Though I don't read nearly as much as I wish I did, I still like to consider myself an avid reader. Among the many books I have read either for school or fun, only a few have really stuck with me over the years. Reading is one of the most productive and beneficial activities a person can do in their free time. Whether it was because I learned a lot from them or just found them very entertaining, the books listed below are some of my favorites.
1. "I Am Malala" by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb
I Am Malala is Malala Yousafzai's story of standing up for her right to an education. Several years ago when Malala was shot by the Taliban, her name flooded headlines and she was a global sensation. She won the Nobel Peace Prize only a couple years later. Though risking her life is perhaps the most heroic thing she has done, her story begins way before that incident. Taking the reader from a time even before her birth to her life now, Malala tells the complete story of her journey standing up for girls' right to education. Though she is remarkably brave, Malala's charming and educational memoir teaches readers that she is much like other teenagers and that she feels there is nothing incredible about her desire for an education.
2. "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
I read Americanah for an Intro to African-American Studies class I took in the beginning of my Freshman year and it was just too good to sell back to the book store (not that I would have made much money from it anyways). Americanah details the main character, Ifemelu, and her journey from Nigeria to the United States and the way that she learns what it means to be "black" in America. Americanah is extremely enlightening, providing many with a look into a perspective they may not have considered before. Ifemelu's charm and insightfulness make Americanah equally as entertaining as it is educational.
3. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Truman Capote
A few Thanksgivings ago, I was flying back to California to spend the holiday with my family and I brought Breakfast at Tiffany's to entertain me on the flight. Had I known that I would become so enthralled by the novel that I would finish it in the car ride to the airport, I surely would have brought another book. Truman Capote's main character, Holly, is equal parts witty and fascinating. The estranged relationship she has with nearly everyone around her captures her independence and serves only as a way of making her more admirable. Holly's refusal to comply with anyone's rules, especially those of men, but her own sent an amazing message to women during the time of the publication of this novella. Not only did I find myself fascinated with Holly, but also with the book itself. I can confidently say that no other book has influenced my own artistic creations as much as this one has.
4. "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart tells the tragic story of a Nigerian tribe whose lives are drastically changed when a group of white Christians come to force their religion on the people of the tribe. I read this book as a Sophomore in high school and I still consider it to be an essential part of my learning about other cultures. Achebe's enthralling novel makes it easy to sympathize with the main character Okonkwo, despite his flaws. From start to finish, this book details the day-to-day living of Okonkwo's tribe, as well as his life as the leader of the tribe. Achebe's writing style makes it easy to find ways to relate to cultures so much different from Western society.
5. "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl" by Harriet Jacobs
I decided not to sell this novel back to the book store when I realized that I was highlighting so many quotes that my marks in the book could definitely not go unnoticed; what a wonderful decision that was. Harriet Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is one of the most haunting books I have ever read, and for that, I am grateful. Though I will never be able to fully grasp what it must have been like to be an enslaved woman during that time, Jacobs' memoir brings me a little bit closer. The horrendous details she provides on what it was like to be not only a slave, but a female one at that, force her readers to sympathize with her and remember what she went through. This book was essential to my current understanding of what African-American people went through during the time of slavery and it encouraged me to consider a perspective I might not have before.
6. "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
The Kite Runner is an intense and heartbreaking story of the friendship between two boys and the effect that a war has on their lives. In an effort to get back into reading last quarter, I picked up The Kite Runner and finished it only days later. Hosseini's writing style is so entertaining that he easily captivates the reader from start to finish. Among other authors previously mentioned, Hosseini does an incredible job of emphasizing the sameness of all people, regardless of culture. The complexity of the characters and the relationships they share evoke so much emotion that it's hard to forget this book. I never imagined that I could be so mad at someone who doesn't even exist. The Kite Runner taught me so many valuable lessons about the human experience and I can't express enough gratitude to my friend Mason for talking about it so much that I finally just read it myself.
7. "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger
How cocky can one person be? Holden is possibly the most pessimistic, whiny, and agitating character I have ever had to read about, yet I love him all the same. I read this in my mid-teens and it was so comforting to read the voice of someone who, in the oddest of ways, felt so much like myself. Holden's insightfulness and negativity made me feel a strange sort of camaraderie with him. He took me on so many adventures, teaching me a lot about not just his relationship with others but my own as well. Though it is told from the perspective of a teenage boy, I feel that Catcher in the Rye is a wonderful coming of age story that anyone can enjoy.
8. "The Color of Water" by James McBride
I'm not going to lie, this was probably the only book I actually read on time instead of cramming the night before the test (sorry, Mrs. Ogan!). The Color of Water by James McBride details his life as the African-American son of a white woman. McBride's adoration of his mother is apparent in every page of his novel. This story forces people to think differently about ethnic identity than they may have previously and it provides a unique perspective on a common position. McBride's memoir was not only entertaining and educational, but also extremely touching.
9. "Chinese Cinderella" by Adeline Yen Mah
Though I sometimes see The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and regret not being able to read it in high school, I will always be grateful that I chose Chinese Cinderella for my independent reading project. Mah's novel is shockingly heartbreaking and elicited more emotion out of me than almost any other book. I was rooting for Mah the entire time and was silently hoping for the downfall of anyone that stood in her way. Chinese Cinderella tells the sorrowful tale of a young girl who, because she is considered "bad luck," is often ignored by her family. If you read this book I am confident that Mah's heart-rending story will stick with you just as it has with me.
10. "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is a story based on his experience in war. Throughout the novel, we discover that the stories we read are not necessarily as true as we previously thought, but rather an exaggeration of what actually happened. O'Brien's writing style and the creative decisions he made come across as extremely purposeful, nothing done without reason. The way he decided to tell his story really conveyed how different experiencing war is to watching or reading about it. The Things They Carried added another perspective to consider when we read about and watch war, and it forces us to recognize that we will never grasp the true experience without going through it ourselves.
There are so many other books that I want to rave about and encourage people to read, but if I kept going on, I don't think I'd ever stop. People always say that reading is a dying practice, but I just don't think that's true! Many people just haven't found the right book(s) for them. I hope that this list inspired you to not only read the books I talked about, but just to read in general. There's always a new fact to learn, a unique perspective to consider, and another adventure to embark on. Reading a book is a great way to kill all three of these birds with one stone.
