Archive for the ‘Recommendations’ Category
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
This was a novel I read for my Senior English class. The story is told from the perspective of an Englishman, Charles Marlow who has survived a terrible ordeal during his time in Africa. He is assigned to be the captain of a boat in the Congo and to retrieve a valuable asset to the imperial organization, Mr. Kurtz. The novel really opened my eyes to the injustices faced by less advanced civilizations. Conrad depicts the atrocities commited by the Europeans upon the African people, who are never mentioned by name in the novel. Although the novel is relatively short, it is very densely packed with insight.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
This was another novel that I read for my English class. Like Heart of Darkness, imperialism is a big theme in this novel. It starts off with the African Ibo society in seemingly perfect condition. It should be noted, however, that Ibo society has its shortcomings, which are pointed out by Achebe. The protagonist Okonkwo is at the top of his game, with a high status in his village. However, as the title implies, things quickly fall apart as the white missionaries start pouring into Africa. They completely change the ways of life in Ibo society. This novel made me realize that even though the Africans were at peace before the Europeans came, their culture was far from desirable because of some very despicable practices such as killing twins at birth.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
This novel deals with imperialism, or rather post-imperialism. It chronicles the lives of an Indian family living in post-colonial India. Ammu and her fraternal twins live in a hierarchy based society where love is forbidden between the “untouchable” caste and the regular class. The story tells of the senseless violence against “untouchable” caste members as well as the struggles faced by divorced women. It tells of the general feeling of despair in India after British colonization.
Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarentino
I saw this movie late at night on television one evening. I was immediately intrigued when I saw John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson on screen together. I would recommend this movie to anybody who enjoys humor. The movie follows several different characters who share screentime pretty equally. It tells of mob hitmen, a professional boxer on the run, and a pair of stick up robbers. All of their stories are connected and their fates intertwined. This movie has violence, philosophy and comedy.
Avatar by James Cameron
This blockbuster film lives up to the hype it generates with its fancy imagery and immensely huge budget. It is about a crippled man who controls the body of an alien native on a different planet. This movie is connected to imperialism as well because the humans are trying to exploit the planet for its resources. In order to mine the resource, the humans need to destroy the habitat of the aliens, who are far inferior technologically. The movie tells of the crippled man’s exploits and his eventual change of heart.
Saving Private Ryan by Stephen Spielberg
This Oscar award winning movie is one of the greatest films I have ever seen. It is deeply moving and emotional. The WWII battle scenes are terrific and you feel as if you’re actually there on the frontlines. The movie is about a squad of soldiers that are assigned to retrieve Pvt. Ryan from the field because all 4 of his brothers have been killed in action. The film raises the question about whether it is worth risking an entire squad for one soldier. However, they find that Pvt. Ryan is well worth it because of his valor and his loyalty to his comrades.
The Great Dictator by Charlie Chaplin
This classic film pokes fun of Adolf Hitler’s regime before the second world war started. It exposed the Nazi regime and Hitler to the American public. This movie is beyond funny and even though it is technologically not up to par, it is quite amusing.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
In The God of Small Things, Roy exposes India for its problems with class and society. She uses a colorful group of characters to criticize the caste system in India and all of the discrimination that comes with it. In the novel, time shifts between past and present and focuses on two twins, Rahel and Estha. They are the children of a constantly victimized Ammu, a woman outcasted by Indian society due to her having left her husband. Ammu however, begins a forbidden romance with a member of the lowest caste in society, Velutha. Probably the most likable man in the entire novel, Velutha, the untouchable handyman, gets brutally beaten by police when Baby Kochamma tells them he raped Ammu and kidnapped Estha and Rahel.
I strongly recommend this book, simply because its content is enormous. Sometimes the relationships between the characters become very complicated and the plot is extremely dramatic. Although almost every male in the novel is a disgusting pig, Roy does an excellent job of making it really easy to imagine all of these issues within India.
