Wednesday, March 18, 2015

The Lost List: Books We Should Have Read

Every once in a while, I like to veer away from the usual theme of this blog (whatever that is; if you know it, please do tell me) and write a post about reading books.

Those words deserve italics, because I love books. Like many of you, I am a committed and admitted bibliophile. This of course causes many of the problems we all struggle with: overstuffed shelves, precarious stacks of books on the nightstand, 'libraries' so big on e-readers that it would be impossible to read it all in one lifetime, and marital discord ("I don't WANT to throw any of these away! They're my FRIENDS!") But, it also brings great joy, transports us to different lands, and provides fodder for blog posts.

In the past, I've blogged about the books that made me a writer, as well as my favorite childhood books, and I've vaguely promised to blog about Books That Got Me Through Puberty Without Committing Heinous Bodily Harm To Myself or Others, as well as Books That Changed The Way I Write. I will post about those some day, but not today.

Today, I want to post a different sort of list, one that feels appropriate to the discussions about diversity that are (thankfully) all over the place these days: Books I Wish Someone Had Told Me To Read, But No One Ever Did. I have to state first that no one told me to read them mostly because they are by and about marginalized and/or minority populations (at least in the U.S.), but also because I am white and American and grew up in a white and American suburb. I'd be interested to know if people who grew up in the States, but from other backgrounds, did have a more diverse list of Books To Read - but I'd bet, unfortunately, that the answer is no.

Most of these are fairly well-known, critically acclaimed books - although there are a few exceptions - and I know I'm not listing anything shocking or unheard of. There aren't a lot of unknown gems here. But this is my real list, a list of books I loved, that changed me, moved me, widened my world-view - and they are all books I found on my own, only recently.

So without further adieu, here are the Books I Wish Someone Had Told Me To Read, But No One Ever Did:


  • Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie: I know Rushdie is on a lot of people's lists, but he never made it onto any of my assigned or even recommended reading lists until a few years ago. I loved this book. It's vibrant and funny and infuriating, rich with details about the best and worst parts of India's history. It's also a brilliant work of magical realism, which is one of my favorite underwritten genres.
  • What Looks Like Crazy On an Ordinary Day, by Pearl Cleage: I'm embarrassed to admit this, but for the sake of this list, I have to say that this was the first book I'd read by a modern black female author not named Toni Morrison. When I first read it, at least 15 years ago, I fell in love with it for its humor and wisdom and craft, but also because I could so easily relate to it. The book is about the black community in Atlanta and in the MC's small town in Michigan, but it's alive with human fears, failures, and hopes. I loved the main character, and identified with her, and if that's not essential in our world of divisions and misunderstandings, I don't know what is. 
  • In The City of Shy Hunters, by Tom Spanbauer: I'm not going to lie - this is a very strange book. The plot wanders and meanders, and sometimes falls down shifting rabbit holes of drug-induced insanity. The ending is unconventional, to say the least. But, it's also heart-wrenching and hilarious, gritty, real, and sometimes down and frighteningly dirty. It paints a crystal-clear picture of New York City during the AIDS epidemic, and another, equally clear (and devastating) picture of what it was like to grow up gay in 1960s-70s middle America. 
  • Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Ok, I'm cheating, here. No one told me to read this book because it just came out last year, so no one really had a chance to - BUT I loved it so much that I don't care if I'm cheating. It should be required reading on any list of modern American literature. For those who would argue that it's about Nigeria, I would say it's also first and foremost about being an immigrant in America, and there is nothing more American than that. It's also a frank, unflinching look at race and racism in the States. 
  • The House of Spirits, by Isabel Allende: Yes, I love magical realism, if you can't tell. And while everyone told me to read Gabriel Garcia Marquez, nobody mentioned I might also want to try Isabel Allende. This is a fantastic, sweeping, epic book, at times ridiculous; at others, hideous; at still others, tender; and also violent, romantic, magical, political, and wonderful. It'll take a while to read, but it's worth every minute. 
  • Orlando, or Mrs. Dalloway, or To The Lighthouse, or The Waves by Virginia Woolf: During my high school and college years, I felt like most teachers and students talked about Virginia Woolf the way that people talk about tax reform: everyone agrees it's important, and no one wants to touch it. So there was a lot of talk about how great Woolf was, and very little in the way of actual reading. These four titles are my favorites of hers, listed here in what I consider their order of readability, from easiest to hardest. They are each brilliant and experimental and wonderful, but The Waves might be the most challenging - and rewarding - book I've ever read.
  • The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse, by Louise Erdrich: To be fair and honest, I have to admit two things. First, a teacher did tell me to read Erdrich in college, albeit a different, more well-known book; and second, my aunt recommended this book to me. But then, my aunt is gay and Jewish and not remotely mainstream, so I think this book still deserves to be on this list. Here's the teaser from the Amazon page: "For more than a half century, Father Damien Modeste has served his beloved people, the Ojibwe, on the remote reservation of Little No Horse. Now, nearing the end of his life, Father Damien dreads the discovery of his physical identity, for he is a woman who has lived as a man." 'Nuff said, I think. Oh, and, it's a great book.
What about you? What books would make it on your list? What did I miss - and what should I read?

