Books that made me who I am

Big words, I know. And yet, the truest I have ever spoken. Books don’t raise you, some people say. They can’t influence you that much. Those people clearly don’t read much, because books have taught me more than I can put into words. Books have shaped me; have given me ideas, desires, passions. (And better grammar and vocabulary, but that’s neither here nor there). Some books have influenced me more than others. They’re not the most beloved, nor, perhaps, the most important books I have ever read. But without these books I would be…well, someone else entirely. And since I quite like who I am, I think that’s to be celebrated.

So, without further ado:

1. Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery. Anne taught me the wonders of being different. She taught me to love words, to appreciate the beauty of a perfect line of prose. Maybe I was meant to be a writer; perhaps I would have fallen into it anyway. But as it stands, I owe a debt of gratitude to Anne, for the words.

2. Harry Potter Series, J.K Rowling. The words are one thing, the idea is another. Harry taught me, in a way that perhaps no other book has before or after, how you can love a book, how you can drown in it, discuss it for hours, obsess over it, understand it, live it. It also, in a very roundabout way, taught me how to be brave, how to speak up, how to think for myself, and how to make friends.

3. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini. My first experience (and to date the most harrowing) with the idea that a book can break your heart, and then heal it all over again, just like life.

4. The Gospel according to Jesus Christ, Jose Saramago. I had a hard time choosing between one Saramago book, because I think if this post were called authors that made me who I am, he’d be the first on the list. This book earns its place mostly because the lessons were harsher than in other books, what I got out of it more important. Because this book was a master class in asking questions, in challenging the status-quo, in not believing everything you see or hear.

5. The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Probably the first book of all the ones on this list I ever read, and one I re-read constantly. I wish I could say it taught me to think like a child (a tall order), but at least I can say it taught me to think outside the box, to see with the heart, in a way. To feel.

6. The madman, Kahlil Gibran. I first encountered this book many years ago, when I was young, and insecure, and terrified of being different. It’s not Gibran’s best known work, or its most renowned, but for me, it will forever signify acceptance, understanding, and maybe even permission to be who you are.

7. The Bicentennial Man, Isaac Asimov. My dad used to read me Asimov as a bedside story, and of all the stories I ever heard, this was the one that stuck with me, the one about changing, about being better than you are, about not accepting fate, but making your own.

8. In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez. Reality is sometimes worse than fiction. It hurts just as much, if not more. And if we tell it, if we make it mean something, then, sometimes, we can change the world.

9. A time to Kill, John Grisham. Life is not fair, and fair is sometimes unfair. At the age this book fell into my hands, I couldn’t understand this concept, even though it was clearly outlined, but I’m still glad Grisham tried to teach me before it was time for life to do so.

10. The Perks of being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky. This book, I think, has influenced a lot of people, in a multitude of different ways. I re-read it recently, and the thing I can remember getting out of it, and it is a big thing, a life changing thing is this: Life goes on. You can get through it.

These are not the only books. I think every book you read leaves a little in you, even the books you hate.  But these are the ones I could write down without thinking, the most important ones, or perhaps, just the ones that better encompass this particular time of my life. I’ll keep reading. I’ll find more. Books are always there, and books will continue to help me become more of who I am. A better version of me. Maybe they’ll help me find the me inside the shell that is …well, me. That’s what they do. Even when you don’t want them to. 

My favorite banned books

by @jesspetrella

There’s a certain magic in being told you can’t do something.  If teachers (and parents) could only understand that the word makes you want to do it even more, then they probably would dispense with the notion. But, even after all these years, we keep telling people not to do stuff. Not to think stuff. Not to read stuff.

Now, this is not meant to be a deep and philosophical post, so let’s just focus on the books you are, apparently, not supposed to read.

I was introduced to the idea of you can’t read books very, very late in life, for my parents never even mentioned it. I read Lolita, for example, at an age when I’m not wholly sure it was appropriate and if Saramago and Dan Brown thought they could surprise me with their theories on Jesus and/or the church, then they don’t know the kind of things I found in the library at home. Point is, I didn’t know, as I do know, that the moral police was out there, ready to tell you what you can and cannot read (possibly to try to influence what you can or cannot think).

Most of the so-called banned books are not banned now, though I’m sure there are many people who still consider them books to avoid. (The dangerous ideas you might GET from them, oh no …). And so, in honor of those people, I now present a LIST of my absolute favorite banned books I learned many dangerous things from them, indeed. How to think for myself. What freedom meant. The importance of speaking up.  

Just imagine what would happen if all kids read them.

(In no particular order)

1. The Great Gatsby. I always wanted to write this book. Not to write like Fitzgerald, I wanted to wake up having already written this wonderful book about not so great characters  who are, nevertheless, as real as they come.

2. Nineteen-eighty-four. How to explain fear if you can’t quote 1984? How to talk about dystopias? How to understand totalitarianism?

