully written novel that provides the "back story" to the Wicked Witch of the West from the classic Wizard of Oz. How did she become wicked? How did she grow up? You'll never think of Oz the same way ever again, my dears!
Natural history/outdoor adventure:
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey: This is a great classic American work--one of my all time favorites. He's a poet, a philosopher, a curmudgeon, a true American original. Don't miss this book.
Arctic Dreams by Berry Lopez: This is a discussion of all sorts of things arctic--wildlife, culture, geology you name it. The author spent five years in the region, and we get to benefit from his experience.
Biographies/autobiographies:
The Zanzibar Chest by Aden Hartley. This is a gripping account of one man's experience as a war correspondent for Reuter's news service. Most of the action takes place in Africa, tough places like Rwanda and Somalia. You can't put this one down.
Lame Deer: Seeker of Visions by John Lame Deer and Richard Erdoes. This is the story of a Lakota medicine man, life, his culture, his philosophy. Born just after the closing of the "Old West" in the early 1900's, he was one wild character--fun, provocative.
The Orientalist: In Search of a Man Caught Between East and West by Tom Reiss: This is a totally fascinating biography of a Jewish fellow, Lev Nussimbaum, born in Azerbaijan at the dawn of the 20th century and how he survived the Bolsheviks, the Nazis and all manner of insane situations. He became a widely published author but died fairly young at thirty. He changed is persona and was particularly taken by the classical Middle-Eastern, Islamist view of the world. This is an incredible history of the Russian revolution, World War II, the dawn of the modern oil industry, and one man's extraordinary life in the midst of nearly constant turmoil and change. It reads like a great novel. Go get it!
History:
The Spirits of America: A Social History of Alcohol by Eric Burns: Read this book. Burns has produced a funny, fascinating look at America's long love/hate affair with hooch. I haven't read anything this interesting and fun in a long time. I'll hoist a brew in his honor!
Science:
Coming of Age in the Milkyway by Timothy Ferris: An eloquent discussion of our knowledge of the universe, this is a good overview of astronomy and cosmology.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and An Anthropologist on Mars by Oliver Sacks, M.D. These are just two of several books that Dr. Sacks has written. He is a well-known neurologist who brings a poetic sense to the case histories he discusses. These are simply amazing stories, rich in humanity, irony, and great writing. Consider, for example, what an artist does who loses ALL ability to see color. Or, what does it mean for a man to reach for his hat on a rack but instead clamp onto his wife's head? Simply put, read everything by this author that you can get.
The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan: This is a fascinating book that deals with the connection between plants and people, specifically our desire--both plants and humans. Our desire for certain kinds of plants clearly supports the plants' "desire" to succeed. Are the plants serving us, or are we serving the plants? These are some of the interesting issues Pollan digs into in this wonderful book. You'll learn all kinds of things about apples, potatoes, marijuana and tulips. Go read it!
Philosophy/religion:
The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra: Capra is a particle physics scientist who developed an interest in Easter religions only to find that the "hardest" of sciences was producing stark raving mystics! This is a classic--with some demanding science, too.
Current events/general non-fiction:
Reefer Madness by Eric Schlosser. This is a fascinating discussion of the underground economy. The book is basically three chapters dealing, of course, in one of them with marijuana. The others are about pornography and illegal immigrants and labor.