The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster
The Brooklyn Follies is told about a 60 year old cancer survivor, Nathan Glass, who has decided to return to Brooklyn to live out the rest of his few remaining years. A man of a pretty ordinary past, Nathan decides that he will write a book of folly. Sooner than later however, he runs into his nephew, Tom, and they bond very quickly, eventually becoming typical best buds. Tom and Nathan eventually enjoy a few adventures together, ultimately ending Nathan’s loneliness.
This book will eventually make you feel very good, as it captures positive transformation really well. It is based on an unlikely main character, and does a good job of showing how even a book with little conflict in it can be very captivating.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
This book, narrated by the protagonist Nick Carraway, is about a group of wealthy Long Island inhabitants that enjoy parties and and socializing. Nick’s neighbor in particular, the mysterious Jay Gatsby, throws parties in his estate every Saturday. Later in the novel, it is discovered that Gatsby, a bootlegger, became rich and threw parties just so he could win back the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan. Eventually, Gatsby is shot.
Truly a classic, this novel does a great job of commentating on the general mood of the roaring twenties. The characterization of Jay Gatsby is truly unique, and the novel really is an interesting but bizarre love story.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Things Fall Apart potrays Okonkwo, the main character of the novel, as a fierce and powerful leader in his tribe. Born to a lazy father who amounts to nothing in the tribe, Okonkwo devotes his life to working hard and being everything his father was not. Oppressive to his three wives, Achebe uses Okonkwo and the rest of the characters to show the issues in Ibo society. Not unlike a caste system, there are the outcasts of society and the powerful class. By the end of the novel, Okonkwo must deal with Europeans, as they have come to his land to spread christianity. They disrupt society by peacefully offering Christianity, and many of the outcasts and Okonkwo’s own son decide to convert.
Achebe offers great insight into African culture, as most African culture had been tarnished up until then. He shows that their society is not much different than other oppressive societies and exposes the flaws in society with likable characters. What surprises me however, is Achebe’s favorable tone to the Europeans invading Africa. Generally, even when a culture is not necessarily efficient or practical, it still doesn’t mean it should be disrupted. This theme is the focus of the novels Things Fall Apart, Heart of Darkness, and The God of Small Things. Roy, Conrad and Achebe all depict a natural culture that is being questioned by European imperialists. All authors criticize the brutal flaws within the system even though Achebe stresses a few positives. He points out the benefit of cultural diffusion in Things Fall Apart and explains that while culture is disrupted, often a culture needs to be disrupted to advance itself. Achebe explains this as a direct response to Heart of Darkness, as Roy and Conrad depict a more flawed system in India and Africa.
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
The novel is about Charles Marlow, a man from Europe who is to travel to Africa to work for a trading company as a ferry-boat captain. There, after observing the system in Africa, and interacting with some of the natives, he meets Kurtz. Kurtz, unlike the other characters in the novel, has fame and popularity that intrigue Marlow. When he meets Kurtz, Marlow realizes that Kurtz is no less savage than any of the other Europeans, and is in fact corrupt and savage himself. Conrad uses Kurtz and the entire imperialist enterprise to criticize imperialism and its practices. The natives, and the land of Africa itself are brutally abused throughout the entire novel.
This book, though not at all my favorite, is recommendable because it does a great job of portraying an awful time in African history. It discusses corruption with men in power, and the balance between light in darkness within man.
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
I read this book in three days because I enjoyed it so thoroughly. It is about Lieutenant Frederic Henry, an ambulance driver in the Italian army during World War I. The entire novel shifts back and forth between the “Tenente’s” experiences on the battlefield, and his romantic relationship with Catherine Barkley. The Tenente is injured around the same time that he gets Catherine pregnant, but he returns to the battle. After fleeing the Germans, he reunites with the still pregnant Catherine and they escape to Switzerland. The novel ends when their son is a stillborn and Catherine dies because of a haemorrhage at birth.
