Book Meme

I've never participated in one of those "memes" that bloggers do, where they answer a series of questions and then pass them on to their cohorts. They have the same feel as junk mail, and, besides, nobody has ever emailed me and asked me before. But, when you're "tagged" by someone as charismatic as Three O'Clock in the Morning, and the topic is something as compelling as books, well, I think I should play along, so here goes . . .

1. One book that changed your life.

Catch-22, by Joseph Heller. I was a junior at an all-male Catholic School in St. Louis, and Doc Noonan assigned this book. I was a fantastically conservative, duty-bound young man, and the character of Orr came along at the right time to free up my thinking process and see multiple opportunities where only conformity appeared before. It was a subversive thing to do, teaching that book to a classroom full of eager-to-fit-in kids without any real knowledge of the world. Wherever you are, Doc Noonan, thank you.

2. One book you have read more than once.

In a house jammed full of books I want to read, it's hard to justify reading the same book twice. I've read Catch-22 more than once, and HuckleBerry Finn, but I think I'll put Hamlet into this slot. Once you get swept into the flow and language of Shakespeare, you can see why his plays are the gold standard. The central character is so complex and ambiguous - you can find anything in this play. A true understanding of this play will vaccinate any thinking person from absolutism.

3. One book you would want on a desert island.

Tough one. Of course, the Bible is a safe response, or some other repository of cultural wisdom, and the Complete Works of Shakespeare would be a good follow-up to my prior pick, but the truth is that I would most want a great big blank book, and a nice fountain pen with lots of ink. Writing and drawing help me think, and a few years on a desert island would be a great opportunity to get some stuff figured out . . .

4. One book that made you laugh. A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving. Definitely in my top ten books I've ever read, Owen Meany is full of sophomoric humor, true pathos, and inspirational beauty. If you've read it, you probably agree - and if you haven't, go do so.

5. One book that made you cry. Yikes. I don't cry while reading all that much, but reading Where the Red Fern Grows to the kids years and years ago left me choking back sobs. Reading books to my kids may have been the best time investment I ever made, and I'm a sucker for a good dog story.

6. One book you wish you had written. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway. Why?

The driver started up the street. I settled back. Brett moved close to me. We sat close against each other. I put my arm around her and she rested against me comfortably. It was very hot and bright, and the houses looked sharply white. We turned out onto the Gran Via.
“Oh, Jake,” Brett said, “we could have had such a damned good time together.”
Ahead was a mounted policeman in khaki directing traffic. He raised his baton. The car slowed suddenly pressing Brett against me.
“Yes,” I said. “Isn't it pretty to think so?”

Coolest line ever written. Period.

7. One book you wish had never been written. Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. This book is the La Brea Tar Pit of the intellect. Like the thousands of animals who wandered into the tar pits and became mired in the stickiness till they died, half-clever intellects come upon this monument to selfishness and get stuck by its clingy message of "rugged individualism". Stronger minds step back from the black ugliness of it, but mediocre minds are comforted by the warm ooze of believing that they are somehow inherently superior to the feeble masses, and they live the rest of their lives as libertarians.

On the other hand, the book kept me out of Opus Dei, but that's another story . . .

8. One book you are currently reading. Freddie and Fredericka, by Mark Helprin. My favorite living author gets comedic and playful, and the word-play is spectacular. So far, I'm greatly enjoying it.

9. One book you have been meaning to read. Black Lamb and Grey Falcom, by Rebecca West. I've started this book a couple times, but, at 1181 pages, I haven't made it through very much of it. It's about a pre-WWII journey through Yugoslavia, and it is a fascinating combination of history and travel-writing. Well-written and insightful.

10. Tag five people. Brian Stayton, Dolphin, Sunshine Burn, Travelingal (use the comments section) and Todd Elkins. (Update: Has Hip Suburban White Guy been tagged yet? If not, consider yourself tagged, XO.)