25 comments:

  1. I'd sort of say this also counts as Books I'm Glad I Discovered (On My Own Because No One Told Me About Them). In which case, anything by Zilpha Keatley Snyder counts for me, but especially The Changeling. And Sara Hylton's Talisman of Set, and Exit, Sherlock Holmes by Robert Lee Hall, and What Do You Hear from Walden Pond? by Jack Douglas (who was apparently a proto-Dave Barry). Oh, and August, Die She Must by Barbara Corcoran.

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    1. THANK YOU for these recs!! So many new titles! I love it.

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  2. I'm ashamed to say I haven't read any of these books.

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  3. Oooh. That's tough. I'd have to sit and think on that for a while.

    I haven't heard of any of the books you posted. I can barely keep up with the new releases of authors I've already read. If I come across anything that is absolutely enthralling to me, I'll be sure to send it your way!

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  4. I've not heard of those books either. I wish someone had prompted me to read the Bible sooner.

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  5. I read (and loved!) Americanah. I haven't read The House of Spirits by Allende but I read Paula (made me cry). I put Cleage on my TBR list. Have you read Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga? It's thought provoking and powerful. If you haven't read it, you might like it.

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    1. Nope, I haven't heard of that one. Adding it to the list! Thank you!

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  6. I haven't read any of those novel, though I used to read everything Louise Erdrich published when she first got published -- Love Medicine, Tracks, The Beet Queen, and Tales of Burning Love. Yeah, I like her style. And I think I would really enjoy Midnight Children and The House of Spirits. Always meant to check out both of those authors but haven't yet.

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  7. my TBR list just grew...haven't read a single one but they sound amazzing. especially Americanah!

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  8. I'll have to check a few out. My daughter has introduced me to many minority authors I would have never tried. It's nice when I can recommend a book to her.

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  9. That's so tough. There are so many out there and some I don't even know about yet.

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  10. Ooh, I love getting more books for my list. The stranger, the better.

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  11. I haven't heard of not one of these books. But some sound very interesting!

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  12. Interestingly, the books I've read on this list (House of Spirits and most of Woolf's) were required reading for me when I was in college. But H of S was for a "world view" course. I couldn't quite get into Woolf's novels, but I loved Room of One's Own.
    Lots of good titles here. I've been meaning to read Rushdie and the Nigerian one sounds especially interesting to me.

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  13. Intriguing list. I haven't heard of any of them. Looks like I've got more reading to do. Yay!

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  14. I have to admit, haven't read any of these. I got lost in your older links, too :)

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  15. I have to admit, that with the exception of Virginia Woolf, I haven't read any ot the others. The last one sounds like a book I'd enjoy.

    Sia McKye Over Coffee

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  16. That's a great list you have there. I haven't heard of most of them! (Hands covering my mouth shamefully.) I really wish I paid more attention in my english classes in high school (and taken more lit courses in colleges!) I feel like I totally missed out on some great works. It's hard for me to pick up older literary pieces these days. :(

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  17. Having just unpacked, dusted, and re-shelved over 400 books last weekend, I understand your bibliophile problems quite well. ^_^

    But your list sounds fascinating, and I've added one to my wish list. I really do wish I'd been encouraged to read more diversely when I was younger, as I feel like there's a ton that I've missed, and even now there's a ton I still want to read. We really do need greater diversity in books; I've been planning a blog entry related to this but it's an angry one and I'm not looking forward to writing it. >_<

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  18. That is a fabulous category for a book list!! I'm sad to say that the only one I've read was The House of Spirits, which I believe I picked up on my own (and loved). I'm going to have to give the others a try -- though, of course, with no one assigning it to me...

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  19. My head has been off the pillow for 2 hrs already and I am feeling kinda woozy so I don't think I could add to your list which sounds great BTW:) I remember reading this book in high school which culminated with the Halifax explosion. I would read it again but I don't know the title.

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  20. Your list looks great. Such wonderful books for the keeper shelves!

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  21. I think there are really great books out there that are yet to be read.

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  22. I can relate to this - based on my classes in high school you would have thought no one but white British men ever wrote books. Once I was in college I discovered more diverse authors and it was wonderful. I often wonder if the curriculum at my high school is more diverse now, I certainly hope so but wouldn't hold my breath LOL.

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  23. You know, that is a great point about Virginia Woolf. I've heard about her and learned about her and heard about her some more, but when I stop to think, I'm pretty sure I haven't read anything by her. ~blink, blink~

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