I was asked to compile a list of ten of my favourite books. Here is a list of books that have influenced, encouraged me while growing up, also satiated my curiosities and questioned my conscience and moved me to tears.
I would like everyone who read this post to jot down a list of 10 books they’ve read that cast a lifelong spell on their lives. I am very interested to see what people consider as their favourites. Go ahead. 🙂
1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee– My first book as a teen that I keep returning to from time to time. It made me realise how Fathers’ can influence their children’s lives. I saw my Dad in Atticus and he will remain there forever.
2. Children who made it Big by Thangamani, India by Al-Beruni published by National Book Trust- My childhood was filled with books from NBT. Dad made sure I got to read everything substantial right from the time I could read and understand on my own. A very pleasant memory. 🙂
3. A Tree grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith– I read this 1943 novel rather late in my life, but it was absolutely essential that I read it. The title of this novel refers to a tree that grows persistently up through the concrete and harsh conditions of a poor tenement neighbourhood in early 1900’s Brooklyn. It also symbolises Francie Nolan’s struggle through her life. TO all who are struggling to find a place in the world, wherever it might be, Francie will serve as a fierce inspiration. She was a dreamer, an idealist, somebody who prayed, “Dear God, let me be something every minute of every hour of my life. Let me be gay; let me be sad. Let me be cold; let me be warm. Let me be hungry…have too much to eat. Let me be ragged or well-dressed. Let me be sincere- be deceitful. Let me be truthful; let me be a liar. Let me be honorable and let me sin. Only let me be something every blessed minute. And when I sleep, let me dream all the time so that not one little piece of living is ever lost.” The grit and determination of an adolescent girl who moves beyond her economic struggles and social injustice to stand on her own will remain with me for all my life. Francie is a lifelong friend now.
4. The Diary of Anne Frank– I first read this book on Independence Day in 2010. This is a heart-breakingly beautiful journal of a girl growing up in that difficult era, yet finding so much liveliness, spirit and hope in her writing. She wondered about the life after war, and her mature observation throughout the two years of hiding led me to think how important BEING FREE is, and what freedom in its truest sense means! Anne Frank’s story is a story of a teenager in the midst of war, it is a story of growing up in hiding, of experiencing life in the horrible terrified state of bomb dropping all around you, of people being tortured and killed because of their names and religion! It hurts to think of all the cruelty children saw the adults did around them!
This book is a must read for all the children and adults especially, who have some idiotic theories about war and enemies, and who cannot differentiate between right and wrong. She is a hero. Period.
5. ताराबाई शिंदे- लिखित ‘स्त्रीपुरुषतुलना’ (A comparison between women and men by Tarabai Shinde), originally published in Marathi in 1882. This is the first powerful documentation of a feminist who lashed out against Patriarchy and Caste in 19th century. She gave voice to women’s oppression and I hope every girl reads her.
6. The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara– I saw Che on T-shirts and graphics as a kid. Never knew who this fierce revolutionary was, until I read more about Latin America, Fidel Castro and the Che Guevara Reader. I still think of him as an individual who brings me to halt every time there’s injustice, oppression and shameless crimes against humanity. He is such a romanticized hero amidst youngsters and teen rebels, but he’s much more than that. SO MUCH MORE!
7. Letters between a Father and Son by V.S.Naipaul– I’ve read other works of Naipaul and yet this collection of letters written between him and his father from Trinidad and England; him and his sister from India remain in my heart because they are real. They speak to me like conversations between my Dad and me. I’ve cried while reading every letter and not just for the sentimental value but for knowing their humble and modest means, understanding survival in faraway lands. If I could ever turn back time, I wish Naipaul’s father could see his son’s first book published in flesh.
8. Journalistas: 100 Years of the Best Writing and Reporting by Women Journalists, edited by Eleanor Mills and Kira Cochrane– This is a GREAT READ! This is a collection of essays to cherish by women such as Erica Jong, Emma Goldman, Naomi Wolf, Zelda Fitzgerald, Susan Sontag, Joan Didion, and Eleanor Roosevelt. I am so proud of all these courageous and brave women.
9. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens– Read it as a 11-year old and it was probably the first time I became aware of concepts of a secure childhood and family. I shuddered, winced and cried in pain at the thought of visualising someone my age tortured and subjected to the most inhuman cruelties by society because he was an orphan. I was introduced to the grim and dark underworld of London, to the abject misery and poverty of a city, people like Fagin who lived in flesh and still live within us. “Please, Sir, I want some more!” still rings in my ears.
10. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo– I read Hugo and Dickens one after other and my understanding of being a happy child completely changed forever. Oliver Twist and Les Miserables are two books which taught me to think about life and people. I got my first education of an outside world from these two. I only wish that the misery of Fantine is something we henceforth get to see only in stories and not real life anymore. Jean Valjean is one man I remember starkly for his kindness, his sympathy, his humane emotional upbringing of Cosette. I have cried long enough for his suffering and I couldn’t bring myself to face that life was harsh and bad as were the people. A chilling read that I can never forget. It wasn’t merely a book.
I have read many more heart-breaking books and stories that I carry within my heart. This is however, just for the challenge. Hope to see extensive lists from readers.
A book blog 