Top Ten Books I Read in College: Number 7

So is this going to come down to a battle between YA lit and more conventional literature? If so, have fun with this one. I read it in YA Lit and World Lit. (In fairness, I was only required to read the cliffs-notes version for YA Lit.)

In descending order, my favorite books (and by books I mean fiction-novels) from four years of study at Dixie State College:

7. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

A heart-breaking tale of post-colonial Africa about a respected tribesman who finds adjusting to life under the rule of the British to be unbearable. Okonkwo accidentally kills a boy in his village and is forced to spend 7 years exiled to the village of his mother's family. When he is finally able to return home, he finds that the British have arrived in order to civilize everyone. Okonkwo is disgusted at how his fellow tribesmen could allow such a thing to happen and tries to return his tribe to their traditional roots. His futile efforts come to a very tragic, and poignant, end.

As I thought about it, I realized this was the first novel I was assigned to read in college. I was in my first literature class, and I was terrified. When I chose to become an English major it was because I wanted to help future generations of kids be more effective writers; I had no idea reading was involved. Luckily, as annoying as it was having a professor telling me what to read, I was enthralled by this story. I'd never really connected to literature that was outside my own culture before. Achebe's novel is amazing at connecting the tiny world of an African tribesman with my own.

For opening my eyes to a world beyond my own, Things Fall Apart captures the number 7 spot on my list.

Top Ten Books I Read in College: Number 8

So far I'm having fun with my list, but the pressure is on. I'm polarizing my readers. One of you is expecting great things ahead, while the other is a bit bored with my choices; probably even wondering if I read anything legit while in college.

Well, welcome to the canon:

In descending order, my favorite books (and by books I mean fiction-novels) from four years of study at Dixie State College:

8. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Who hasn't read Gatsby? Beautiful story about lost love and the pursuit of money. Nick arrives in New York and befriends Gatsby. Gatsby is in love with Daisy who is married to some jerk. The jerk is sleeping with a girl who is married to a gas station attendant (the only nice guy in the book, hence the reason his wife is cheating on him.) One thing leads to another and (spoiler alert) Gatsby ends up dead. And practically no one goes to his funeral. Meanwhile, the reader learns so much about class-systems, money, love, and good writing.

Until college, I hadn't read this novel; otherwise, it wouldn't be on the list. I ended up reading it three times in college. That may seem like overkill, but when you learn about American literature, how do you skip this book? I like the book because it really is classic American story-telling. I like the unreliable narrator, I like the unattainable-love story, and I like the passion.

For being the only book I read 3 times in college, yet still would read again, The Great Gatsby makes an entrance at number 8 on my list.

Top Ten Books I Read in College: Number 9

In descending order, my favorite books (and by books I mean fiction-novels) from four years of study at Dixie State College:

9. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.

An award winning graphic-novel about a young man learning to live in two cultures. The novel tells three seemingly separate stories that ultimately blend together for a surprising and touching twist. This novel not only entertains, it sheds light on a difficult situation that many Americans face, and it does it in a way that appeals to many would-be non-readers.

While I liked the graphic-novel format of this book, the story is what puts it on the list. I really like the attitude of the novel. Yang really does a great job of using ugly-stereotypes to convey his message without glamorizing them.

For being a really fun book that smacks you in the face with some really important stuff, American Born Chinese arrives at number 9.

Top Ten Books I Read in College: Number 10

It's finally here. My last year of college. I'm very excited to be so close to the end. However, I've already started missing my favorite classes. I'm an English major with an emphasis on secondary education. Fortunately/unfortunately I've finished all of my English classes. That's a good thing because I can now focus on learning to be a good teacher, but it's a bad thing because I like those classes the best.

However, since I don't have anymore English classes, I can now officially say what books I most enjoyed reading in college. It's funny. When I was in high school, I hated being "forced" to read a book, so I don't consider myself to have "read" anything during those years; while in college, I consider the books I've been required to read to be the among the best parts of the last four years.

I was going to try to do this in two posts, but after typing up the first entry I've decided one post per book per day will make things a lot easier. Who knows I might even get some homework done. I'm also thinking that the more posts I do, the more discussion (comments) I'm liable to generate. So, here goes:

In descending order, my favorite books (and by books I mean fiction-novels) from four years of study at Dixie State College:

10. The Big Heat by William P. McGivern.

A classic hard-boiled crime story: Policeman dumps his badge in search of justice/vengeance for his murdered wife. The novel features everything you would expect from the genre: Tough bad-guys, tougher good-guys, and even the hooker with a heart of gold.

The novel itself probably wouldn't be on my top ten list, but the novel is representing one of my favorite classes: Crime Fiction and Film Noir. I loved the class. I had so much fun reading books like this and then watching the movies that they inspired, including one of my favorite films of all time: Double Indemnity. Yes, we learned stuff in the class, too. Officially the class was "Period Studies," and in class we studied how literature was affected by the post-war/post-depression culture.

For reminding me of how fun college classes can be, The Big Heat busts the door down at number 10.