READ THIS Part 2
Chris Snider
October 14, 2009
Filed under A & E, Opinions and Views
In my last recommended reading list, I limited myself to five books, but I simply could not stop there. Even though I believe that there are many more books that everyone should read at some point, here are another six that come with my highest recommendations. (Spoiler Alert: plot details are revealed for these novels that might spoil surprises of suspenseful moments. You have been warned!)
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
The Jungle: gruesome from the very cover.
No, this has nothing to do with the song by Guns ‘n Roses. The “Jungle” refers to the concrete jungle of Chicago during the beginning of the twentieth century. It is the morbidly depressing story of Jurgis Rudkus, his family, and his fellow Lithuanian immigrants. Jurgis must try to survive in America during a time of corrupted trusts that would squash the very soul out of anyone and take all of their money until they were left completely destitute. Jurgis gets a job in the meatpacking industry where he witnesses some of the most disgusting and unsanitary acts. “Thousands of rats would race on (the meat)…These rats were a nuisance, and the packers would put poisoned bread out for them; they would die, and then the rats, bread, and meat would go into the hoppers together.”
When Jurgis is injured, he can no longer get a decent job and the children are all forced to work, they are not able to afford their house, several family members die (including his wife and child), and several of his female family members are forced to become prostitutes just to survive. Jurgis is later forced to take on even worse jobs and finally he tries to run away and escape from it all. However, when Jurgis discovers there is a group trying to create a new America where such despicable things do not occur, Jurgis finds hope in these people called Socialists.
This story is extremely grim and depressing and is most definitely not for those with a weak stomach. However, it is extremely important because the book inspired President “Teddy” Roosevelt to pass the Pure Food and Drugs Act (Sinclair based the book on real factories that he had visited), which was a predecessor to the FDA; Roosevelt was also inspired to become infamous for busting numerous trusts. According to Jen Harlan, The Jungle “is good for those who are interested in social reform.” Everyone taking Mr. Gill’s APUSH class is required to read this since it is a great example of muckraker literature and because it gives insight to one of the most powerful third parties in American history. (It also accounted for about four questions on the AP exam.) Even if you are not in Mr. Gill’s class, however, it is frequently referred to and is critical in our nation’s history; thus, everyone ought to read it.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Huckleberry Finn is the quasi-sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. However,
Huck Finn is often banned because of its language and racial slurs, but is an extremely well-written novel, nonetheless.
the protagonist is obviously different. It takes place in antebellum Missouri and Huck, who had previously lived as an orphan, is new to being raised by adults and being forced to go to church. Thus, Huck does not fully understand the concept of viewing slaves as mere pieces of property rather than people. After Huck runs away to avoid his abusive father, he discovers his friend Jim is also running away to escape slavery. Huck has been taught that helping a slave escape is an act of theft, which is a sin and thus will doom him to Hell. However, Huck decides that he would rather go to Hell than to see Jim enslaved again. Huck and Jim ride down the Mississippi River in order to reach Ohio, and along the way have numerous adventures that reveal several dark sides of humans, especially those of the Southerners during this time period. After missing the turn to escape to Ohio, Jim is later discovered and captured. When Tom Sawyer arrives, it is up to them to help out Jim, but Tom proves just how inhuman a person can be…
While a fair portion of this book is light-hearted, it often seems that Twain was fed up with people and uses extremely biting satire to criticize the way things were for his time. I must warn you that the novel is written in vernacular (dialect) and during this time, racial slurs were commonplace. (Twain uses “the n-word” over 200 times to make his point.) Those points aside, the novel overall is terrific. It not only causes one to re-examine themselves but also appreciate the life of an escaping slave during this time. Jennifer Price, who thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel, commented “It’s a great story that inspires the true American spirit: the perfect reading choice when you’re feeling adventurous!” It is rather deep and takes time to fully understand, but nonetheless, it is extremely well-written. The novel is dark, yet amusing, harsh, yet light-hearted. To fully appreciate it though, I also recommend reading the prequel.
