OWEN ROSE
Special to The Leader
As a future librarian as well as an ethnic and gender studies major with an English minor, I spend more time reading than not. That being said, here is a carefully crafted list of 10 books I believe everyone should read at least once!
- “Scythe” by Neal Shusterman
Anyone who’s ever met me knows “Scythe” by Neal Shusterman is my favorite book of all time. Neal Shusterman is a New York Times bestselling author who frequently writes young adult sci-fi/speculative fiction. “Scythe” itself was published in 2016 and let me say, when I found this book at the ripe age of 11, I devoured it. Since then, I’ve read it four times.
The book follows a young Citra Terranova and Rowan Damisch who navigate a futuristic, seemingly utopian world in which the methods of curbing overpopulation is a profession called Scythes.
- “The Bacchae” by Euripides
A classic. Literally. “The Bacchae” follows the deity Dionysus and the King of Thebes, Pentheus, and how their conflicting ideals cause a tragedy. Euripides doesn’t personally have any New York Times bestseller awards, but being one of the oldest playwrights is a title enough!
This play was written roughly in 407 B.C.E. so it’s safe to say the work has had time to age like fine wine. When picking up this play for yourself, I recommend you imagine yourself as an Ancient Greek citizen, watching the premiere at a Dionysiac festival.
- “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson
Not as well known as the two above, Rachel Carson dominated environmentalism in the 1960s. Her book “Silent Spring,” published in 1962, is about the indiscriminate use of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), an insecticide, as a way of combating the spread of illnesses such as malaria and typhus through mosquitos.
Chapter by chapter, the book describes the environmental effects of different aspects of our world: “The Realms of the Soil,” “Surface Waters and Underground Seas” and so on and so forth. Reading this book not only informed me about DDT but also changed my perspective on how I walk the Earth. If that isn’t reason enough, I don’t know what is.
- “1984” by George Orwell
Ah yes, the book most of us had to read in high school. Listen, I get it, it’s old and boring and Winston is weird. But it is still so applicable to what we see today. The book was published in 1949, and it was the final novel Orwell completed.
George Orwell has not only influenced me as a writer but also as a person navigating the world we live in. If you haven’t ever given this book a read, you’re missing out on so many pop culture references, as well as an extremely important classic!
- “Ishmael” by Daniel Quinn
Another environmental book, I can’t help myself. Except in this one, the gorilla talks — with his mouth, or telepathically. Pick your poison. If you ever wanted a story in which a man and a gorilla discuss key environmental philosophies, I have the book for you.
Before reading this book, I was told it would completely change the way I view the world and I can confirm — it did. As corny as it sounds. If you can get past the talking gorilla, then picking up this book is a must.
- “Klara and the Sun” by Kazuo Ishiguro
Artificial intelligence (AI) was scary until I was placed in the point of view of it. Kazuo Ishiguro is known for his riveting works of speculative fiction, and while this isn’t his most well-known book, it certainly lives up to his legacy.
“Klara and the Sun” gave me a new perspective on this terrifying AI feud that’s been going on by showing me differing perspectives of love, loneliness and faith. The book was published in 2021 and has made an impact on the diverse world of speculative fiction.
- “Genderqueer” by Maia Kobabe
This book is a gorgeously written and illustrated graphic novel and autobiography detailing how it feels to grow up as a genderqueer person. Maia Kobabe, in less than 300 pages, accurately describes eir nonbinary experience and all of its nuanced facets.
The book, published in 2019, is the #1 Most Challenged Book of 2023, a statistic by the American Library Association (ALA), with 106 challenges. Kobabe received the honor of the Stonewall Honor Book as well as an Alex Award from the ALA itself.
- “Ajax” by Sophocles
“Ajax” by Sophocles, estimated to be written around 440 B.C.E., details the life of the warrior Ajax, and his tragic fall due to pride, jealousy and the goddess Athena. Just like “The Bacchae,” this play has no fancy accolades like some of the more recent books, but it has withstood the test of time, as well as the burning of the Library of Alexandria. This play defined my senior year — maybe it’ll define yours.
- “UnWholly” by Neal Shusterman
This is technically the second book in “The Unwind Dystology,” but nonetheless deserving of its place on this list. The book was revealed in 2012 and was clearly a hit, as three more books came after it. I won’t spoil too much, but if you’re looking for a dystopian series about the fight on abortion with love triangles, cults and Frankensteins, look no further!
I know a Shusterman work is already on this list, but he is truly an outstanding author. With a double degree in theatre and psychology, he has a cultivated knack for writing complex stories about people! Give it a try!
- “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare
Hear me out. I know sometimes the language can be tricky but magic, fairies and a love square between two men and women! Shakespeare walked so contemporary romantasy could run. First performed between the years 1594 and 1596 in what’s assumed to be the London Theater, Shakespeare created a piece that would have future English teachers scrambling to understand… Was the blue curtain purposeful? Nonetheless, it is still a beautiful play that I’ve both read, seen and performed!