Alishba Zarmeen has nominated me for the 10 books challenge: List 10 books that have stayed with you the longest, or have changed you in some way, and then nominate ten friends to do the same. Im actually not much of a book reader. But 10 I can do, ordered with emphasis on stayed with you the longest and changed you in some way. The friends Im nominating are at the end of this post. --- 1. Superfudge | Judy Blume The first book over 25 pages that I ever read in my life, in third grade. Related to the family vibe, and Peter Hatchers frustration as the oldest brother. Made me laugh and want to write. 2. Virgins | Caryl Rivers Im not much of a laugher either, but I had tears in my eyes laughing while alone in my room reading this book in 8th grade. 3. Letters to a Young Contrarian | Christopher Hitchens First discovered Hitch through this book. My two favorite sentences from it: Dont be afraid to be thought arrogant or selfish. Seek out argument and disputation for their own sake; the grave will supply plenty of time for silence. Truly understood what those statements meant years after I first read the book, but glad I did. 4. A Brief History of Time | Stephen Hawking Started an obsession with this stuff that continues to this day. See #10. 5. Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption | Stephen King This was actually one of four stories in Kings Different Seasons. Completely changed my view on the prison system, and taught me how to genuinely empathize with others. 6. The End of Faith | Sam Harris The first and best of the four big New Atheism books, and the one with the most new ideas to offer, especially the advocacy of conversational intolerance and the disingenuousness of religious moderation - the kinds of things I and many others secretly thought about for ages but could never really articulate the way Sam did. The God Delusion and God is not Great were excellent too, but this is the one that stayed with me. 7. Why I Am Not a Christian | Bertrand Russell This was the God Delusion of my generation. I read my cousins pirated copy in Lahore, Pakistan, when I was around 14. 8. The Cup | Anwar Khokhar This book isnt out yet, though I really hope Anwar gets his shit together and finishes it in this lifetime. Part 1984, part Lord of the Flies, but incredibly imaginative, and rebellious in its own original way. If youre really curious, heres an excerpt: https://facebook/notes/ali-a-rizvi/the-virtues-of-cannibalism/10150118860630700 9. The Quran | Prophet Muhammad Reading this cover to cover along with the Bible, several times, with multiple translations and exegeses, freed me from the confines of religious/mythological belief, which I always had some doubt about anyway. Definitely in that category of stayed with you and changed you. Along with the Bible, great source of comedic entertainment as well (check out the Absurdity sections on the Skeptics Annotated Bible/Quran website). 10. Why Does E=mc2? | Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw Relativity is hard to understand, but mind-blowing when you do. And when you understand the math, run through it yourself, and see how it all goes back to the Pythagorean theorem, it is overwhelming and transforming. This is the first book Ive seen that can help anyone with a basic high school education understand relativity. When my nephews and nieces turn fourteen, theyll all be getting copies of this and #3. Honorable mentions: (i) The Other Side of Midnight by Sidney Sheldon - very average book, but I found it in my parents library when I hit puberty, and it has some of the hottest passages a pre-teen growing up in Saudi Arabia could possibly hope to, um, come across (sorry) under those cirCUMstances. Helped me survive puberty. (ii) Life by Keith Richards. The best autobiography youll ever read. --- Thats that. I nominate Anwar Khokhar, Simi Rahman, Hussain Rizvi, Sajida Jalalzai, Raquel Evita Saraswati, Kyle Grounds, Adil Omar, Nayyer Rizvi, Jaani Discotech, and Jeremy Gross to share their lists.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 22:32:06 +0000
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