3.  Gone with the Wind. Scarlett O’Hara showed me woman can be strong. Against all odds. Even when it seems impossible.

4. Fahrenheit 451. Ironic, a book about banning books ends up banned because, well, it shows us that banning books doesn’t work. I love my ironies.

5.  Uncle Tom’s Cabin. History, and the best way to learn it. The best way to find an interested audience. Oh, Uncle Tom, how much you showed me.

How much they all showed me. Those on the list. Those new books who are not on any list but that people insist should be. There are many lessons to be learned from books, banned or otherwise, but the most important one, perhaps, is to make up your own mind. About what to read. And, also, about what to think, and what to do. 

Las 21 etapas de leer un libro nuevo.

1.    Finalmente te cansas de ser la única que no entiende las referencias y compras el libro que te ha recomendado tu mejor amiga, tu hermana, tu mamá y hasta la muchacha del salón de belleza.

2.    Lo dejas unos días en tu mesita de noche, porque no eres de esas que leen las cosa solo porque están de moda.

3.  Pero, bueno, ya te gastaste la plata. Y el libro es muy grande, ocupa demasiado espacio en la mesita. Te decides a abrirlo.

4.   Dejas tu Tablet/computadora/televisión encendidas, para cuando te aburras, claro. Estos libros que le gustan a todo el mundo siempre resultan ser fatales.

5.   Llegas a la página diez y, aunque todavía no estas fastidiada, tampoco es que te importa.

6.  Pero en la página cuarenta ya estas comenzando a sentirte identificada con la protagonista.

7.    Por eso es que pegas un grito cuando llegas a la página 100. ESTO NO PUEDE ESTAR PASANDO.

8.     Miras el reloj en el celular. Puedes leer como media hora más.

9.   Tres horas después, te levantas y vas por una taza de café. No puedes parar. Es impensable. Igualmente no podrías dormir.

10. Haces una pausa cinco minutos después. Te levantas y das una vuelta a tu habitación. Y luego otra. Quieres volver a leer, te mueres por saber que pasa…pero…pero… ¿y si pasa lo que NO QUIERES QUE PASE?

11. Obviamente, eso es justo lo que pasa.

12. Consideras dejar de leer. Ya son las dos de la mañana, tienes que ir a trabajar al día siguiente y la cosa pinta mal.

13. Sigues leyendo.

14. Tres minutos después, tiras el libro contra la pared y te cubres con la sabana.

15. Solo aguantas veinte segundos antes de ir a recogerlo.

16. Maldices a tu mejor amiga, a tu hermana y a la muchacha del salón de belleza.

17. Es hora de parar. Puedes hacerlo. Solo faltan treinta páginas. Ya sabes cómo va a terminar.

18. Las lees de todos modos.

19. Abrazas el libro mientras lagrimas corren por tus mejillas. No estas segura porque lloras.

20. Cuando suena tu alarma al día siguiente tienes mal aliento, estas despeinada y dormiste sobre el libro así que hay una forma cuadrada dibujada en tu pecho. No te importa. 

21.Juras que esto no volverá a pasarte. Nunca. JAMAS. De ahora en adelante te tomarás las cosas con filosofía. No es real, después de todo. ES FICCIÓN. No pasó. Lo repites muchas veces.

Obviamente, te pasa de nuevo un par de semanas después. 

Top 10 most read books in the world

I saw a graphic today, about the Top 10 most read books in the world. It’s actually a funny list, which truly expresses that people read for a lot of different reasons. Yes, the Holy Bible is in first place, and that was to be expected. School will do that to you. I had religion lessons every single year I was in school. This is probably true of a lot of people. We read the Bible. Buy it, keep it in our house. A lot of hotels buy The Bible to have and place it in their rooms. People are born, they grow up, and they read it, and so on. (Mind you, most of us don’t read the WHOLE Bible, of course, but still, since we buy it, it will remain number 1).

Number Two, Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung is actually kind of surprising (For me, western education and all). But, all in all, it shouldn’t be. There are a lot of people in China. 

Harry Potter comes in at number 3. Can’t say that surprises me either, especially since there are seven of them, and I was one of those people that stood in line for hours at midnight to get the sixth and seven books. (There were a LOT of people there. A LOT). It’s actually pretty amazing how many people have read it. But I’m happy with its place. It’s a wonderful book. Many other wonderful books are not in this list, but at least one of my favorites is.

LOTR comes in at number 4, and to be completely honest, that one blew me away. It’s a really long, complicated book, and it’s kind of awesome that so many people have read it (or, at the very least, bought it). It sets a high standard for fiction, and for writers, and for creating your own world, and all that. And, yes, it was published a long time ago, but still …all of you people who bought LOTR, did you really finish it? (I did, though I will admit I skipped most of the long winded descriptions of trees. And the songs. I skipped all of those too.) 

Number 5 is where it gets semi-depressing, because number 5 is Paulo Cohelo. Now, let me preface this by saying I’m not a Cohelo fan. I’ve read about 5 or 6 of his books and I’ve found each more contrived, filled with clichés and, frankly, absurd than the last.  The Alchemist (which I read), follows that pattern. It’s filled with “pretty words”, and so called deep advice, but as a work of fiction, it fails miserably. It’s the most boring trek through the dessert in the history of mankind.

Then we come to Number 6, The Da Vinci Code, (Read it. Also not a fan), a book that sold as many copies as I did because of the controversy surrounding it. Or at least I assume that’s the reason, because Dan Brown cannot do research to save his life and his writing isn’t that coherent. That is to say, he has a good idea, he builds a good plot, but he is not a master of suspense and his endings leave a LOT to be desired. 

But even that is way better than Number 6, which, it pains me to say, is Twilight. Yes, that one. The one with very unhealthy relationship ideas, sparkling perfect vampires and the worst excuse for a Mary-Sue heroine that has appeared in literature in many, many years. Escapism at its best, I guess. 

Eight is Gone with the Wind, a long, long, long, beautiful, brilliant, amazing book that everyone should read if only because “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn,” is much more painful when you read the book, and because Scarlett O’Hara is the heroine everyone who has ever thought about writing should want to put into paper: Perfectly flawed, and completely unaware of it, till the very end. 

Our first motivational/self-help book (unless you want to count Cohelo in that category, and I often do, since it makes it easier to stomach), is Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill, which is number 9. It’s been around since 1937, and a lot of people have read it (I haven’t), a lot of people still swear by it (some of my professors, for example), and some people will go on reading it. (But I don’t think that if we look at this list in 10 or 20 years we’ll still find it here…it’s got stiff competition from new, similar books).

To round of our list we have, at number 10, The Diary of Anne Frank. (Have you noticed that most of the fiction books in this list are dramas? Apparently comedy is not as popular). I, like most of you, read this book when I was too young to understand what the ending was going to be like, and it broke my little heart into a gazillion pieces. It’s still a book that should be read, and will probably be read, not only because of literary methods, but also because it’s a heartbreakingly accurate description of a time and place that we might never get to know otherwise, for  most of its protagonists are not around to tell their own story. 

So, there we have it, my opinions on this wonderfully brilliant and absurd list. What do YOU think?

Otros libros condenadamente difíciles de terminar

Ya hice una lista de estas, pero es que, si esos fueran los únicos libros difíciles de leer que existen en el mundo, pues, felices seriamos todos. Pero no, la cosa se expande. Uno lee más y se va encontrando otros por el camino.

 

Obviamente (tan obvio que casi no sé porque lo digo), esta lista, igual que la otra, es una cuestión enteramente subjetiva. Tiene que ver con MIS gustos y MIS experiencias. A veces, hasta tiene que ver con el cuándo. ¿Nunca les ha pasado que han odiado un libro la primera vez que lo leen y después se dan cuenta es una maravilla? El cuándo es importante también. 

Por ahora, esta es mi lista, continuada. (Este es el post de nunca acabar). Como siempre, los comentarios son bienvenidos. 

1. The Silmarillion, J.R.R Tolkien. Ya se habrán dado cuenta que Tolkien y yo tenemos problemas de entendimiento, pero hay que ser REALMENTE un fanático para tragarse este libro, lleno de background information y esas cosas que, aunque a veces son interesantes (énfasis en la palabra A VECES), no son realmente necesarias. Este es uno de esos libros que NI termine (y son pocos, eh). Eso sí, como somnífero, como somnífero lo recomiendo.
2. La ciudad y los Perros, Mario Vargas Llosa. Vargas Llosa y yo tenemos problemas también, aunque estamos camino a superarlos (creo yo). He leído algunos de sus libros y los he disfrutado, pero este, este todavía me causa agrura. Y no soy la única, eh. No me gusta dejar los libros a medio palo, pero este simplemente es más fuerte que yo. Pero, como me he descubierto a mí misma disfrutando más y más de Vargas Llosa con el tiempo, algún día lo intentare de nuevo. Creo.
3. Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand. Si te saltas los monólogos, la cosa es hasta interesante. (Claro, para saltarte los monólogos tendrías que obviar como 400 páginas) Y es que la idea no es mala, pero tampoco eran necesarias mil páginas de ella. Bueno, en verdad la historia es un poco densa y, por partes, demasiado filosófica, pero, quizás, sin los monólogos, me ha hubiera tragado. Quizás.
4. The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Estoy casi segura que ni Dostoyevsky mismo entiende que paso en este libro. Para comenzar hay demasiadas ideas filosóficas en algo que pretende ser una novela. Es más filosofía que novela, lo cual, supongo que está bien, pero no me lo traten de vender como literatura pura. Además, es condenadamente difícil de entender.  (Si alguien lo entendió, acepto explicaciones)
5. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte. Yo amo este libro, pero, no por eso me engaño. Es requetecomplicado. Es más, es medio insoportable. Para mí es uno de esos libros que si lo lees en el momento preciso (como yo), terminas amando, y si no, pues…tiraras por la ventana al terminar, con una vaga idea de quien era quien y que pasó.