The novel was exciting for me to read because I had always wanted to read an Ernest Hemingway book and I finally got my chance. I really enjoyed the style of the book and how it did not only focus on the romance or the war and I like how raw the entire novel is. I strongly recommend it.
It’s Kind of A Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
This very new novel is about a high school student named Craig. From Brooklyn, Craig is accepted to a very prestigious high school in New York City. However, a very simple-minded boy, he can’t handle the pressure and decides one night that he will jump off of the Brooklyn Bridge. At the last minute he decides he will check himself into a psychiatric hospital instead. The rest of the novel discusses his time spent there, his interactions with other patients and his decision to put his happiness first.
If any of the plot sounds familiar, it is because Ned Vizzini himself attended Stuyvesant High School and dealt with similar stresses as Craig. I read the book when I myself was going through confusing times and I found it amazing. I strongly recommend it.
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
In this book, the narrator, John, is on a quest to learn about Felix Hoenikker, a physicist who helped develop the atomic bomb. On his quest, he learns of a potential weapon of mass destruction, ice-nine. He then spends his time searching for answers about the potential weapon. The novel revolves around a quirky cast that find themselves on the island of San Lorenzo. This book is somewhat crazy, but humorous and extremely entertaining. It was the first Vonnegut I ever read, and I fell in love with his style after Cat’s Cradle.
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
This novel is innovative in that it is a fantasy novel but written so very long ago. Gulliver, a sailor, gets washed ashore an island, Lilliput, and discovers a whole other country inhabiting the island. The inhabitants however, are a twelfth the size of normal humans, and imprison the giant Gulliver. Eventually, he wins them over and involves himself with the politics of Lilliput and discovers the other country, Blefescu. The rest of the novel focuses on Gulliver’s adventures similar to his on Lilliput. The novel criticizes imperialism and Eurocentrism. Swift often alludes to how outrageous it really is for Europeans to think of themselves that way. Although the book often drags on, it does a really exceptional job of disguising satire with what appears to be silly humor.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows by JK Rowling
I know I know, it’s Harry Potter. But to be fair, I actually read this book last summer when I disguised it as “Memoirs of Fidel Castro.” The last Harry Potter book in the series is extremely mature and grim with Harry, Ron, and Hermione set on finding the remaining Horcruxes to destroy Voldemort. The book is unlike the rest in that the entire novel takes place outside the halls of Hogwarts and throughout England. Eventually, nearly every character in the book participates in a massive battle at Hogwarts and many characters, including Voldemort, die.
I don’t really understand why so many people hate Harry Potter so much. Perhaps the writing isn’t as complex as other books out there, but it is as captivating as any other book on this list. And so, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, as I think it ended appropriately. I don’t think anyone is allowed to say Harry Potter until they’ve read one book.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
In Hosseini’s novel, he follows the friendship, however disconnected, of two boys who’ve known each other since childhood. They played together, went through horrible experiences together and
grew up together. But one of the boys, Amir, couldn’t handle the way the relationship was going, so he got rid of Hassan, the second boy. Hassan was Amir’s servant as well as best friend. Hassan defends Amir on a day to day basis, he had proven himself as a loyal servant and friend more than once, but still Amir leaves him to be raped. The novel goes on to show that Amir has made his penance to Hassan. I read this book for a junior English class. Honestly, I never expect much from the books assigned to be read for class but I found myself glued to the book. The great friendship that was broken
up over one persons selfishness. At the end of the book, I didn’t just finish an assigned reading but
I realized something that was very important to me and still is. Friendship is not easily and readily built, but its something earned and worked on to keep. It can seem fragile but when you find a great
friend, the fragility is not the problem, its your own pride. The whole novel explains one friend’s journey to repent for ruining a great friendship and it goes to show its never too late to apologize
and bandaid an injured relationship. From this book I took with me, and will hold with me forever, the value of friends and the sacrifices necessary to maintain it.
