I officially have a degree in English. During my time as a student I read dozens of books. I read novels written by some of the most esteemed authors of all time and some authors known to no one outside an English department. These novels are from around the world and across time. Appropriately, the number one book on my list is from the other side of the world and spans decades of time.
The wait is over:
In descending order, my favorite books (and by books I mean fiction-novels) from four years of study at Dixie State College (so far):
1. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
Much like Doctor Zhivago this novel covers the life of one man with the dramatic history of a country as the backdrop. However, unlike Zhivago, this novel includes a giant portion of magical realism. The novel follows three generations in the Sinai family as it is affected by the history of India. Born in the first hour of India's indepence, Saleem Sinai, and all other children born during that magical hour, develops a superhuman trait. Saleem's "power" is a little more useful than some of his peers--he has the ability to telepathically communicate with all of the other midnight's children. The novel follows Saleem as his life is constantly directed by the trajectory of this young nation. The novel may sound like it appeals to the young adult crowd, but I assure you no Twi-hard could make it through these 500+ pages. The themes of this novel are incredibly dark, and the story is amazingly complex.
There are a few reasons I love this book. I think the main reason it makes it to the top of the list has more to do with timing than anything else--this was the first book that I read and liked as an English major. More than that, I love the payoff I get when I put in so much effort getting involved with this story. I think I have a predilection toward historical-fiction, so I also love learning the history of India (as Rushdie tells it anyway) in the process. I love the funny parts of this story, and I love the tragedy (and there is a lot of tragedy). Basically I love this novel.
I'm always reluctant to recommend something that I love because it hurts my feelings when people I respect don't feel the same way I do about it. This certainly applies here. I don't think this book is for everyone, and I know there are plenty of people who don't like it. If you do decide to read this book because of my influence, only tell me about it if you really enjoyed it.
For connecting my mind with the world of the English major, Midnight's Children tops my list of favorite books read in college.
