This blog prompt gave me the insight into an interesting way to mark time passing, with the books that I read. Here are ten books, one for each year from age 19 to 28, that I think will mark my life in a fitting way.
2026 (Age 19) - The Idiot by Elif Batuman
At 19, I will be taking my first steps into adulthood. Elif Batuman writes about the interesting transition from adolescence to maturity in The Idiot. The book is set in 1995 and follows Selin, a Harvard freshman who goes through the complexities of language, culture, and first love. This novel is a semi-autobiography and is supposedly "both humorous and poignant," (Goodreads) just my cup of tea.
2027 (Age 20) - On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
At 20, emotions run deep, and Ocean Vuong's novel perfectly addresses this with the topics of family, identity, and love. This year, my group did our presentation on one of Ocean Vuong's poems, so I am very excited to read this poetic masterpiece. Written as a letter from a son to his illiterate mother, Vuong addresses the Vietnamese-American experience with poems.
2028 (Age 21) - Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Turning 21 gives the sense of a quest for independence (it's also the legal drinking age), I think this classic by Hurston is a good fit on the topic of self-realization. The journey of resilience and voice is portrayed in this novel, I think this would be a fitting read.
2029 (Age 22) - Just Kids by Patti Smith
I saw this book recommended somewhere on the internet but I don't remember exactly where. It's a memoir about Smith's relationship with a photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and all the creative and artistic things they did together. I think reading this book at 22 would be a great reminder to what creativity, friendship, and art can bring to us in our life.
2030 (Age 23) - Michael Vey Series by Richard Paul Evans
2030 will be the year my younger brother graduates high school, it will be like a full circle. Hence, I think rereading one of my favorite book series of all time would be fitting. I know that this is not a single book, but if you're going to read one of the books, you might as well read the whole series. Richard Evans did a great job writing this masterpiece of a series by making the journey of Michael Vey so interesting and heartfelt. It shows Michael journey of discovery, growth, and developing relationships.
2031 (Age 24) - The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Joan Didion's memoir talks about her grief after her husband suddenly passed away. After this year in Lit, I think I've found a new appreciation for novels that surround the topics of death and mourning. I think this book would be an interesting read about how the character processes her loss and the action's she takes after. There is also a theme of love persisting throughout the novel which I think makes the novel more interesting.
2032 (Age 25) - Beloved by Toni Morrison
Having read Recitatif also by Toni Morrison, I'm intrigued with the other works she's written. Her commentary throughout Recitatif was very well thought out and expressed, so I'm excited to see how she commented on trauma, be it racial, historical, or familial, and especially in the context of slavery. The unique set up of the main character (a formerly enslaved women) being haunted by the ghost of her dead daughter allows us to see how guilt and memory play into trauma.
2033 (Age 26) - The Plague by Albert Camus
Reading The Stranger by Albert Camus this year was one of my favorite events in AP Lit, this book and the interesting Meursault affected me more than any other book has. Reading through the lens of Meursault gave me a different view of the world one usually does not write about. I'd be very interested in reading Camus's other works to see how they compare to The Stranger. The Plague is an allegory for fascism but also incorporates absurdism just like The Stranger. The Plague suggests that choosing to act choosing to act, despite knowing we cannot win, is itself a kind of moral victory.
2034 (Age 27) - Maus by Art Spiegelman
For the 10th and last year of this list, I want to commemorate it by reading one of my all-time favorite novels. I read this graphic novel in AP Lang and I fell in love with it, the symbolism, graphic imagery, and artistic details just astounded me. It showed me a side of literature that I didn't know could be so involved. Therefore, I think it's fitting to end the 10 year book list with my favorite book in literature.
Comments
Post a Comment