The Color of Water by James McBride
The Color of Water was an autobiography and a tribute to McBride’s mother. It was about an amazing woman who struggled endlessly, pulled her family together through many hard times and was
in interracial relationships her whole life in a period of time where racism was still around. At the time I was reading the book, I was personally feeling that my own family was in the middle of its own conflict. I was troubled and my grades were suffering, my family argued a lot, time at home was stressful and mostly spent behind locked doors. But as I became engrossed in this book, I began to feel foolish, childish and naive. I felt a little guilty for being pretty well off with a secure roof over my head, not having to worry so much about the next meal and having loving parents and a supportive family while there were actual people out there struggling to even get through the day. It made
me appreciate the life that I have and the family that although disagrees with me sometimes, always, always has the best of intentions for me. McBride really conveyed the idea, no not idea but the reality
that my family is the only one I’ve got and I am the only son they have. Reading McBride’s *The Color of Water* has implanted within me the knowledge that no matter what happens or happened, my family is my family best intentions for me and will always be behind me 100%
whenever I need them to be.
Night by Elie Wiesel
The holocaust was a horrid and inexplicable evil. Wiesel tells his tale of his own experiences in a concentration camp during the reign of Hitler. The descriptions of people dying, rotting flesh and the grotesque deeds done to innocent men, women and children is not something I will forget. Wiesel’s Night was one of the first books I read as a high school student. It opened my eyes a little to what the real world was capable of. Although I have not seen or known anyone directly related to the holocaust, after reading the novel, my heart and sympathy went out to all the victims who suffered, all the families who were broken up and all the legacies that have been terminated. It has shown me racism and the pure lack of a moral compass that some of the world has and it has made me resent it. After finishing this novel, I know that if anything like this were to occur in the future, knock on wood, I would not only love to be a part of the solution, but be able to seriously advocate for what I think and feel is right.
The Return of Depression Economics by Paul Krugman
This was a novel I had to read for my economics class. It was about the recent depression that our country has found itself in, how we got there and how to get out of it. It wasn’t the economics that interested me about the book, it was the fact that it could have been avoided and it was definitely predictable. But the fact remains that it was a small percentage of greedy people who easily could have
ruined and doomed my generation. This novel, in addition to the government class I took, made me realize the corrupt and selfish things that people can get away with. It made me want to make a difference and help be a part of the solution. But step one is knowledge because with knowledge comes power. In my government class, I’ve learned that we as a people can put a stop to the corrupt into office but the problem with that is not enough of us as a population knows enough to care. I just turned eighteen recently and I plan on using my voting power to try and promote the best possible decisions.
But hopefully, with the emergence of my generation to the rest of society as contributing adults, we can help reshape our country and make the rest of the world a better place.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
In Roy’s novel, Ammu, a single mother raising twins, Estha and Rahel, has her life manipulated and ruined by a single character. Baby Kochamma is a bitter old woman who will not and cannot let go of her past. But to make it worse, she must inflict the same pain she’s gone through upon others for her own gratification. Her actions were irresponsible and destructive. Initially, the book was read for an English class but its depth and easiness to relate to made me think of my own life. Baby Kochamma’s irresponsibility and the pain it caused others is something I would not and could not ever do. The fact that an elderly lady can single-handedly reduce a family to nothing because of her own stubbornness was appalling to me. I thought of what it would be like if I uncontrollably ruin other people’s lives; I would not be able to look myself in a mirror.
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
White Teeth is a contemporary novel that tells the multigenerational story of several families. The book opens with Archie Jones trying to commit suicide and one would wonder just exactly where this story will go. Archie Jones is best friends with Samad Iqbal and throughout the book, we will see their past, present, and future (their children). The book actually focuses on their children: Irie (Archie’s daughter) and Magid and Millat (Samad’s twin boys). It all boils down to one big theme: how their parent’s past affect their lives. The book can really get you thinking about how your own parents’ past affected you.
