Book Recommendations

So, PBS just released they're top 100 great american reads. The top book was listed as To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee.

I could easily list my top 100 books or even my top 1000, but many of those fluctuate as I read new books, re-read old ones, or my mood in general changes. So instead I'm just listing my top five which really hasn't changed at all in more than half a dozen years, and my number one pick has been in that spot for about fifteen years.

5. Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz.

The book description: Esperanza thought she'd always live a privileged life on her family's ranch in Mexico. She'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home filled with servants, and Mama, Papa, and Abuelita to care for her. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard work, financial struggles brought on by the Great Depression, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When Mama gets sick and a strike for better working conditions threatens to uproot their new life, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances-because Mama's life, and her own, depend on it.

My thoughts: I first read this book when I was in my freshman year of high school, and though I've never read it to completion again, this book has stuck with me. It was probably one of the first books I ever read that made me take major look at the reasons why people sometimes cross the border, especially illegally.

4. The Pit and The Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe

The book description: The story is about the torments endured by a prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition, though Poe skews historical facts. The narrator of the story describes his experience of being tortured. The story is especially effective at inspiring fear in the reader because of its heavy focus on the senses, such as sound, emphasizing its reality, unlike many of Poe's stories which are aided by the supernatural. The traditional elements established in popular horror tales at the time.

My thoughts: I've read this short story a dozen times, maybe more. Some people don't appreciate the darkness in this story but I find it to be one of the most interesting reads out there.

3. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman

The book description: In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen ­year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, this will change the way you look at life, love, and family. Now a major motion picture starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.

My thoughts: Since this book has come out, I have read it four times. This book is one of the most moving, beautiful and tragic books that I have ever read. I love the book and it brings me to tears every time I read it.

2. 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

The book description: Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why.

My thoughts: I've read this book no less than ten times since it came out. This book brings to life the reality of the consequences of one's actions  It will truly make a person wonder about jus what way their words and actions can affect those around them.

1. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The book description: Pecola Breedlove, a young black girl, prays every day for beauty. Mocked by other children for the dark skin, curly hair, and brown eyes that set her apart, she yearns for normalcy, for the blond hair and blue eyes that she believes will allow her to finally fit in.Yet as her dream grows more fervent, her life slowly starts to disintegrate in the face of adversity and strife.

My thoughts: It is truly one of the most disturbing and depressing books I have ever read. It is beautifully written with a flair of surreal as well as a heavy dose of realism. I think every person should read it at least once, and I will never read it again.