Alright, alright. Let's read something grown up. Since I work in a high school, I spend a lot of time trying to remember what it was like for me at that time in my life. And that's what everyone wants to do right, dig up their high school days?
Besides all of the pitfalls of minimal self confidence coupled with ill-fitting clothing and self-cut bangs, I actually had a pretty good time in high school. I wouldn't go back, but most of the memories don't make me cringe. And I discovered my literary self through some assigned reading and a mutual quest with a kindred spirit to read something that really had meaning. My friend Martha and I spent a lot of time seeking out well-written books, books that were overly emotional and passionate and beautiful because, after all, we were melodramatic yet also endearing high schoolers.
Nonetheless, these are a very few of my favorites from the wonder years, and I do think they stand the test of time:
Atonement by Ian McEwan, 2001
The book opens on a hot summer day in England, 1935. You follow 13 year old Briony and her family as they prepare for a dinner party. Briony misinterprets the relationship between her older sister Cecelia and her childhood friend Robbie and makes a snap judgement that will shape all of their lives. The book is divided into four parts and jumps from the mid-1930s to the heart of WWII. It may start slow, but give it time. Atonement is a story of regret and whether or not we can overcome our wrongdoings.
Published when Foer was just 23, Everything is Illuminated tells two tales at once: that of the Urkanian village Trachimbrod and its residents and the tale of Alex, a Ukranian teenager hired to guide Jonathan, a young American in search of the woman who saved his grandfather's life when Nazis overtook Trachimbrod. The juxtaposition of Alex's broken English and the magical imagery of Trachimbrod combine to create a fantastic and wrenching read. Bravo!
Sigh! No doubt you've heard of this probably most popular of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's books. He has a whole lot of titles to choose from, but this may be (I am assuming) the most well read. But for good reason! Considered a prime example of magical realism in which fantastic and extraordinary events are woven in to every day life, read this book more for the beautiful words and style rather than the plot. The story follows one family through generation after generation. Try not to get hung up keeping track of who's who and just let the words do their work. Here's the famous opening line:
"Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice" (GGM, One Hundred Years of Solitude). I mean, come on! Even the translation from Spanish is pretty killer.
This is a fabulous little gem of a book about two loves: the love of reading and the love of the girl next door. During China's Cultural Revolution in the late 1960's, two teenage boys are sent to the countryside to be "reeducated". There, they fall in love with books and the tailor's daughter. Another book of beautiful imagery (noticing a trend?), Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is a small, quick read that you'll want to keep on your bookshelf forever.
Martha gave me her copy of this book probably on loan, but I think I still may have it. And to be honest, I cannot remember if I read it when she gave it to me in high school OR not until my 19th century British literature class in college. Either way, this is a classic story of an untraditional girl growing up on the windswept moors of England with no one and nothing but her convictions. Follow Jane as she steadfastly refuses to compromise herself and determines her own fate. It is so good, and you'll feel smart because it's old and "classic" and part of the canon.
Fast forward to last year: Martha and I reunited in April of 2011 which was perfect timing for a viewing of last year's Jane Eyre film! There are probably a dozen movie versions of this book, but we both really loved this one and thought it captured the dreary moor and should I say terrifying circumstances pretty spot on. Watch the trailer!
In conclusion, I read some great fiction in high school and very little nonfiction. And I need to get back to some great adult (not young adult) fiction now. Right now! To the library! Any suggestions?
*Thanks BarnesandNoble.com for the images!
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