In the opening pages, the reader can see Smith’s unique narrative. Smith deals with every subject in a sarcastic tone, whether it’s death, drugs, war, nothing escapes Smith’s cynicism. However, it is clear that the narrative is not meant to be degrading because one can find truth in her sarcasm and that’s what’s most hypnotizing about her narrative. Through this unique narrative, Smith explores a range of serious topics: sexism, religion, racism, self-identity, assimilation, science, and many more. What Smith does well is that she manages to keep her own opinions on said topics out of the story so the reader can form his/her own opinions. Because there are so many topic covered, anyone can find a piece himself/herself in this book. It’s almost like life, typed up and bounded.
Smith draws the reader in with her plot progression and character development. By the end of the book, you would feel like you’ve known all the characters all your life. The narration is raw and simple and it is an easy read (although the onslaught of small-font words packed on a page can be intimidating). The book can be read many ways, whether it’s for a deep analytical English class or a simple literary journey, White Teeth is a great read.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
The novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz is about Oscar de Léon, an obese Dominican-American boy growing up in New Jersey, who does not fit in at all. This novel is also the story of an unlikely hero who is ready to throw everything aside just to find love- something that he thinks is pure and untainted. However, because he is an overweight nerd in love with science fiction, fantasy, and role playing games, he is very different from the rest of his own Hispanic community. In a sense, he is alienated and has fallen victim to the limited views of those around him. Ultimately, he comes to the conclusion that he just needs to find love in order to be successful and happy.
At the same time, much of the story also revolves around his family and how it is cursed by fukú, a curse that originated from the time of when Christopher Columbus bought over people to America in the 1400′s. Fukú has plagued his family and generations.
I definitely recommend this book. Not only is the plot line very exciting, but the author, Junot Diaz is also very funny. He keeps the reader entertained with his hilarious footnotes, occasional Spanish, and science fiction references.
Election by Tom Perrotta
The novel Election by Tom Perrotta is about a high school election. Tracy Flick is an ambitious overachiever who is running unopposed for her high school election. She is very unpopular and her fellow classmates view her as perfect. At the same time, however, she did something that clashed with her image—she had a sexual affair with a former teacher at her school. This affair ruined his career as well as his marriage. Because of this, a teacher at her school who was good friends with the other teacher with the affair manages to convince a popular football player named Paul Warren to run against Tracy Flick for the position of president of their school. He did this because of his strong dislike for Tracy Flick. After this happens, Paul’s sister, Tammy, who has always felt overshadowed by her brother, decides to run for president as well. She does this after her best friend, who she also has a crush on, starts dating Paul.
The novel chronicles the election– both the process and the outcome. The plot line is very gripping and the reader will never be able to guess who wins the election until the very end. In addition, it is full of surprises and leaves the reader with a surprising moral. The novel is full of typical high school stereotypes. However it is because of this that makes this book such a good and quick read. It helps people reminisce about their high school experience as it gives such realistic portrayals of people that can be found in a high school environment.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
This book is characterized by the unique writing style of Arundhati Roy, which adds a different flavor to the reading. While Roy’s background as a female writer influences the theme, the book’s unifying idea captures a broken India torn up by the incoming British colonies. The book reveals much of the internal chaos in an India family initiated by the arriving Sophie Mol; which is not much different from India’s internal conflict from the arrival of British mercenaries. The book is told from the view of two twins growing up, and progressed as the twins witnessed a series of unfortunate event happening to the family. As Estha and Rachel grown to adults, Roy constantly whiplashes between now and twin’s childhood. In this manner, Roy was able to show a sharp contrast between past and present.
Inside The God of Small Things, Roy also depicted an intricate social hierarchy for women. In the normal India rankings, a man outranks women of same age. But even between women, those who are married have a higher status than divorced. And Ammu, the twin’s mother, had the lowest status in her society. I think Roy as a female writer in India also felt somewhat influenced by the social injustice.
