Out of all the books out there, choosing the top 10 is going to be an extremely difficult task. However, I will leave room for honorable mentions at the bottom, since this list is flexible and impossible to set in stone.
10. The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling - Henry Fielding
After studying the rise of the novel between the 16th and 19th centuries, one book stood out to me in particular. Standing out from the tragic novels that were written during its time, Tom Jones is a humorous novel with a lighthearted narrator and characters that actually come to life despite being given two-dimensional personality types. Even if we know that Tom Jones will win the heart of Sophia at the end of the story, Henry Fielding is extremely clever in the way that he foreshadows specific plot events and creates a relatable connection to the reader. Some of the most valuable parts of the novel lie in the beginnings of each book when Fielding is simply giving general advice to the reader
9. Boys in a Boat - Daniel James Brown
Though I read this book a while ago, when it was first published in 2013, I still remember the lasting impression it had on me and the emotional responses I had to the events in the story. As someone who now runs Cross Country, the lessons which this book teaches about teamwork and the grueling process of putting together so much preparation time into a single competition that means the world make it so that Boys in a Boat cannot be put down until it is finished. This is a true story about grit, determination, and not letting down the people who are counting on you to do your best. Accompanied by a short summary of each character's life, since the story is based on a team that rowed in the 1936 Olympics, the book beautifully pays homage to a group of young men who put their heart and souls into one significant moment in athletic history.
8. Tenth of December - George Saunders
This book brings together ten short stories, some of them better than the other, that are told in such an idiosyncratic way. I have never read another contemporary writer like George Saunders, whose stories combine thematically challenging topics with down to earth, simple narration and description that creates a moving and powerful scene. Each time I would read another story, I became attached to the world and characters he creates (some more than others, which is a great aspect to a collection of short stories). Some of my favorites include: "Victory Lap" for digging into the mind of a conflicted adolescent who is under the pressure of his parents; "Puppy" because of the parallels that it draws between love for an animal and a child in an ominous way, "Escape from Spiderhead" because of its analysis of the loss of love in a society controlled by mechanical interactions; and "The Semplica Girl Diaries" because of the controversial topic that it addresses through journal entries from an ignorant character.
I would also absolutely recommend "Jon" by Saunders, an amazing science fiction story that can be read on the New Yorker online.
7. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 started it all for me. Reading this book for the first time is equal to being enlightened, to realizing that we should not take for granted all of the books that surround us today. The characters are impeccable— Guy Montag and his conflicted approach to his profession, Clarisse and her appreciative view of nature despite society's fast movement, the complicated character of Captain Beatty and his history with books. Bradbury has skillful narration which gives the impression that the government is watching over every event in the story, and he masterfully depicts what happens to those like Mildred Montag who succumb to conformist thinking. Every student should be required to read this book at the high school level.
6. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
The morning just before reading this book, I had finished The Grapes of Wrath (an honorable mention below), which I had thought to be the apex of Steinbeck's artful descriptions of a dull period in American history. I was intrigued to see how Steinbeck would pack a story in such a small book. From the first page, when George and Lenny are introduced through juxtaposed character traits, to the very end of the gripping journey between the farm workers, I could feel the two come to life on the paper... their distant wishes, how they look out for one another to reach those unattainable goals, and how the end of the story fits into of this. Aside from the main characters, the book introduces some secondary figures like a stable hand named Crooks and the wife of one of the farm workers who play into some of the memorable scenes and make the entire book unforgettable.
5. Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway
Choosing just one of Hemingway's books was very tough, but this one made it far into the list because it combines my favorite themes into a beautifully written novel. The simple, brief dialogue between Frederic Henry and Catherine Barkley during a period of emotional trauma and warfare is representative of what Hemingway does best— capturing romantic interactions built from personal experience into a story that is gripping but sad. The scenes that include quick death, alcoholism, and separation from a loved one are a reminder of what happens during periods of war and conflict, all the while offering a beautiful story that Hemingway writes with passion and insight.
4. Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes
These two characters will forever stay with humankind. In fact, the word "quixotic" comes directly from this perfectly imperfect knight. Cervantes created two of the most lovable and untouchable characters in all of literature that will never budge because they embody two personality traits that we can identify and understand. They will remain ingrained in our hearts as we continue to reflect on the past, with the light they shed on ancient codes of conduct such as chivalry. Though the book ends with the death of chivalry as a literal lifestyle, Cervantes leaves the door open and invites us to assume chivalric standards in our modern lives like Quixote did.
Aside from the thematic contents, Don Quixote is riddled with exciting, vibrant characters that each have a story to tell— sometimes a little extensive, but always entertaining and insightful. There are sub-stories and heart-wrenching adventures, as well as asides that the author provides based on his own experiences. I regret having waited until my Junior year to read this book, especially after my Rise of the Novel class at Harvard, but it was an excellent book to come across at this stage in my life.
3. Animal Farm - George Orwell
When the reader begins Animal Farm, it is clear that the peace and equality established at the beginning of the story will not last, but the way that Orwell unfolds the story is breathtaking. It is almost as if Orwell has detached himself from society and has completely understood the tendencies of humankind, able to write about them through the metaphor of a farm in an astounding way. Each animal represents a character trait in our society that we can see so clearly, and even if Orwell was addressing Stalin's dictatorship in the early 19th century, so much of what he writes is applicable to today. It is all so brilliant, from the maxims on the side of the barn which are changed to fit the pigs' agenda to the sad fate of Boxer despite his indefatigable effort for the farm.
2. Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
Holden Caulfield is my favorite character in all of literature. There are many literary figures who are conflicted and confused like him, but his yearning for innocence, inward/outward struggle with societal norms, and quest for meaning is unique in every way. His narration is unmatched since he uses his own vocabulary to describe other people such as the well-known "phony." Reading it through an academic lens can be surprisingly more satisfying, enriching the story with the extent of Salinger's symbolism, metaphors, and imagery. The reader becomes attached to Holden Caulfield in a way that is completely distinctive to this book, and it is a transformative experience for anyone willing to be changed by a conflicted, but honest character.
1. 1984 - George Orwell
1984 is life-changing. It seriously alters the life of any person who reads it. It is hypnotic, and another, better, example of George Orwell's mastery over human innovation. When you read this book, your mind is teleported somewhere else... it opens another door within your mind. At first, the plot absorbs you and you are tying to make sense of the mysterious, censored environment that the government has created, then you begin to see what is happening in light of our current society. The reader fears that what is being depicted in the story is actually going to be our future society, since it is so real. So possible. Orwell's prophecy of essentially the entire world is unbelievable and at a whole other level compared to the rest of literature, in my opinion, and is so filled with paradoxes and betrayals that it makes you question your existence and your future as a citizen.
10 Honorable Mentions
The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Dangerous Liaisons - Choderlos Laclos
The Nick Adams Stories - Ernest Hemingway
Salt to the Sea - Ruta Sepetys
Paradise Lost - John Milton
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzergald
Julius Caesar - William Shakespeare
Nine Stories - J.D. Salinger
The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
North of Boston - Robert Frost (collection of poems)
11/18/19