To all my diehard fans out there who have been pestering me to post some more of my profound thoughts, I turn the tables. Here is your chance to be profound on MY blog. I'm going to let you my loyal friends and enemies pick out the books (2) which I will read during the December holidays. ACU was so kind to us this year and has given us 5 weeks instead of the usual 4 so I wish to read something good.
Here are the ground rules:
1) The book MUST tell a story (Fiction or Non-Fiction). I am not looking for a philosophical/ethical/theological treatise no matter how profound.
2) You MUST present coherent arguments for me to read it.
I will pick the winner (probably 3) and post their persuasive arguments on the front page of my blog for all to read. Seriously, you can't buy this kind of publicity. But you're welcome to make an offer.
So, Tell me what I should read and why.
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7 comments:
Well Harry, you tripped me up with your requirements that it be fiction... We scientists don't read fiction too much.
About as close as I can get is historical fiction. Have you ever read Thing Falls Apart by Chinua Achebe? If you haven't, then I think you'll love this book. It's an examination of the loss of identify and culture that comes from a man who lives in Africa at the time it's being colonized by European powers. This man rizes to power within his community, but has to leave due to some local laws and customs, and returns in 10 or 15 years. When he does, he's confronted with a different reality now that European's are exerting their influence.
Of particular interest to you in the book are the interactions of a couple of missionaries that are present at different times.
It's a solid read, and I loved how it opened my eyes to seeing things from other perspectives!
If you've already read this book, let me know and I'll put back on my thinking cap.
Harry,
First of all, I think you should take Jay's suggestions--Things Fall Apart is a very good book. And now for suggestions of my own...
West With the Night is an autobiography, but it's really good and you should read it anyway. The author, Beryl Markham, grew up in Kenya and went on to fly the first solo flight west across the Atlantic.
Markham's fluid, descriptive style paints vivid images of the scenes from her life, from hunting with the Masaai to flying rescue missions over the sarengeti. She tells her story in the present tense, and not organized chronologically. Markham really captures the intoxicating lure of the unknown, manifested in "deepest darkest" Africa.
Another good read is Watership Down, by Richard Adams, which is the epic tale of the journey of a group of rabbits. I avoided reading it for a long time because I couldn't imagine how in the world rabbits could be interesting, but trust me, they are.
The story centers around a few main characters (who are rabbits) who leave their home in the face of impending doom and travel through hardship and many adventures to begin a new home far, far away (in terms of rabbit distances.) Once the rabbits have established their abode on a seemingly idyllic hill, their troubles do not end. In the end, however, the rabbits, at some cost, attain what they have been looking for--a place of safety.
What makes this book so interesting is the world Adams creates for the rabbits. In essence, he invents a rabbit culture.
The second interesting aspect of this novel is the cast of characters and the unlikely community they form. An unexpected leader, on the urging of his psychic rabbit brother, leads a motley crew through the wilderness. The individual talents of the original rabbits, and of the characters they pick up along the way, combine in original ways to help the rabbits out of difficult situations.
The structure of this novel is primarily episodic, which gives you clearly defined "stopping places" most of the time, and also gives you a variety of different types of situations and adventures throughout the course of the book.
Okay, so those are my suggestions.
Marcella
Hey Friends, I've changed the rules for the project. And, marcella, I have read "Watership Down" and I truly loved it. Do not read the sequal, it is crap.
If you want to read something new and interesting, pick up The Lovely Bones. It's a truly unique view of life as seen through the eyes of a dead 14 year old girl. I've never read anything from such an interesting perspective. It's speculations on heaven are also interesting--very differnt from our normal conception of it. It's definitely worth the read. This may not be as persuasive an argument as the other suggestions you've gotten, but I don't think you'd be disappointed. Also good is The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. It's the story of Jacob and his family as told by his daughter Dinah. It's also an incredibly unique perspective and, though not totally fiction, it is definitely speculative history and incredibly well-written and thought-provoking without being too incredibly heavy.
Did you ever decide which books you'd read?
Harry,
You should read either Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig) or The Life of Pi (Yann Martel.) Both are adventure stories that explore human experience and surprise you at the end. Let me know if you pick one of those so we can chat about it. ~Kaylynn
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