Favorite Books III
Posted on Monday, June 18th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
Two more of my favorite books, both great, so you can’t go wrong. Take your pick.
On the favorites has to be two books that I have been in love with since I was a child. There is a sense in which these are the great American Novels from which all other American novels come. One is a wonderful epic that teaches the value of every human being. You all should read it at least once. You may have it around the house. Just be prepared for the use of the “N” word in one of the most significant and important political statements about racism.
This other book is also about racism, but from a different standpoint. This is as great a novel, in my view, as Huck Finn. I enjoy it again and again each time I read it. Again you may have it around the house, but if you don’t you should.
Take a chance on one of these books this week and let me know what you think.
Read on . . .
DSL
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Comments
1Ray Fowler:Monday, June 18th, 2006 at 8:44 pm
Yes, I have both of these lying around the house, and yes, these are two great books. I read Huck Finn out loud to my boys last year and had to decide what to do with the “N” word. I decided to explain to them about the word and its history, its context in Huck Finn, and its offensiveness and complete inappropriateness today. And then I read them the book out loud, word for word, complete with different accents for the various characters. It was one of the best read-alouds we ever had, but it was awkward even saying the “N” word out loud each time.
2Randi Walter:Tuesday, June 19th, 2006 at 10:56 am
Summer reading is one of my fondest childhood memories. After a day of swimming and outside activites, I would relax and read for hours. Those books transported me to a plantation during the Civil War, to the Warsaw ghetto, to ancient archeological digs, and to a love for a black stallion. I met people, places and ideas that I would never have found otherwise.
Pick five favorites? How?! But to Kill a Mockingbird is up there for its timeless message in a well told tale, amazingly written in the voice of a child. Next book up this summer: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers.