Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger enough said about this. it is a classic. Nobody Nowhere - Donna Williams this is an antobiography of a woman who grew up as an autistic, going through a lot of emotional and physical abuse. I actually suspected myself to be autistic for some time (cos I can't seem to understand why ppl do the things they do) but autism is really more serious than that. No matter how hard you try, there's always this bell jar (no no, it's not the same as Plath's mental condition) around separating you from nomalcy no matter where you go. But really, manically building a website like this is really autistic in some sense. On the Road - Jack Kerouac Actually I'm not so much crazy about this book than the Beat Generation this book epitomised and that permanent sense of impermanance these beats embraced and relished so much. A warning to all -- as Kerouac's writings are mostly LSD driven, don't expect any coherence. He jumps back and forth in time (like what those stream of consciousness writers love to do) within a single breath of a novel. Don't worry about getting LSD; get yourself a cup of coffee and mentally prepare yourself to engulf this book in one single shot (or else there will not be any kick). Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess Nay, this ultraviolent novel did not induce me to whack my bf or murder my parents. The manipulative element lies in that subcultural pseudo Russian-punk dialect that Burgess invented for the antihero, Alex deLarge, and his gang which sets up a strong current of rhythm that carries you through the story once you get the hang of this slang. Many issues on the definition of violence (mental vs physical) and deviance are ingrained in the book and of course, the political power behind the discourse. The Stranger - Albert Camus Myth of Sisyphus - Albert Camus The epitome of existentialism is aptly illustrated in this short novel and essay by Camus. The shortest stories are often the most lethal and brain altering. Both were written around the same time frame and are the exemplars of nothingness-of-human-existence theme amongst his body of literature. Myth of Sisyphus (about this man condemned to push a rock up a steep slope while will roll back again and again throughout his absurd efforts) contains the essence of the absurdity of existence. Nick Drake allegedly gave his mum 'Myth of Sisyphus' before he died of excessive ingestion of sleeping pills. L'estranger critically questions the meanings we delude ourselves with regarding our existence through blind faith in religions and social relations (in this case parent and child). From Mersault's inability to shed a tear during his mamere's fineral to this being the most vital testimony to his murder trial and his adamant rejection of religion right towards his execution, all these blasphemes calmly dissect the morality we never or even dare to question under the imposing social institutions. Nausea by Jean Paul Sartre is the other world-acclaimed literature on nothingness though i appreciate the straightforwardness of L'estranger better. Charles Bukowski Any of his peotry anthology or letter collections kick ass. This old bull charges all the way till his last breath. Cynical, caustic, sharp and full of wisom. He's a redneck, an intellectual, a drunkard, a poet, a sexmachine, a philosopher, a cat-lover all rolled into one being. Philosphers, academics, jailbirds, hobos all read his stuff alike (though i wonder what's there to study for his poetry since it's all so right in the face). |
| Top 10 books that left the deepest impressions (on me that is) --and can probably change the way you see the world |
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