Reading Lists click-throughs: in a recent (#221) post Emily Lloyd (Shelf Check) refers to 100 Must-Read Books: The Essential Man’s Library on The Art of Manliness. I love reading lists like this that reflect personal opinion. They don't have to be right, wrong, or all-inclusive.
One of the comments had a pointer to the Marine Corps Professional Reading Program (click on Reading Lists in the right-hand column), the latest version of a tradition that's been around since the 19th century. Fascinating!
Here's the 100 Must-Read Books: The Essential Man's Library on Amazon.com. The blog post has great photos of vintage books, but the Amazon list is much faster, so you might prefer it if you have a slow Internet connection.
My brother-in-law sent this list to me last month. I agree that a list does not need to be all-inclusive. While most of the responses listed other books the commenter thought should have been on the list, I did think one person's suggestion that there was a lack of non-English language books was important. I didn't notice that the list was meant to be American books for American guys, and there are a few foreign titles. Things Fall Apart makes a lot of sense. I hadn't really thought of it until I read the comment. I guess I took this as another example of how difficult it is for me to look outside of my own experience and find commonality with folks experiencing something else. Every once in awhile I try to read a few books in a genre I don't normally read. I've done popular women authors, street lit, and I've got a list of vampire romances to try next. I think a lot of librarians do this, and I like the idea.
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ReplyDeleteYes, I'd be interested in reading it. I'll check out your blog! Thanks for the kind words.
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