By Sandra Rhee
In my last post, I shared my top ten books of all time. Those books weren't the best written, per se, but they had the greatest impact on my life.
This list is different.
These are ten books I think are the most beautifully written. Any kind of style works—I don't think I'm drawn to one particular kind—and I would even say any topic works too. What I value most in great writing is the powerful expression of a point-of-view.
These books left me thinking, "Damn. That was good.".
Here are my best ten books, in no order:
Huasipungo by Jorge Icaza (ECUADOR) - This book should be in the Latin American canon, it is so well-written and tragic. My views on power were changed. It follows the story of an indigenous Ecuadorian couple exchanging their labor for a hut to live, except the land owners go too far.
To Live by Yu Hua (CHINA) - I started clapping as I finished this book. It's like a Chinese Forrest Gump or A Hundred Years of Solitude. It follows a Chinese man from infancy to old age, across decades of Chinese history, including Land Reform, Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution. How did it change me? Well, it humanized their experience. The people went through difficult shit and came out of it with a undeniable resilience and a distinct worldview.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (USA) - You know how despair makes you feel the world is suffocating, dull, and hopeless? Plath uses words sparingly to drop you into this feeling of being in "the bell jar". I wish she had written more. She might have become one of my favorite authors. This is her only novel before her suicide (she wrote poetry which I plan to read).
Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (RUSSIA)- The author changes point-of-view between three brothers accused of murdering their father. Not only a murder mystery viable to compete with any Netflix show, but also a riveting monologue on guilt, sin, religion, and human nature. Dostoevsky inspires me to seek truth with rigor.
The Elements of Style by E.B. White & Will Strunk (USA) - I'm feeling guilty because this book taught me to be concise, and all of my writing could do better. It's ostensibly a writing manual, but more than that, it's an insight into language and the unobvious reasons why we're wordier than we should be. It's a witty read that made me laugh out loud.
Paul Graham's Essays (USA) - Paul's essays are a staple of the entrepreneurial world-view. They pushed me form my own answers rather than accept his at face value, and for that, his writing is doubly powerful. His essay "What To Do" inspires me to ask the same. He explores basic questions with unexpected takes, using simple words and clear logic.
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (GERMANY) - Changed my views on hawkish international policy. War is too cruel on the young men actually doing the fighting. This author shocked me with his impeccable style and descriptions. The most impactful book on war I've ever read.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (USA) - Her rhythmic prose paints scenes like a movie. This book lays bare a tragedy of a black girl going through family abuse and racism, and the effect it has on her self esteem. I thought about this book for months, and I was nearly depressed. Toni Morrison is my favorite African-American author.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver (USA) - Slow heart-wrenching stories of everyday American lives. Who says you can't live in a white suburb and suffer deep pains?
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (BRITAIN) - My favorite science fiction story. A man travels through a time machine and witnesses two different human species. The outlook feels current—Read today, it looks like a warning about wealth inequality and the deadening effects of technology.
