29.05.05 - 12:15

One of the few escapes I have in this Mauritanian life of mine is reading. Thus, I have read 215 books during my time in Mauritania. I would like to use this space to share, if I may ((drum roll))…
THE TOP FIVE PERCENT OF MY READING LIST!!!!

1. Cathedral (Raymond Carver): A collection of short stories centered around the quiet desperations of daily life and the small comforts that keep us going. The plots of Robert Altman’s movie Short Cuts were based on Carver stories.

2. The Dwarf (Par Lagervist): A dark little novel about the nature of humanity seen through the eyes of a misanthropic dwarf. “Humans like to see themselves reflected in clouded mirrors.”

3. Resuscitation of a Hanged Man (Denis Johnson): OK, I admit the pattern of dark and vaguely existential novels. Here: “I’m your God, come here. But you’re standing in a storm, God. Yes, and I’m calling you to come here. But how do I know you’re God? Because I’m all that’s in front of you, and all that was behind you is gone: choose the storm or you get nothing.”

4. War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy): I assume I don’t have to list its merits, except to say that it is a perfect Peace Corps book, as it is approximately seventeen million pages long.

5. The Things They Carried (Tim O’Brien): This book of connected short stories is the most visceral depiction of the Vietnam War that I’ve read.

6. Norwegian Wood (Haruki Murakami): Ah, the beginning of the Murakami obsession. A coming-of-age story about a young man, and his disastrous loves, in 1970s Tokyo that manages to be completely different from any other book in the vast coming-of-age genre.

7. Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (Haruki Murakami): The plot defies summary. Looking for quirky characters, a completely unpredictable plot, and gorgeous writing? Read something else first, because after Hard-boiled your standards will be irrevocably raised.

8. Geek Love (Katherine Dunn): This novel about the relationships among a family of sideshow freaks is NOT for the faint of heart or stomach.

9. A People’s History of the United States (Howard Zinn): American history as told through the eyes of the oppressed. Biased? Sure, but so is your 6th grade history textbook. A well-written thought-provoking read.

10. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller): Several characters, plot points, situations, and philosophical ideas manage to accrete into an absolutely amazing text. It’s funny and sad and terribly meaningful.

11. We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families (Philip Gourevitch): An incredibly stirring account of the Rwandan genocide and its after-effects. It’s simply amazing that the global community sat by idly while it happened, but even more amazing that similar catastrophes are in the works and we still do nothing. In any case, a great read.

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