Summer is the time to read as many books as possible, since when school is in session, it's difficult to find time to read books for pleasure. I have compiled a list of books that I have read. I believe anyone could find at least one good book in this short list. The genres vary from memoirs, fiction, and even poetry.
1. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime - Mark Haddon
I just read this book a few months ago, and man, it was definitely interesting. Essentially, the book is about a young boy, Christopher, who has Asperger syndrome. He is incredibly smart about certain things, such as knowing all of the countries and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. In Christopher’s neighborhood, a dog named Wellington dies from being speared by a fork. Christopher later goes to investigate. He believes that it's his duty as a citizen to solve this murder mystery.
The book has many twists and turns, including parts about Christopher’s life.
“People say that you always have to tell the truth. But they do not mean this because you are not allowed to tell old people that they are old and you are not allowed to tell people if they smell funny or if a grown-up has made a fart. And you are not allowed to say, "I don't like you," unless that person has been horrible to you.”
2. Go Ask Alice- Anonymous
I read this novel last summer. It is incredibly dark at times, but I believe it’s an important read for everyone. The main character in the book, whose name remains anonymous, is a drug addict. Even worse, she is only a teenager. The book is in diary form, so throughout the whole book, the protagonist discusses her day-to-day life. Some days are better than some, but in the end, well, I won’t spoil it for you, but I am sure you can assume what happens in the end.
This book is vital for teenagers and young adults to read because it will educate us about the harm of drug usage. Additionally, reading this short book can help spread awareness of drug usage among teens.
“Personally I'd like to get a whole new everything, except my books of course, they are part of my life. [….] Even now I'm not really sure which parts of myself are real and which parts are things I've gotten from books.”
3. Milk and Honey- Rupi Kaur
I know, everyone and their brother has read this book, but I personally found the poetry and the diction built into the phrases quite unique and beautifully written. There are four parts to the book: hurting, loving, breaking, and healing. Kaur discusses her experiences through these vary stages in life. Her strong words are moving and inspiring. She discusses in elegant detail that anyone, no matter what they have been through,can overcome whatever life throws at them.
“do not look for healing
at the feet of those
who broke you”
“most importantly love
like it's the only thing you know how
at the end of the day all this
means nothing
this page
where you're sitting
your degree
your job
the money
nothing even matters
except love and human connection
who you loved
and how deeply you loved them
how you touched the people around you
and how much you gave them”
4. I am Malala- Malala Yousafzai
This book is a true story about Malala Yousafzai. She is a twenty-year old Pakistani girl who is an activist for female education. In 2012, she was shot on a bus by aTaliban gunman. She had been on their radar for quite sometime; since she is an activist for all women, they felt that she was a threat to the Taliban, because they believe that women should not be educated.
Getting shot in the face did not scare Malala, but it gave her more motivation and inspiration to continue to do her work for the girls and women in her community. Malala is the founder of the Malala Fund, which enables girls from Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and countries housing Syrian refugees (Lebanon and Jordan) to have a free and safe learning environment.
Additionally, Yousafzai became the youngest to ever win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.”
5. A New Model- Ashley Graham
I am sure everyone knows who Ashley Graham is. But if not, she is a plus-size model and an activist for women of all sizes. She was the first plus-size model for Sports Illustrated, and has been on the cover of many other well-known magazines such as Glamour, Vogue, and Cosmopolitan.
Her memoir is about her life through modeling. She has been doing what she loves since she was twelve years old. In the beginning of her career, she mostly did modeling for Levi’s, Macy’s and even Nordstrom. But as of recently, she was the host for America’s Next Top Model. Additionally, she has been a major activist for women all across the country. Her beliefs and aspirations for the future is to normalize plus-size women's clothing in the fashion industry.
She further discusses her experiences with being body shamed. In A New Model, Graham explains the importance of building up women no matter what size they are.
“I look at myself naked in the mirror and say, "You know what, awkward butt shape? You’re not gonna get higher or rounder but it’s OK, because I’ve got Spanx for you." Your words have so much power. Every day, if you tell yourself "I love you," if you give yourself one word of validation, it will change your mind.”
6. The Last Lecture- Randy Pausch
This book was given to me by a former teacher of mine. The Last Lecture is a true story about a Carnegie Mellon professor who taught virtual reality. During the course of his time at the university, Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. With pancreatic cancer being so aggressive, he knew his time left on Earth was limited( he had roughly 3-6 months of good health). His book describes his time at Walt Disney Imagineering, his family, his wife, and other parts of his life that made him into the man he was.
In addition to the book, Pausch also gave a Last Lecture, which is essentially a series throughout colleges and universities in America where a professor is chosen to give their last lecture. Although the talk may not be the professor’s actual last lecture, if it were to be, this is what they would want their peers and students to listen to.
Pausch’s life story is truly an inspirational one; it teaches us to follow our dreams, even if they are from our childhood.
“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”
“Never lose the childlike wonder. Show gratitude... Don't complain; just work harder... Never give up.”
7. Intimacy Idiot- Isaac Oliver
This nonfiction is a collection of essays about the main character, Isaac Oliver. Oliver is a single gay man in New York trying to find his place in life. He has witnessed some pretty crazy stuff, such as being on the subway during Breastfeeding Awareness Week, or having humiliating Skype sex; Oliver is sure to make you laugh and wonder, “What else is life going to throw at this guy?”
If you are looking for a book full of humor and comical life experiences, this is surely the book for you!
“You can tell everything you need to know about a person by the way they treat someone in a service position. If you’re on a date with someone and they’re rude to the waiter, shut it down.”
“Here’s my usual party strategy: find the liquor, find the food, find the space where two walls meet. Alienate enough people around you to have some breathing room. Find the attractive people—this shouldn’t take long; they’ll be the ones getting everything they want in life. Once you’ve found them, stare hungrily at them all evening, and interpret every alarmed flicker of eye contact from them as a new stage in your relationship.”
8. Gluten is My Bitch- April Peveteaux
Oh yes, this book is one of my faves. As I am sure all of you know by now, I am incredibly allergic to gluten. After being diagnosed, I bought this book to cheer me up about my recent development of gluten. Needless to say, this book more than cheered me up- it made me realize that my allergy is just part of who I am, and that's okay.
Gluten is My Bitch is a true story written by a woman who has celiac disease. She explains what life is like having a gluten allergy. This book can be really beneficial to anyone because it’s important to be knowledgeable about this allergy, since the amount of people becoming sensitive and allergic are increasing every day in America. Peveteaux makes her experiences being “glutened” quite comical, which makes having celiac disease somewhat bearable.
“I don’t think it’s cool when I have to announce that I’m gluten-free; in fact, I feel like a total jackass 99.9 percent of the time.”
9. The Devil Wears Prada- Lauren Weisberger
An oldie, but a goodie. This book is probably one of my favorites. Everything about this book is what I want for my future career (okay, maybe not as many coffee runs for the boss, but you get the point). I enjoy writing, and I am passionate about my work, which is very similar to the protagonist, Andy, in the book.
Although Andy has many complications with her coworkers and boss, she eventually finds a balance with life and work.
“Is there some reason that my coffee isn't here? Has she died or something?”
Emily: Andrea, my God! You look so chic.
Andy Sachs: Oh, thanks. You look so thin.
Emily: Really? It's for Paris, I'm on this new diet. Well, I don't eat anything and when I feel like I'm about to faint I eat a cube of cheese. I'm just one stomach flu away from my goal weight.