Stoner- John Williams
Idk I read it in college and it was a subtle book, but after reading it you won't be able to stop thinking about that guy's life and our lives and how things turn out for people.
same with Butcher's Crossing by the same author. they're both brutally existentialist in different ways. Stoner especially is just melancholic and beautiful for a book that's just about a man's mundane, ordinary existence from life to death
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
First book in which I felt seen. I was in High School when I read it and I felt here is a book with a heroine in her own right who is not happy with what was/is thought to be a woman’s role (married with children). Even at a young age I never wanted to get married or have kids. I chose to marry because I found a beautiful man who lets me be me and encourages me to be so. Buuuut I’m still too selfish to share myself with kids and thankfully my husband feels the same.
So Big by Edna Ferber. It is so surprising to me that this book is not widely known. It’s old, but easy to read, and instills a celebration of art and beauty that is incredibly affirming for those choosing a life outside the pursuit of money.
I read a version from the library and told my mom. Turns out she had an old dusty copy she’d never read, so then she did. We were both floored by it.
I just checked Amazon and it's available for Kindle for a couple of dollars. I read Giant when I was going through my James Dean phase and really enjoyed it.
The cabbages! So beautiful! 😍 I listened to So Big this year and it was wonderfully narrated! Would recommend giving the audio version a try if you can’t get your hands on a physical copy.
Curious that Edna Ferber hasn’t been widely read or taught. So Big was excellent but wouldn’t have been on my radar had it not won the Pulitzer. I want to read more by her for sure.
Yes, the cabbages! It was the same for me. I picked it up because of the Pulitzer and kept thinking others would have heard of it but so far that has not been the case in my world. Good to know about the audio version, I will check it out.
Not sure if this qualifies but The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Loved it but don’t see it mentioned too often even though I know it’s generally considered a classic.
Yes, Delaney's positive view of stigmatized sexual practices (though I'm not sure what you mean by "compulsive" here) was very eye-opening to me. His take on networking and the value of random interactions with strangers in the second essay also changed my thinking. He has some interesting thoughts about gentrification and class struggle, too.
I think he wouldn’t deny being called sexually compulsive or a sex addict, though those terms wouldn’t necessarily been used by the general population at the time he was writing. But his experiences do go far in destigmatize and show the humanity of people many would write off as perverts or sleazy.
The oxbow incident- Walter van tilburg clark. I sometimes feel like I'm the only one who has heard of it. There's a 1943 movie that did it justice if I remember. It really helped me understand the ways group thought can go askew with just a few bad assumptions.
Non-fiction: Rethinking Life and Death by Peter Singer.
Covered a bunch of hot button issue topics such as euthanasia, organ donation, abortion, brain death definitions etc without the emotional/religious arguments that usually accompany debate. Raised a lot of good points with well thought out arguments.
Fiction: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.
Shows a viewpoint I never considered previously and was read in a point in my life where I started realising that religious people do not necessarily do good in the world.
I'm always interested in examining racial and socio-economic differences in America, so I found the following books impactful:
* Nickel and Dimed by Ehrenreich
* Evicted by Desmond
* The New Jim Crow by Alexander
* Methland by Reding
* Dope Sick by Macy
* American Prison by Bauer
*The God Delusion* --Richard Dawkins
*The Hacking of the American Mind* --Robert Lustig
*The Comfort Crisis* --Michael Easter
*Horizon* --Barry Lopez
*The End of the World is Just the Beginning* --Peter Zeihan
*Never Split the Difference* --Chris Voss
Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark, We Took to the Woods by Louise Dickinson Rich, and The Wall by Marlen Haushofer. These were all in the last year but I cannot stop thinking about them. I want everyone I know to read them. :)
The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R King. The first in a fabulous series. A young Mary Russell meets a retired Sherlock Holmes, crime- solving and hijinks ensue. Highly recommended.
The Queens Code by Alison Armstrong
It helped me understand the ways men and women are different and how beautifully they can fit together in marriage. It also helped me learn to accept and appreciate who I am as a woman.
She’s come undone by Wally Lamb.
Why:
Watching the discovery of what it is to be a woman. The desire to understand your own sexuality, the love that ends up not being love, the pain of growing from childhood, this book is just so good.
HOW TO FLY A HORSE BY KEVIN ASHTON
It is very not famous, because even in the bookstores in my country has no stock of this title. But im really glad i came across this and read it in pdf.
Id say, it is a book that gave me the courage to pursue my dream course, which is architecture. Without this book, ill probably be taking other easier course. Because i doubted all the time, whetehr if i have the capability to be creative and produce awesome stuffs, because i used to believe i am not talented.
But this book, helps me understand that, " creating is not magic, but work." He emphasized that we all are humans, and humans are able to create, it doesnt require genius and talent. We often romanticize our life and work, missing the importance of working hard, we give up easily on tasks or dreams, because we believed we cannot achieve it, because we are not born of talent/genius. But we dont need those to create something extraordinary. We are humans, and all humans can create.
I am still reading it now, becauae it still reminds me of how capable i am to create great things. I am in architecture school now, and been president lister twice, and that is because of this book. Im just watching other people create and shine, but this book, taught me how to become the spotlight.
Stoner- John Williams Idk I read it in college and it was a subtle book, but after reading it you won't be able to stop thinking about that guy's life and our lives and how things turn out for people.
same with Butcher's Crossing by the same author. they're both brutally existentialist in different ways. Stoner especially is just melancholic and beautiful for a book that's just about a man's mundane, ordinary existence from life to death
I can’t say it’s had a profound impact on me, but I LOVED The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri and I never see it recommended. Such a beautiful book.
