Top Ten Books I Think Would Make Great Book Club Picks
Posted in Academic Pursuits on 01/31/2012 12:05 am by RonnicaI enjoy discussing books that I’ve read. Unfortunately, some of the books that I most wanted to discuss haven’t been read by anyone I know. Here are 10 that I have or would love to discuss:
1. They Thought They Were Free by Milton Mayer
This book was absolutely worth the trouble it took for me to get my hands on it (I had to use inter-library loan). A good book to talk about what it would have been like to have been an average citizen in Hitler’s Germany and how he rose to power, leading to discussion of how we can avoid a Hitler to arise in our own culture.
2. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Still one of my favorite autobiographies, one that I think about regularly.
3. Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
I think dystopian books can make for great discussion.
4. Sister of My Heart by Chitra Divakaruni
I actually did read this for a book club, and we really enjoyed reading and discussing it.
5. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
While perhaps this is a little a-few-years-ago, it is a great discussion starter!
6. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Okay, I probably wouldn’t want to discuss this with any book club that really wanted to discuss this (I’d rather not discuss it with people that have totally bought into Rand’s philosophy). Still, I think that Rand brings up some excellent critiques of America and some interesting (although unrealistic) solutions.
7. The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde
What an interesting, illustrative tale.
8. Animal Farm by George Orwell
1984 might be my favorite, but Animal Farm would possibly make for a better discussion.
9. “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” by Beverly Daniel Tatum
This really helped me to think about race issues in a new light.
10. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
An under-appreciated dystopian book that I think is a creative take on the genre.
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