I recommend this particular book as an excellent selection from Ms. Chan’s Late British class. Out of the three books Ms.Chan went over during the term (Heart of Darkness, Things Fall Apart, and The God of Small Things), this one was my personal favorite. Due to my own Chinese heritage and family conflicts, I was able to relate and learn deep insight from the book.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe + Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
These two books go hand in hand with each other. For this purpose, I will do an analysis on both at the same time. Though the two books are essentially the opposite of each other, they each show a different side of the same situation. As a native to Africa, Chinua Achebe emphasized the humane and culture rich side of Africa in Things Fall Apart, while Joseph Conrad wrote in the view of the incoming British colonist, who viewed the natives as savages and cannibalistic characters.
In Heart of Darkness, Marlow as a sailor coming to Africa explored and met a variety of different people. Among those he met, he thought of them of untrustworthy; except one person, named Kurtz, who was rumor to be great and famous. The colonist had called Kurtz a “genius” and “skilled”. Eventually Marlow was able to meet Kurtz in person when he brought the sick Kurtz on board, and Marlow begin to see all the great qualities that natives and colonist had described. Finally the story comes to an end when Kurtz blurt out “The horror! The horror!” before he died. And the book ends with the ship going back home and into the heart of darkness.
However, Achebe wrote a direct response to Conrad description of Africa. While Conrad’s book involved the attack and raid of the native settlers, Achebe’s book describe the special culture and bond of the native people. Inside the novel, there was constant theme of the struggle between change and tradition, the masculinity of Okonkwo in question, and the will to strive inside one’s social circumstance.
After learning about the other side of the “savage natives”, I felt that there can always be another side of a story. And since Achebe’s book was written after Conrad’s, Achebe probably wanted to prove this side of African’s life and give the general public a different view. I would recommend reading both books together, not only to get a sense of the British colonial era but be able to open your mind to different views.
Lord of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
This is a book that has made some serious impact on the modern mythology and game theories. It means that many of the modern concepts of mythical creatures such as trolls, elf, wizard and even golem are based upon the imagination of J. R. R. Tolkien. I came upon this world of magic from leisure reading. I recommend anyone who is even remotely interested in such field to read this book, the one that started it all.
What Tolkien made with his ink and imagination wasn’t just simply another story. His strenuous effort over the course of a few years became a construction of a whole new world filled with magic. The shroud of mystery casted over “Middle Earth” has kept me entertained from beginning to end. Readers will find Tolkien’s version to be different and even better than the famous movie made by Peter Jackson. I was kept on my toe from the first word of the book all the way to the end, never bored once.
This book tells a journey of an unfortunate hobbit who needs to destroy the ring of evil. The ring possesses great power to inflict greed and evil onto its wearer, but also empowering them with unbelievable strength along with invisibility. The ring was owned by the dark lord originally but upon the downfall of the Dark Lord, the ring slowly found its way to an most surprising host, the hobbit Frodo. Now the Dark Lord rose to power once again, Frodo must destroy the ring to prevent another reign of evil. Faced with many peril and a race against time, Frodo will have to find courage within himself.
This book as a whole is fascinating and will bring the reader onto an unforgettable journey. It has provided a escape for me from all the daily things in life.
Math The Band – Described as “one part Atom and His Package and one part Andrew W.K.”, this couple makes ball-to-the-wall, crazy, fun music that can most aptly be described as a punk band that uses mostly electronic instruments, with some guitar in the mix, with lyrics covering light-hearted matters. Ever on tour (they’ve played over 500 shows in 5 years), this duo produces a live show, and really, an experience, for everyone to just party hard and have an unhealthy amount of fun. Don’t listen to them if you hate having fun. If you do like having fun, be sure to see them on July 3rd at Death By Audio with Peelander-Z, Anamanaguchi and Previously Lost (all, but the latter, of which I’ve never heard, also are very energetic and entertaining bands). “Don’t Worry” or “Tour De Friends EP” is recommended.
