The Ten Books That Have Stayed With Me:
10. Shoeless Joe, by W.P. Kinsella
9. War, by Sebastian Junger
8. Dead Man Walking, by Sister Helen Prejean
7. Anthem, by Ayn Rand
6. Radical Son, by David Horowitz
5. Congress: The Electoral Connection, by David Mayhew
4. The Days Of Martin Luther King, Jr., by Jim Bishop
3. Upon This Rock, by Steven Ray
2. Dune, by Frank Herbert
1. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
I could easily do another 10, and perhaps I will. But these were the 10 I first thought of, and my basic criteria are:
1) I say, "This book changed the way I think and feel about the world," or 2) Someone else said I needed to read it, and I finally did. I didn't put any books up that I haven't finished, and I won't. So, there are dozens and dozens more books I have yet to finish, so I can't mention them. Also, if I read a book, and I feel I can't articulate the main theme or purpose, (that is, understand it) you won't see it on a list like this.
Recently, others who have read more fiction have critiqued it for lacking some of the great works of fiction. Well, I have two great interests (other than sports): Theology and politics. Even when I read fiction, these are the lenses I read it through, because I am me. In other words, too bad. Some are called to read the great works of fiction, and others think about humanity and its destiny. It's probably not fair to those great works if I did read them all, because what we owe to any author is to connect with his purpose, not our own.
By the way, I suppose I should comment on sports for a moment. There is a segment of intellectuals for whom sports is a little too common, a little too "Average Joe." You know what? If you were a real intellectual, you'd at least be conversant with sports. Stupid people may love sports, but brilliant people definitely love sports. This is different than being a fan, though those aren't mutually exclusive. The games we play and watch, even in all their intricate details, are a big, giant human interest story. As are the people who watch them. If you have no desire to get inside that in some way, well, you're beyond my help.
I used to say that I lived and died with the St. Louis Cardinals, and perhaps once I did. Don't get me wrong: I am a huge fan. That community, love, and passion is a real thing. I saw on the social media that a friend of a friend from Chicago remarked that watching a baseball game with Cardinals fans is very special. He said there was a "reverence" for the game and the people who play it that is rarely duplicated. Some of us surely are idolators. Even so, I don't think it's a coincidence that one of the most religious cities in the world has among the most devoted baseball fans. The pinnacle of human achievement, community, and interest points at the transcendent, even when it goes wrong. Sports doesn't build character; it reveals it, as they say. This must be at least partially true.
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