Saturday, September 02, 2006

I'm It!

I haven't been tagged for any reason for a long time, so the game almost feels new. CP tagged me and now I must 'fess up to my objects of literary attraction.

A BOOK THAT HAS CHANGED YOUR LIFE
Well, that's quite a tall order. I honestly can say that I don't think that any ONE book has changed my life. Probably the most influential was Fun With Dick and Jane. You think I am kidding. I'm not. This was probably the first book I read all by myself cover to cover before kindergarten started. I loved reading. I remember being very proud of myself and asking my mom if we could please go back to the library and get more books.

A BOOK THAT YOU HAVE READ MORE THAN ONCE
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
I read this for the first time while I was travelling through Europe on my own. My own adventures gave it depth. Some of it was just crazy messed up shit, but I felt he allowed some of my interior landscape to see the light of day without my having to get arrested for it. Better to live vicariously in some cases. I am an expert at this.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
When I was about ten, the wanderlust struck. This book was the precursor to the Europe trip and some serious moving around. I forced my brother and our friends from across the street to read this. We were going to run away to Woodfield Mall. We knew it was large and had fountains with money. We were sure we would succeed. We plotted all of it on the roof of our garage while we threw apples into the neighbor's yard. We got yelled at and we had to abort our mission.

A BOOK THAT MAKES YOU LAUGH
Fargo Rock City by Chuck Klosterman
I think I wet my pants. What a wonderful tribute to how music really does shape your life and provides milestones by which to mark it. Genius!

A BOOK THAT MAKES YOU CRY
I am going to preface this by saying I usually do not seek out to cry while reading, and thus have probably avoided this genre in general. I cried as a child reading The Diary of Anne Frank . It was one of the first times I remember really understanding the suffering that other humans are forced to go through. I teared up reading There Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz. This is when I was reminded how fortunate I was and how easy my life really is. Shuts you up real quick.

A BOOK YOU WISH YOU HAD WRITTEN
The Me Book by Ivar Lovaas
While it may be more of a therapy manual, this book has set thousands of children on a journey towards a better life. He is the guru of my profession and I hold the utmost respect for him. For many years he was considered a renegade, but all the while he continued to gather data and perfect his therapy that undoubtedly has made a profound diffrence in the lives of many children with autism and their families. He gave hope when many had given up.

A BOOK YOU WISH HAD NEVER BEEN WRITTEN
How about Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler. A book that should never have been written by a man who nevr deserved to be alive.

A BOOK YOU ARE CURRENTLY READING
I belong to the Books of the Month Club. I am currently reading God's Politics by Jim Wallis. I have to REALLY be in the mood for that one. I am also reading Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, a delicious bedtime snack most nights. Additionally, if I am feeling more *Tenacious*, I've read whatever chapter I'm in the mood for from Rip It Up and Start Again by Simon Reynolds. One can never smash too much rock trivia into one's head. Oh wait, maybe you can.

A BOOK YOU'VE BEEN MEANING TO READ
Can I change this to a book I'm going to 'splode if I don't get to read soon? Ever since Echo told me about the unedited version of On the Road coming out next year, I have been crossing days off of my calendar.

12 comments:

Dale said...

Well, I've managed Dick & Jane and The Diary of Anne Frank but everything else is a bit of a mystery. I've heard of On The Road and Chuck Klosterman but that's about it. Hitler I won't mention. Oops. More investigating for me!

So basically, the more I read, the less I know!

echo said...

Rip It Up and Start Again? Have I been deprived of filling my brain with more rock'n'roll knowledge??? Sounds like a rock'n'roll nightcap/snack before bedtime... hmmmm.....

Coaster Punchman said...

Funny, a specific line from the Konigsburg book sticks in my head still today: "Every year I wait for March. And then when it finally arrives, I wonder why I waited." So true.

I only read "On the Road" a few years ago. It pissed me off. I felt every character in the book was a total loser. But a fun story nonetheless.

I will check out some of your other selections. Thanks for playing!

lulu said...

I'm glad you're enoying Fingrsmith and Rip It Up. Please feel free to join me at the the Land-o-Lulu Library again when you are done with your current selections....oh wait, didn't I send you home with something else the last time you were over?

Coaster Punchman said...

Lu, you have your own tagging assignment. Now get to work!

lulu said...

CP-I'm working on it. I should have it posted by Monday.

echo said...

Thanks, T. Should I send my Borders bill from today directly to you?

Tenacious S said...

No. You should order from Amazon on Lulu's site. They make a donation to Breast Cancer Research. Too bad you can't join us in the book swap club.

Cup said...

How is God's Politics? I've been meaning to pick it up. I respect Jim Wallis and what Sojounerns is trying to accomplish.

I still have a copy of Fun with Dick and Jane on my great room end table. Great stuff; beautiful illustrations.

Anonymous said...

"Mixed Up Files" was a major childhood book for me. A movie was made of it, with Ingrid Bergman as Mrs. Frankweiler. Haven't seen it yet, but will check Netflix.

Moderator said...

You know, we have much in common, Tenacious S. We bith wept at "Diary Of Anne Frank" and wish "Mein Kampf" was never written.

Best friends?

Tenacious S said...

BFF, Grant.