They even have a ludicrous music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F252BaenmYE
Streetlight Manifesto – Fronted by Tomas Kalnoky, this ska-punk band has a full horn section, lively songs, touches of world music (“If And When We Rise Again” has a Hungarian folk dance passage in the middle of it) and serious lyrics dealing with topics like religion and death. They also have a cool covers album released this year, but “Everything Goes Numb” is recommended as a first listening.
Song recommendations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2yeNzL7rTU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5mFjnj4j2w
mc chris – always lower-case and nerdy, this suburban white boy has some flow in him and makes songs about the vehicles that the bounty hunters of “Star Wars” own, and Reese’s Pieces, among other comedic/light-hearted lyrical themes. His voice is high pitched, which creeps out a friend of mine, but that might be just him. His 2nd most recent album, “mc chris is dead”, is recommended.
Song recommendations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqiasBVGtX8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d78UW1FPvWY
“Reverence: Renewing a Forgotten Virtue” by Paul Woodruff – Paul Woodruff defines reverence as the ability to be in awe of the transcendent – things or ideas we did not create such as God, Justice, Beauty, Truth, Nature and Death. He states that many modern people have lost this sense of reverence and so have forgotten their mortality and ability to err. All other virtues are derived from and are informed by this primary virtue. Justice, for example, is not the primary virtue, because it deals with equals being in some court or other being judged by equals – reverence has to do with a stronger and weaker person. An example he gives are of a lonely minority teenager stopped on a road late at night by a policeman, and the only thing stopping a terrible thing happening to him is the powerful person in his life having reverence. People (or nations or political parties or anything human entity) in power tend to lose touch with reality and think of themselves as infallible. History shows that great nations have stumbled from a mistake and fallen. Other examples are people playing a sport and it not being about the egos of the coaches and players and them knowing to respect each other and the umpire or referee, but it is a two-way street – the referee must practice reverence too; people coming together to playing a beautiful piece of music. A mandatory read for a society that is lacking in this cardinal virtue.
“Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” by Patrick Süskind – A novel set in 18th Century pre-Revolution France about Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, “one of the most gifted and abominable personages in an era that knew no lack of gifted and abominable personages”. An unwanted orphan boy shunned by everyone for having no body odor (though they themselves do not realize why they do so), who himself possesses a supernatural sense of smell, grows up only doing the minimum to survive. When he discovers the most beautiful smell he’s ever encountered belongs to a girl, he murders her to get a closer inspection of her aroma. To his dismay, he finds that that beauty which he has discovered, ceases after some time. He dedicates his life to finding some way to preserve scents, and thus is beginning of this novel that explores Beauty, morality, the sense of smell, identity and communication.
“Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad – In this novella, Charles Marlow is a worker that takes on being captain for a boat in Africa. The story is modeled on stories like The Inferno, with the character taking a journey into madness and hell. Marlow is thrust into this world and only he sees it for what it is – broken. Critical of colonialism and emperialism.
“Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe – The story of a African society driven by tradition that meets with Christian missionaries. Okonkwo is a man of tradition and his son, Nwoye, is considered weak by Okonkwo. Okonkwo’s father was a lazy and weak man, and Okonkwo fears becoming like his father and feels that same concerning his son. Nwoye later runs off to the Christians, which have invaded the native land and subvert and taint and destroy the culture. Achebe feels that Christianity being brought is a good thing, just the way it was done could have been different.
“The God of Small Things” by Arundhati Roy – The story of two young twins that are maligned by much of the people around thyem and of post-colonial India as seen through them. Critical of the caste system by having Velutha, the only adult in the novel that is pure, is in touch with his childhood, and seems to do actual work, be in a low caste. The social system in India and it’s relationship with women is also criticized and characterized as oppressive.
Book recommendations by Stuyvesant students for Stuyvesant students and readers around the world. Also known as Stuy Bookshelf/Book Box. Submissions are open—click on register below!