Books.

Over the past few years I’ve realized my love for fiction.  Now, I know that most of the books I’ve been reading, which are mostly American Classics, should be books that I read in my formative years in school.  Well i’m sad to say back then reading wasn’t exactly a priority for me.  Skateboards, where to ride skateboards, music and how to get better at both were the Gods of my teenage years.  Don’t get me wrong, I did well enough in school.  I did what was necessary to get by and nothing more…something I don’t really regret.  Maybe I should but I just can’t find it in me.

High school was spent reading Cliff Notes and B.Sing my way through papers.  Music consumed me.  I spent all free time listen and imitating my heros.  I dabbled in theology a bit, but nothing grabbed me.  Post high school found me doing the very thing I longed to do, traveling and playing music.  I was blessed enough to have amazing people around me who pushed me to study and think for myself.  Willard, Piper, Bonhoeffer, Lewis, and Kierkegaard were the books I had with me at all times.  As you can imagine none of these are exactly compelling in a I-can’t-put-this-book-down kind of way.  These books changed me and made me who I am today, and for that they are priceless to me.

About three years ago my brother, Blake, who I’m pretty sure read “War of The Worlds” when he was in fifth grade, told me I should read “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck.  I looked at the 600 page book and then back at him with hesitation in my face.  He said ” Trust me, after the first few chapters you’ll love it.”  Blake is a trustworthy fellow, so I gave it a go not realizing what an effect it would have on me. One week later I’d finished the book.  The thing you need to understand is that I’m not some speed reader, the story just grabbed me and I couldn’t put it down.  I stayed up late and got up early just to see what would happen next.  It was refreshing to zip through a book, to get caught up in characters and themes, instead of trying to mentally process each in-depth paragraph of a Piper book.  

Over the past two years I’ve been obsessed with American Classics: All things Stienbeck, “Uncle Toms Cabin”, “To Kill A Mockingbird”, “Old Yeller”, “Catcher in the Rye” and so on…  Currently I’m reading “1984″ by George Orwell.  Its a negative utopia.  A bit of a depressing book, but I find the future described fascinating because it was written in 1949.  Most of the imagery is somewhat familiar to me, be it movies I’ve seen or television programs.  But for a writer in ‘49 to come up with these ideas amazes me.  I hope to finish it soon so life won’t look so gloomy.  I will then move on to a book by Ha Jin called “The Crazed” that a good friend gifted me.