Follow My Book Blog Friday Hop #14

Happy Follow Friday!!

This weekly feature is hosted by

Rachel at Parajunkee's View 

and 

Alison at Alison Can Read,

 which you really must go and check out!!

You can find the rules at the links above.

Join in the fun and make new blogging friends!!

This week's featured blogs are:

Anonymous Reads

and

Keeping Up With Roxy's Books!!!

This week's question is:

In keeping with the Spirit of Giving

this season,

what book do you think

EVERYONE should read

and if you could,

you would buy it

for all of your family and friends?

What a great, thought-provoking question!!  it's the type of question I most enjoy answering, because I can reach within and share those things I treasure, things I have learned through those greatest treasures -- books!! 

I would love to provide a comprehensive list of all the books that have deeply affected me, books that have indelibly marked me as a person; in short, books that have changed my life -- perhaps not in overly dramatic ways, but in the sense that they have expanded my mind and engaged my emotions, given me new horizons to look toward, and simply enriched my existence immeasurably.  We're supposed to pick one, though...Hmm...

Well, there is, in fact, one book that comes to mind right away, but I really can't limit myself to one, because hot on the heels of that first book, there follows another one, and then another....

The four books I'm including here all speak to the universal human experience, although, at first glance, that may not seem to be the case.  They deal with such age-old themes as the clash of different personalities in romantic relationships, the conflict between love and one's conscience, coming of age, the conflict between rigid orthodoxy and the creative imagination, the spirituality of art, the need to find meaning within life's constant paradoxes, the corrosive nature of prejudice, and the inevitable shock of innocence encountering evil for the first time...

These are truly unforgettable books.  These are books that I would love to give to everyone I meet, not just friends and family, because once you read them, you understand what it truly means to be human.

Jane Eyre

Charlotte Bronte

Hardcover, 596 pages

Everyman's Library

October 15, 1992

(first published 1847)

Genre: Romance, Literary Fiction

This novel is a tour de force of passion and intrigue,

a very beautiful romance

that is also full of depth, since it

explores the mysteries of

the human heart,

as well as such themes

as moral courage, true independence of spirit,

and psychological resiliency.

It's also a feminist manifesto,

one that was very much ahead of its time

when it was first published.

I will always be fascinated by this

very compelling tale,

relishing it again and again in years to come.

Everyone should read it at least once

in their lifetime!

My Name Is Asher Lev

Chaim Potok

Hardcover, 369 pages

Alfred A. Knopf

March 12, 1972

Genre: Literary Fiction, Art, Religion

This is an incredibly beautiful, luminous novel,

in which the creation of art

is shown to be a sacred, even mystical

activity, one that should not

be barred by religion,

but instead engaged in precisely because of

its inherently spiritual dimension.

I read this book years ago, as

a college art student, and it has retained

a very special place in my heart.

In spite of its focus on the world of

traditional Judaism, this novel

is universal in scope,

as well as a deeply moving one.

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

Betty Smith

Hardcover, 512 pages

Harper Collins

November 1, 2001

(first published 1943)

Genre: Literary Fiction

This is another incredibly beautiful novel,

as deeply moving as any of the other books
I've chosen.

It is a story of life and its unavoidable

disappointments and tragedies.

It is a tale of the wonder, joy, beauty and sadness of

human existence.

To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee

Mass Market Paperback, 281 pages

Warner Books

December 11, 1982

(first published 1960)

Genre: Literary Fiction

Here is yet another truly beautiful novel,

one that deals with several themes,

chief among them being the

nature of prejudice and its insidious influence,

which totally corrupts and

distorts human relationships.

It is also a coming-of-age story,

told through the eyes of someone

who has not yet learned 'how

the world works',

someone who will, through

the narrated events,

discover the cruelty of discrimination,

as well as the strength of

moral character.

It is another unforgettable book!!

What memorable books

would you all love to give

to your friends and family
this holiday season?