The Right Books -or- Things Oprah May Be Keeping From You

(from Good WIll Hunting)

Will: (to his psychiatrist) "You ****** people baffle me. You spend all your money on these ****** fancy books, you surround yourself with them, they're the wrong ****** books."

Sean: "What are the right '******' books, Will?"

Will: "Hey, Whateva blows ya hair back."

I'm not here to pull the English teacher/literature snob card on you. Don't worry. But if Oprah can have a book club and tell everyone the books she likes and reads, then why would it be strange for me to recommend books? Am I less human than Oprah? Do we not both bleed blood? Aren't all of our literary tastes equally important? To answer these questions: Yes. No, hers is money, and no. But that won't stop me. So let me share some reads that "blow my hair back." If you are looking for some pages to read, I know some which I have loved over the past year or two.

Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer (the movie version of this with Elijah Wood comes out Tuesday on DVD)
-Someone leaked to me that David Crowder read books, and that this is one of the ones he has read. Distrubingly, I bought it for that reason alone. (Please do not submit DcTalk's reading lists to me as a result of the comment). It was an unbelievable book. It made me laugh and weep, which are my main criteria for most life-things being validated as life-things... they must at times make you laugh, and at others weep (relationships, books, foods, etc).

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
-When I found out this man wrote another book... I bought it. It made me weep even more. The things this guy does with pages and ink and a book are unbelievable.

Beakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
-I'm a Vonnegut guy, everyone knows it. This is the second Vonnegut book I read, upon reccomendation from my mom. It has been my favorite. It is hilarious and deep.

Big Fish by Daniel Wallace
-The book that inspired one of my favorite films... I back-tracked on this one, and it was worth it. The book and the film are different, but both very good in their own right.

Savage Innequalities by Jonathan Kozol
-This is s non-fiction piece about the state of public education in America and how it is usually split right down racial and economic lines. Once you read about East St. Louis, you will no longer think the issues originating in slavery, racism, and the battle for civil rights are over.

Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman
-Picked up this title after reading his "The End of Education," it is an analysis of our media-driven, entertainment-addicted culture, and the subsequent problems. This guy is one of the best writers-who-writes-philosophical-texts-rather-than-articulating-his-ideas-in-fiction out there.

Stephen King's On Writing by Stephen King
-I wish I could use this book to teach English and writing, but the FCC won't let me be. Everyone I know that's read it has had nothing but good things to say for what it did for them. Think William B. Strunk on LSD.

Losing Battles by Eudora Welty
-Literature of the South introduced this one to me, and it is as entertaining and insightful as it gets. Put a big fat LITERATURE label on this one, because it is will make you feel like you're reading something important, like Moby Dick (maybe a bad reference because I realize most people hate Moby Dick).

Things Fall Apart by Chineua Achebe
-Also the name of an abum by "The Roots" that I love. Love this one so much I will teach it, and find a way to re and re and re read it.

A Gathering of Old Men by Ernest Gaines
-A history of racial tension in one entertaining, insightful, courageous, intense, and humorous story. If you don't like Gaines, well then I don't think you can like books, friend.

I'm sorry I did that to you, my loyal readership of about 5 people. You should have seen the book list coming. I'm not making you write book reports... but I am ASKING you to...

I don't think these books are somehow better than all other books, nor will I hate you if you didn't like them (I might lose all respect for you, but I will not hate you).

If you or anyone you know can support my claims to any of these books' greatness, please share. If you or anyone you know want to drop some general amounts of knowledge about books that you've read that you can give me for my summer list, please share. Until then, let me remind you of my favorite poster featuring Dan Marino, MC Hammer, Bea Arther, Tim Allen, and Nancy Kerrigan; "Reading is FUNdamental!"