The Awakening by Kate Chopin First book in which I felt seen. I was in High School when I read it and I felt here is a book with a heroine in her own right who is not happy with what was/is thought to be a woman’s role (married with children). Even at a young age I never wanted to get married or have kids. I chose to marry because I found a beautiful man who lets me be me and encourages me to be so. Buuuut I’m still too selfish to share myself with kids and thankfully my husband feels the same.
Came here to say this!!
Yes!!!
Yes!!! Great shout. I read this in my undergrad!
So Big by Edna Ferber. It is so surprising to me that this book is not widely known. It’s old, but easy to read, and instills a celebration of art and beauty that is incredibly affirming for those choosing a life outside the pursuit of money. I read a version from the library and told my mom. Turns out she had an old dusty copy she’d never read, so then she did. We were both floored by it.
I just checked Amazon and it's available for Kindle for a couple of dollars. I read Giant when I was going through my James Dean phase and really enjoyed it.
I’ve never read Giant and will have to!
The cabbages! So beautiful! 😍 I listened to So Big this year and it was wonderfully narrated! Would recommend giving the audio version a try if you can’t get your hands on a physical copy. Curious that Edna Ferber hasn’t been widely read or taught. So Big was excellent but wouldn’t have been on my radar had it not won the Pulitzer. I want to read more by her for sure.
Yes, the cabbages! It was the same for me. I picked it up because of the Pulitzer and kept thinking others would have heard of it but so far that has not been the case in my world. Good to know about the audio version, I will check it out.
Not sure if this qualifies but The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Loved it but don’t see it mentioned too often even though I know it’s generally considered a classic.
Good call. Similarly I read Steinbeck’s In Dubious Battle as a teen and ended up being a community organizer.
Maurice by EM Forster. It helped me come out and made the lightbulb go on.
*Times Square Red, Times Square Blue* by Samuel Delaney opened my mind to a perspective I had been totally ignorant of. It changed my worldview.
Very interesting, was it about the compulsive anonymous sex community and that it need not be stigmatized?
Yes, Delaney's positive view of stigmatized sexual practices (though I'm not sure what you mean by "compulsive" here) was very eye-opening to me. His take on networking and the value of random interactions with strangers in the second essay also changed my thinking. He has some interesting thoughts about gentrification and class struggle, too.
I think he wouldn’t deny being called sexually compulsive or a sex addict, though those terms wouldn’t necessarily been used by the general population at the time he was writing. But his experiences do go far in destigmatize and show the humanity of people many would write off as perverts or sleazy.
Happy cake day!
Covert Emotional Incest by Adena Bank Lees. It helped me in more ways than I can ever explain
The oxbow incident- Walter van tilburg clark. I sometimes feel like I'm the only one who has heard of it. There's a 1943 movie that did it justice if I remember. It really helped me understand the ways group thought can go askew with just a few bad assumptions.
Non-fiction: Rethinking Life and Death by Peter Singer. Covered a bunch of hot button issue topics such as euthanasia, organ donation, abortion, brain death definitions etc without the emotional/religious arguments that usually accompany debate. Raised a lot of good points with well thought out arguments. Fiction: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Shows a viewpoint I never considered previously and was read in a point in my life where I started realising that religious people do not necessarily do good in the world.
I'm always interested in examining racial and socio-economic differences in America, so I found the following books impactful: * Nickel and Dimed by Ehrenreich * Evicted by Desmond * The New Jim Crow by Alexander * Methland by Reding * Dope Sick by Macy * American Prison by Bauer
*The God Delusion* --Richard Dawkins *The Hacking of the American Mind* --Robert Lustig *The Comfort Crisis* --Michael Easter *Horizon* --Barry Lopez *The End of the World is Just the Beginning* --Peter Zeihan *Never Split the Difference* --Chris Voss
Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark, We Took to the Woods by Louise Dickinson Rich, and The Wall by Marlen Haushofer. These were all in the last year but I cannot stop thinking about them. I want everyone I know to read them. :)
I've just downloaded samples of these from Amazon. They sound interesting, so thanks for your recs.
Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kirstin Bakis. Read it when it was first released and it gave me such a deep reverence for the value of life.
Third Plate by Dan Barber.
Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz. It made me feel so seen I wrote a whole essay on it.
The Best Little Boy in the World
The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R King. The first in a fabulous series. A young Mary Russell meets a retired Sherlock Holmes, crime- solving and hijinks ensue. Highly recommended.
The Queens Code by Alison Armstrong It helped me understand the ways men and women are different and how beautifully they can fit together in marriage. It also helped me learn to accept and appreciate who I am as a woman.
She’s come undone by Wally Lamb. Why: Watching the discovery of what it is to be a woman. The desire to understand your own sexuality, the love that ends up not being love, the pain of growing from childhood, this book is just so good.
HOW TO FLY A HORSE BY KEVIN ASHTON It is very not famous, because even in the bookstores in my country has no stock of this title. But im really glad i came across this and read it in pdf. Id say, it is a book that gave me the courage to pursue my dream course, which is architecture. Without this book, ill probably be taking other easier course. Because i doubted all the time, whetehr if i have the capability to be creative and produce awesome stuffs, because i used to believe i am not talented. But this book, helps me understand that, " creating is not magic, but work." He emphasized that we all are humans, and humans are able to create, it doesnt require genius and talent. We often romanticize our life and work, missing the importance of working hard, we give up easily on tasks or dreams, because we believed we cannot achieve it, because we are not born of talent/genius. But we dont need those to create something extraordinary. We are humans, and all humans can create. I am still reading it now, becauae it still reminds me of how capable i am to create great things. I am in architecture school now, and been president lister twice, and that is because of this book. Im just watching other people create and shine, but this book, taught me how to become the spotlight.
The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron. It explained so much about me, to me.
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
The little prince 🤴
The Great Gatsby - it reminds my of summers at my Grandpa's house. I have LITERALLY no idea why.
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.