influential friends

First, I need to admit my addiction to lists. Secondly, I should confess an equal obsession with reading. Books are old friends who have traveled around the world with me. They've explained people, when I could not understand them myself. They've been my companions and my mentors. Sometimes, they have shocked me into a new perspective or reflected a part of myself that I did not know existed before.

Here is a list of twenty "friends" who have impacted my life:

1. The Monster at the End of This Book- Grover (Jon Stone)- I loved this book as a child! I definitely had my own childhood phobias, and felt all the cathartic tension and relief of this- I was always so incredibly happy to recall at the end that everything was going to be okay after all... :)
2. Anne of Green Gables & Emily series- L.M. Montgomery- I discovered the Anne series in sixth grade and fell head over heels in love with Gilbert Blythe. Soon after, I moved to South Korea, and my friend Daphne fed my addiction by sending a book every month or so (along with fat, dramatic letters... scrawled on lined notebook paper, of course). This led to Montgomery's other books, and I was enthralled with Emily's second sight. It influenced how I thought of my own connection to the spiritual.
3. Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte- Reading this in high school, I wondered if all love was doomed to be this dark and fated. And I really connected with the character of Jane. Wonder what that says about me...and my love life. ;-)
4. To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee- Not a surprise that this Pulitzer Prize winner opened my eyes to race relations in the States, and started me on my path to working with groups who have been oppressed or persecuted. It helped that the book was so wonderfully written that even teens could grasp the truth of it.
5. Tess of the d'Urbervilles- Thomas Hardy- Perhaps not the greatest of Hardy novels (not that I'd know, because I haven't read any others yet), this book still impacted me. I really rooted for Tess, and felt horrible for all the terrible things that happen to her. According to my friend Beriah (if I twist his words to my liking), books are only good when they are depressing. With such logic, this book is really, really good! :)
6. Animal Dreams- Barbara Kingsolver- I connect so strongly to Codi, the main character! Besides her snarky comments about being tall, she just has a strong-willed and intelligent personality that I relate to. I enjoyed Kingsolver's threads of Native American culture, an activist sister farming in a South American country, and the community fight against ecological disaster, as well.
7. Savage Inequalities- Jonathan Kozol- Read while taking education classes at UA and student teaching in South Tucson, this book cemented my desire to work with children from oppressed backgrounds. I wish I could make every American read his books- I'm convinced it would dramatically change the face of public schooling.
8. I, Rigoberta Menchu (autobiography)- I was asked to read this book for a sociology class, and was powerfully moved by the author's story. Since then, I have heard that the story was primarily fabricated (see link attached to the title), but the book gave me a wider perspective of the world, nonetheless.
9. Among Schoolchildren- Tracy Kidder- While teaching my second year of fifth grade, I found this book in a used bookstore. It turns out that Tracy Kidder, who writes tremendous non-fiction in general, depicts a public school classroom so perfectly as to make me feel he could read my mind. I actually cried at several points; it was that beautifully written.
10. The Giver- Lois Lowry- Packaged as a novel for youth, this book surpasses most labels. I read this book in a college children's lit class, and read it aloud to (my favorite) sixth grade class. The class was fascinated, and we had many passionate discussions. It spurred us to think about the power of memory and how it defines who we are as individuals.
11. Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen- This will probably always be my favorite book. I fully appreciate the searing portraits of characters such as Mr. and Mrs. Bennett and Lady deBourgh, and- of course!- the painful conflict and witty banter between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. *sigh* I took this book to China with me, and must have read it cover to cover at least 25 times!
12. Wild Swans- Jung Chang- I found this book in the English "section" (more like a shelf) in a Hong Kong bookstore (still can't believe it wasn't censored!). The author tells the story of three generations-her grandmother, her mother, and her own life- in China. I had not known the dreadful history of the country, particularly of Mao's Cultural Revolution, and it colored my travels and interactions around the country from there on.
13. Me Talk Pretty One Day- David Sedaris- It's just funny. Possibly one of the funniest books in the last century. Everyone kept telling me that when I was working at Borders in Mesa, and I finally gave in... it just proves that I do, in fact, have a sick sense of humor.
14. The Time Traveler's Wife- Audrey Niffenegger- Recommended to me by a co-worker at Borders in Portland, this story just strikes a chord inside. I don't think of myself as a particularly romantic person, but man, I loved the romance of Henry and Clare. Must mean there's hope for me! (Please, please, let the movie not destroy my fondness for this story...)
15. Anna Karenina- Leo Tolstoy- I think it took me about a year and a half of stops and starts to finish this one. I loved the beginning, and found the rest to be more of a struggle (anyone else think that ending it with Levin made it a little anti-climatic?), but it was worth it. It's just amazing to consider the weighty topics that Tolstoy covered, and still managed to make the characters so compelling. For example, I liked Anna for sticking to her guns, even though it turned out to make her completely miserable in the end. Guess that's why it's such a favorite of the classics....? (wink, wink)
16. Mrs. Dalloway- Virginia Woolf- Read for a book club, I didn't think I would enjoy the stream of consciousness style. Turns out, the themes of feminism, homosexuality, and mental instability were all very fascinating to discuss as a group! And I enjoyed Mrs. Dalloway's social nature. Sure, she's considered frivilous and shallow, but I still relate to this quote, "And of course she enjoyed life immensely. It was her nature to enjoy... She had a sense of comedy that was really exquisite, but she needed people, always people, to bring it out, with the inevitable result that she frittered her time away..."
17. 1984- George Orwell- Who didn't read this in high school? Ummm, me. I checked this out in audiobook form at the library, and listened to it every morning while getting ready for work at my miserable job at Borders Portland. What a way to pump yourself up for work you dislike, right? Somehow, though, it was a warning to me (and all of us) about what happens when we allow authority to determine the thoughts of individuals. Don't blindly follow 'group think!' (And how ironic that my next job would be with Big Brothers Big Sisters! ;-)
18. Sweetness in the Belly- Camilla Gibb- My current roommate was once an employee at Borders with me, and she highly recommended this book. It is a sweet love story, but also a wonderful glimpse into the life of a Muslim woman in both Ethiopia and England. I can't seem to read books that aren't set in a foreign culture these days... Perhaps it's my way of getting my travel fix on the cheap. :)
19. Interpreter of Maladies- Jhumpa Lahiri- I went through a phase of reading short stories en masse. I read anything and everything, but this Pultizer Prize winning book stands out for me. Lahiri might be one of the best in the world at capturing people of every age, gender, and socio-economic background authentically. I absolutely cannot wait to dive into her next set in Unaccustomed Earth.
20. Left Hand of Darkness- Ursula LeGuin- Suggested by a friend in AZ, but finally read here in OR by my book group, I discovered a new favorite author. LeGuin is a local author, and it turns out, a neighbor of my co-worker. When I was asked to house sit for this co-worker, we joked that I would make signs and t-shirts and walk around the neighborhood until I "accidentally" met her (I did not actually do this, in case you were wondering). Regardless, LeGuin won my favor with her ability to write an engaging, well-paced story, and still provoke readers into questioning societal pressures, gender norms, and power struggles among humans. She's brilliant.

If you've made it all the way to end: you're a trooper. Gold star for you! Hope this provides some insight into my development, and possibly a good recommendation or two.