In my prior Substack columns, I discussed books, movies and things about writing. I thought this week, I would stick my neck out and identify 10 really great books, written during the past 100 years, that should not be missed.
Taken together these books provide a window into the 20th Century, its energy, its contradictions, its look ahead and look backwards, its testament to the hopes and fears of being a human and what it feels like to be alive.
My point is to show the scope, breadth, emotions, tensions, hopes and fears that are baked into the human condition as told by expert storytellers. If you take nothing away from reading these books, I trust you will at least have a new appreciation of what great writing is and the kind of storytelling that is able to withstand the test of time.
If you have previously read some or all of them, I encourage you to reread and reconsider. Time changes perspective and now is a good time take a second look.
So here is my list:
1. One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967)
Author: Gabriel García Márquez
Themes: Solitude, love, power, the cyclical nature of history.
Reason to Read: To understand Latin American culture and history through magical realism.
Summary: The story of the Buendía family over seven generations in Macondo.
Importance: A defining work of magical realism, it offers a narrative panorama of Latin American history and psyche.
2. To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)
Author: Harper Lee
Themes: Racial injustice, moral development, loss of innocence.
Reason to Read: A poignant reflection on racism and moral growth in the American South.
Summary: Young Scout Finch navigates racial tensions in the 1930s American South.
Importance: A classic work on racial prejudice, illustrating the complexity of good and evil.
3. The Handmaid's Tale (1985)
Author: Margaret Atwood
Themes: Dystopia, gender oppression, theocracy, resistance.
Reason to Read: Explores a dystopian future where women's rights are curtailed.
Summary: Offred serves as a "handmaid" in a theocratic society, bearing children for the elite.
Importance: A warning about religious extremism and the erosion of women's rights.
4. The Great Gatsby (1925)
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Themes: The American Dream, decadence, love and obsession.
Reason to Read: Captures the essence and critiques the American Dream during the Jazz Age.
Summary: Jay Gatsby's obsessive love for Daisy Buchanan leads to tragic consequences.
Importance: A seminal exploration of aspiration and the hollowness of success.
5. 1984 (1949)
Author: George Orwell
Themes: Totalitarianism, surveillance, language and truth.
Reason to Read: A chilling depiction of a totalitarian future.
Summary: Winston Smith rebels against the oppressive regime led by Big Brother.
Importance: A timeless cautionary tale about unchecked power.
6. Things Fall Apart (1958)
Author: Chinua Achebe
Themes: Colonialism, traditions, masculinity.
Reason to Read: Sheds light on pre-colonial African culture and European colonization.
Summary: Chronicles Okonkwo, an Igbo leader, amidst colonial changes.
Importance: A foundational African novel highlighting the impact of colonialism.
7. Brave New World (1932)
Author: Aldous Huxley
Themes: Dystopia, technology, human nature, freedom.
Reason to Read: Explores a future where happiness is engineered and individuality suppressed.
Summary: In a future world-state, Bernard Marx feels out of place and challenges the system.
Importance: A thought-provoking critique of unchecked technological advancement.
8. The Catcher in the Rye (1951)
Author: J.D. Salinger
Themes: Teenage angst, alienation, identity, innocence.
Reason to Read: Delves into the adolescent mind grappling with the challenges of growing up.
Summary: Holden Caulfield's experiences and reflections after expulsion from prep school.
Importance: A powerful exploration of teenage disillusionment.
9. Lolita (1955)
Author: Vladimir Nabokov
Themes: Obsession, manipulation, artistry of language.
Reason to Read: A controversial story told through exquisite prose.
Summary: Humbert Humbert's obsessive love for a young girl, Lolita.
Importance: A literary masterpiece highlighting the interplay between morality and art.
10. Invisible Man (1952)
Author: Ralph Ellison
Themes: Racial identity, individuality, society, invisibility.
Reason to Read: A deep dive into the African American experience and the quest for personal identity.
Summary: An unnamed protagonist's journey from the South to New York, facing racial and personal challenges.
Importance: A crucial work on Black identity in a predominantly white society.
Each of these works provides critical insights into various human experiences, societal constructs and historical contexts. They have all been central in literary discussions for decades and continue to influence thought and culture worldwide, which, if you were the author, is no small achievement.
Some of those books would definitely be on my list and all but one are books I've read and mean a lot to me. Things Fall Apart is the one I missed, but with YOUR recommendation, it is destined for my TBR. I'm sure that Jerome would have included The Autobiography of Malcolm X, because he often says his two top heroes are Abraham Lincoln and Malcolm X. (That's Jerome for you - an answer no one else is likely to give haha.)