You ever think, now why in tarnation is this book considered a classic? I do. And I’ve decided that really, it’s about what makes a classic for YOU. As an individual. With distinct tastes. No matter how many times someone tells me that I should love The Scarlet Letter, Moby Dick, or The Great Gatsby, I will internally roll my eyes. Don’t get me wrong, I can always appreciate any book for its place in “the canon” (whichever canon that may be), and I am a firm believer in finding something good in anything. But these are a few of MY fiction classics. What are yours?
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. Or really anything by Toni Morrison. If that woman isn’t a genius, then neither is Einstein. Morrison’s writing is by far my favorite. Her stories are honest, gritty, beautiful, heartbreaking, and stomach-turning, and her words are poetry. This book was the first of hers that I read, and the convoluted family of Macon Dead III, the mystical Pilate, and the love-crazed Hagar have always stayed with me.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This is just one of those books that will always be near and dear to my heart. I actually didn’t read this until college, on my own accord, in one of those, well, I should probably read this since it’s a classic and all moments. The characters are some of the most lovable I’ve come across in all my reading. Jem and Scout act according to sympathy and understanding with Boo Radley, making an “invisible” mystery human. Yet the hypocrisy and racism of their town does not escape the children’s observation, either.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Ok, Hazel’s going to kill me for writing about this one, because ever since age 14, this has been her Book, with a capital “B.” When she travelled around Europe for a while, this was the only book she brought with her in order to save space, and because who needs another? When she finished it for the umpteenth time, she would just start it all over again. But who can deny Austen’s wit, humour, and acute societal observations, lovely surprises in a romantic text? Or Mr. Darcy, for that matter? That’s right. No one.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Another writer who can tickle my funny bone while preaching societal lessons. This book I both loved to read and also wholeheartedly appreciated its role in history. The use of dialect for Huck and Jim, the trajectory of their growing unique relationship, and the crazy adventures that they encounter on that raft — quality all around.
(Psst: We have a surprise in store for you! All will be revealed tomorrow. Patience, friends, patience.)