The Pearl by John Steinbeck
The cover of The Pearl shows Kino finding his false fortune.
Yet another morbid and depressing book (most great literature seems to fit that description), The Pearl is about the life of Kino and his wife Juana. When a scorpion stings their only son, they find that they cannot get a doctor for him because they are very poor. Later that same day, Kino goes diving and discovers a huge pearl that is guaranteed to bring him wealth. Or is it? The doctor, after hearing of this pearl, comes and takes care of their son Coyotito, and Kino tries to find a buyer for his pearl so as to pay the doctor. When all of the jewelers try to cheat Kino, he decides to go the city to sell it, but is attacked by robbers.
After accidentally killing one of the robbers, Kino is labeled a murderer and is being tracked. His wife insists that the pearl is nothing but evil, but Kino beats her when she attempts to dispose of it. When Kino finds the trackers sleeping, they are awakened by the crying of Coyotito. Kino manages to kill the trackers, but he discovers something that proves just how evil the pearl truly is.
The ending leaves the reader feeling extremely sympathetic towards Kino because it is just plain depressing, even though he did bring calamity on himself. He did not accept any low offers for the pearl so that he would also be able to afford an education for his son, but his good intentions led to his becoming a victim of his own greed, as well as the greed of others. While parts of the rather short novel can seem a bit heavy, the overall novel is actually fairly easy to understand: Steinbeck warns his readers about the evils of money as well as greed and the pointlessness of good intentions. It is a short and somewhat simple, classic book that will do everyone some good to read.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
Mary Shelly was only nineteen when she wrote her now infamous novel, Frankenstein, but since its publication, many misconceptions have been made about
Frankenstein's creature is likely the most misunderstood, morbid and gruesome characters in English Literature. (He's also a homocidal crybaby.)
it. The story begins with a series of letters between a brother and sister where the brother Robert, has high ambitions to find a northwest passage through the Arctic Circle. There, he discovers a nearly frozen man named Victor Frankenstein who shares with him his story.
Frankenstein gives a description of his childhood and his early fascination with alchemy and later, chemistry and anatomy. After proving to his college professors that he is extremely gifted, Frankenstein attempted to play God and create a living creature greater than Man, made of body parts he dug up, but his results were that of a monster. After fleeing from the monstrosity he falls ill for several months and awakes to discover his brother William has been murdered and a seemingly innocent servant, who is later executed, has been blamed.
But is Frankenstein’s creation really a monster? When Frankenstein meets his creature again, it has been several years and it has learned to speak French. The monster tells of how he sought friendship, but was constantly called a monster. He reveals that he killed William by accident and framed the servant girl. He then begs Frankenstein to make him a mate so that he will not have to suffer as the only demon in this world.
When Frankenstein breaks this promise, the creature swears revenge and kills Frankenstein’s best friend and later his fiancé, framing Frankenstein. Seeking revenge himself, Frankenstein chases the creature to the literal ends of the earth and that was when he was found by Robert. The story ends with Frankenstein dying and the creature appearing on Robert’s ship, angry that he could not kill Frankenstein himself. He then swears to burn himself alive since he no longer has a purpose.
This novel is one of the first major horror novels and can be quite the thriller when being read late at night. It is a classic example of British Romanticism since the creature and Frankenstein are often distracted by the beauty and ferocity of nature. The story also questions what makes a monster, examines the development of a person, and shows how man inevitably destroys himself, especially when he encroaches on God’s territory. It is a classic novel and is extremely deep and meaningful. Shelley uses Frankenstein so that her readers will not judge anyone by appearances alone because it could kill that person on the inside as well as come back to haunt them.
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
It has Tolkien's name on it AND a dragon, therefore, it must be awesome.
