1. The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman- This book exposed me to the realities of the future and underscored the likeliness of the United States's supremacy becoming obsolete. The quantity of detailed evidence that supported his argument slapped me across the face and has completely changed how I look at the world; I no longer look through an Americentric window.
2. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque- While many books up to that point in time romanticized war, this book has shifted the paradigm ever since. With its grim depictions and gruesome scenes, All Quiet on the Western Front is the book from which my pacifism stems. It was the book that served as the launch pad for my interests in other anti-war novels such as Regeneration by Pat Barker.
3. The Catcher In the Rye by J.D. Salinger- Many of my friends found this book "pointless" and repetitive, but I found it to be captivating and a true exploration of human nature and its relation to society. I think about The Catcher in the Rye on a daily basis, and I often find myself self-reflecting, wondering if I, too, am a "phony." Holden Caulfield challenges conventional acceptances, and while reading the book, I found that our views often run parallel about society and its phoniness. I really did.
4. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving- When I realized that the setting was Exeter, New Hampshire, I automatically had a connection to the story because Exeter is where I spent many holidays and happenings when I was younger. I think this automatic recognition of location transported the plot, setting, and characters from fabrications of my imagination to realistic truths in my mind. I remember being moved by Owen, a boy who is bizarre, complex, charming, and captivating all at the same time.
5. Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe- The story haunted me with the idea that success and wealth is not above the law, and that justice prevails. This book has had a lasting impression on me because it combined many topics into one novel: racism, politics, affluence and social divisions, etc.
6. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee- A classic that I have read 4 times, the plot interests me every time. The book presents themes that are typically seen as banal in an original and entertaining manner. It creates a suspense with the multi-layered plot and left me speechless at the end of it. In Seventh grade, I dubbed it as my favorite book of all time.
Three quick thoughts--despite your thinking that many of your classmates didn't enjoy Catcher, it is one of the most often repeated titles on the lists I've been reading for the last two days. So in hindsight it seems many people got a lot out of that book. Second, you're the first person to include Owen Meany (which I just re-read this summer) and Bonfire, a book I found impressive even though I didn't like a single one of its characters. Third, talk to Danielle Lee about To Kill a Mockingbird. You two have something in common there. Thanks--good list.
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