Like a junkie always on the look to score, I am constantly seeking out books that pack a strong emotional punch. Suprisingly, in thinking back over the couple-hundred books I’ve read, I had a hard time coming up with a short list of five. Of the books and short-stories I finally complied, most, not-so-suprisingly, deal with death. One deals with … let’s say, ‘self-discovery’ to not give away the punchline. Three are short-stories, two are novels. I’ll arrange them in order of how massively they affected me.
1. “The Death of Ivan Ilych” by Leo Tolstoy
Man confronting his painful impending death realizing he has never truly lived. Read in my late-twenties, made me rethink my life. I literally had to have a beer to calm down after reading it, then immediately regretted drinking it.
2. “The Wall” by Jean-Paul Sartre
Man awaiting execution in a cell with two others; tries to figure out how to die with dignity that he sees lacking in his companions. I read this on vacation in the late-80s, and it kept me up at night and made me really, really ponder how I’d act in similar circumstances.
3. “The Gospel According to Mark” by Jorge Luis Borges
Man attempting to convert some illiterate farmers while recovering from a broken leg; his inadvertant fate is horribly ironic. I read this for a college class in literature. It made me want to vomit; you’ll understand.
4. In this House of Brede by Rumer Godden
Woman joins a convent and is slowly spiritually transformed. There are flashbacks of the accidental and lingering death of her five-year-old son, so poignant and heart-wrenching I, a grown man, fought back the urge to cry.
5. Burr by Gore Vidal
Man spends time with the eclectic Aaron Burr, and learns something about himself on the last page that made goosebumps run up and down my body. An excellent, all-around read, not only just for those interested in history.
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