Most people are familiar with The Lord of the Rings and the adventures of Frodo Baggins, but few people are privy to the original Middle-Earth novel that sets up the main story; the story of Bilbo Baggins and how he came to possess the One Ring. Bilbo is quite unique among hobbits because rather than sit around and eat seven square meals a day, he wants to set out on an adventure. Gandalf the wizard appears one day to give him a chance to do so; he must be the burglar for a group of thirteen dwarves seeking to take back their treasure of a ferocious dragon named Smaug. (They also need him so that they don’t have thirteen members as it is an unlucky number.)
The group sets out and Bilbo has an incredible adventure, meeting with elves, fighting giant spiders, foiling trolls, escaping from goblin mines, participating in a war with seven armies involved, and winning a ring from a creature named Golum in a game of riddles. When Bilbo returns to Hobbiton, he has amassed a huge amount of wealth and plans to settle down to write his adventure in a book called There and Back Again.
This is definitely the Reader’s Digest version of the novel because to describe it in detail would take far too long. It is a great adventure novel and is filled with both intellectual and symbolic themes, such as the power of even the smallest of persons, as well as outright excitement from battles and fights. Out of the three books that compose The Lord of the Rings, I would have to say that The Hobbit is only bested by The Return of the King. (I know that this comment will probably anger Jack M. Crazyfish, but whatever.)
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The novel takes place during that French Revolution, when it was “the best of times
A Tale of Two Cities in a few words: A love triangle forms along with the French Revolution...people die. But of course nothing Dickens ever writes is ever in just a few words.
and the worst of times” depending on whether a person was a member of the aristocracy or not. The story surrounds a girl named Lucie who is reunited with her father who had previously gone insane while being trapped in France for eighteen years, when he believed her to be dead. (Of course being in France for any amount of time will drive anyone a bit crazy.) Lucie eventually captures the hearts of two men, Charles and Sydney. Charles, the nephew of one of the French aristocracy, is charged with treason against England, but is acquitted because his lawyer’s assistant, Sydney, points out that the two could pass as twins. Later, Charles proposes to Lucie at the same time as when Sydney pledges his undying love for Lucie. When Charles reveals himself to be the nephew of the Marquis Evrémonde, Lucie’s father temporarily reverts back to his old insane habits. Meanwhile, the idea for revolution in France is spreading.
Once the Revolution takes place Charles is called to help an innocent man who is being imprisoned simply for taking care of his wicked uncle’s estate. When Charles enters France, they research his background and find that his uncle and father had imprisoned Lucie’s innocent father because Lucie’s father had been a doctor that treated a woman that the Evrémonde brothers raped. (Talk about unexpected plot twist!) Thus, Charles is imprisoned and sentenced to death for the crimes of his father and uncle. Only wishing the best for Lucie, Sydney wishes to prove his love by sacrificing himself in Charles’ place since they are so similar in appearance. Will Sydney’s plan work out, or will Lucie fall for him instead?
I’ll ruin it for you, the ending is sad and depressing (huge surprise) and ends with Sydney approaching the guillotine and looking at Lucie just before being beheaded. I must warn you that Dickens was paid by the word and thus he is very long winded and uses an extensive vocabulary. (Seriously, he spent an entire two pages talking about nothing but Lucie’s forehead.) With that aside, the story is amazing and full of plot twists that I didn’t even mention. It’s not only filled with romance, but violent French people and bloody deaths; it can be quite intense at times. According to Rajan Amin, “A Tale of Two Cities was truly entertaining and inspiring.” Jennifer Price also wished to comment on this novel, saying “For those who love Pride and Prejudice, you’ll be completely enthralled by Dickens’ work of art! It’s a bit more involved than Pride and Prejudice, and a bit of a tear-jerker, but overall I give it an A+!” It can be a very difficult read, however, and thus I only recommend Dickens to those who also enjoy and understand Shakespeare as well.
(I know that this comment will probably anger Jack M. Crazyfish, but whatever.)
I feel so noticed.
Eh, the Hobbit. It’s totally different from the rest of the series. It’s more of a humorous little story, doesn’t have that epic feel that the rest have. I personally wouldn’t compare it to the rest in the series, it’s just too different.
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