My literary history is hazy, to say the least. I do not remember going to bed and being read to, although I know it happened. I do not remember what book gave me the “eureka” moment as a child, although things get a little clearer somewhere around second grade, when I became engrossed in the AR program and read everything under the sun. In this sob story, a boy with a mullet and no friends reads Boxcar Children books at recess. Other books included any fiction book about baseball and the Fudge series. I read lots of books by Matt Christopher and R.L. Stine.
We’re blurry in middle school. Somewhere those years got lost in the shuffle. I read what was assigned to me and nothing more. The Giver. That’s all that’s coming to mind.
High school rolls around and I start to come into my own in terms of worldview, political view, sense of humor, all that jazz. I remember reading Breakfast of Champions and Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut multiple times over, as well as the rest of his work. I was blown away by the fact that an author spoke to me, wrote the exact things I was thinking at the time, and more importantly, did so in a way that never stopped being funny and never stopped being intelligent. If you read those books, Vonnegut is making some pretty scathing critiques of institutions: social, political, religious, etc. But he does so in a way that is amused, clever, witty. As someone who tends to worry about things, those books are a pleasant reminder to sort of live the best way you can and not to stress about things that can’t be helped. Other books at the time included One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Catch-22. All funny books, all very observant and critical. I got into Hemingway and Faulkner a great bit during this time, as well as Camus’ works The Stranger and The Plague.
In college, I majored in political science and read those textbooks and little else. After I finished my major early, I tacked on an English minor; it was the best decision I have ever made, just because it got me back into reading heavily. I took a class on Cormac McCarthy, Larry Brown, and Wendell Berry, which to date is my favorite class ever. It was a great deal of reading, but well worth it. Wendell Berry should be taught in every classroom, although he gets very little recognition outside of being a poet. He is a brilliant essayist and despite coming from a different perspective than myself, his works on community, food, the environment, and politics resonate with me. “Praise ignorance / for what man has not encountered / he cannot destroy.” You just shivered, didn't you? Likewise, with Cormac McCarthy, you've got this incredible, vivid prose describing these horrific situations and deeply flawed people. Basically, every time I have read one of his books (Child of God and Outer Dark are at like four times apiece at this point), I have had the same sick feeling in my stomach when I reach certain parts. That's when you've succeeded as a writer.
It was during this time when I also began writing creatively again; for a while, it was all I did and I still would give anything to sit and write without having to do anything else. I wrote many short stories over the year I was out of school, as well as a longer piece that I am still working on, thanks to the writer workshop we did earlier in another class. I have sort of reached a point now where I don’t immediately hate what I write, and I generally get good feedback from people with whom I share, but I still get really nervous when people read anything I’ve written. On the bright side, I no longer play in a band, so people aren’t listening to me sing what I’ve written---that, my friend, is abysmal stuff. (Side note: I'm pretty sure that movie "War Horse" got its general premise from a song by my old band RankResistance called "Horseshoes and Hand Grenades". I mean, I haven't seen the movie, but still, Mr. Spielberg...)
I am constantly trying to expand my literary territories (hooray for buzzwords). I want to be able to relate with as many of my students as possible, as well as make suggestions that may help them find things they enjoy. It really only takes one book to resonate with someone to hook a lifelong reader, and I hope to be the facilitator of that. I intend to have a book suggestion wall (like the one that was in my last placement) and start out the year with some sort of questionnaire to find what type of books (if any) my students like, as well as films/music/etc. As a nerd of all media, I could talk endlessly about any of that, and themes translate across different forms (i.e. If you are a fan of this movie, you should read this book.) I never really bought into the whole concept of a book changing one’s life, but in the past couple of years or so, I’ve become a believer.
OK, I’m going to close up shop here (sorry for the length), but before I do, I will put up my short list of books that have “shaped” me into the person I…true or not, it still sounds cheesy. I can provide explanations later.
Breakfast of Champions/Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (see above.)
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (Just like Vonnegut in the sense that it shows you can be critical and even angry, but still keep your wits about yourself and still sit back and marvel at the absurdity of behavior from time to time. Sometimes life gets rough---it's best if you can find a way to laugh to keep from crying.)
1984 by George Orwell (Was great for me to have when I was getting politically socialized. Lit a fire under me.)
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (Hands down my favorite book of all time. I can't even write about it. Let's just have coffee and discuss it.)
Tobacco Road by Erskine Caldwell (I read this as a companion piece to As I Lay Dying. Like if you want the visceral reaction, but want to be able to understand it on the first go-around.)
Sex, Economy, Freedom and Community by Wendell Berry (a pretty well-rounded collection of essays comprising Wendell Berry's thoughts about everything except the Oxford comma)
Billy Budd, Sailor by Herman Melville
Child of God/Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy (See above. I get sick when I read both of these books. But I can't look away.)
The Plague by Albert Camus (The importance of this book to me probably has more to do with the timing of when I read it more than the book itself. That's all I've got)
Gorgias by Plato (Everyone should be taught Gorgias. Took it in a political rhetoric class and it is by far the most important lesson you can teach a student: the power of words to inform and to deceive. It is the most important text I can think of, at least.)
OK, seriously, that's all.
