BBW – Thirteen Books That Challenged My Perceptions
Oct
4
2007

“Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us.” –Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, “The One Un-American Act.” Nieman Reports, vol. 7, no. 1 (Jan. 1953): p. 20.

THIRTEEN BOOKS THAT CHALLENGED MY PERCEPTIONS

1. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.

2. A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines

3. My Son’s Story by Nadine Gordimer (or really, every Gordimer novel I’ve read)

4. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (I love Atwood’s writing. I find everything she writes has a deep, personal intensity so it always gets to me with an intimacy few other authors can achieve)

5. Grass by Sheri Tepper

6. Gate To Women’s Country by Sheri Tepper

7. Surfacing by Margaret Atwood. This is a short novel, not political, but intimate and filled with metaphor and a lot of truly raw moments. It’s one of those books you have to work for, because the book isn’t on the surface, it’s layered beneath.

8. Mists of Avalon by Marian Zimmer Bradley – I was in college when I read this and I remember staying up all night, fascinated by the pagan version of Arturian mythos. I love the idea of stories being told from an unfamiliar perspective. It shook me up and opened another world for me.

9. Oranges Aren’t The Only Fruit by Jeannette Winterson

10. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

11. Living In Truth by Vaclav Havel

12. Letter From The Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr.

13. The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper – this book, of all of the things I read as a kid, sticks with me because I think it was the first one that opened the world of epic fantasy to me. It’s still one of the best books I’ve ever read.

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7 comments to “BBW – Thirteen Books That Challenged My Perceptions”

  1. Ann Aguirre
    October 4th, 2007 at 11:43 am · Link

    I love Margaret Atwood and Sherri Tepper. Phenomenal writers.



  2. Susan Helene Gottfried
    October 4th, 2007 at 3:27 pm · Link

    Amazing, isn’t it, that some people are afraid of what’ll happen if their perceptions are challenged? That they are afraid to grow? Do you think you’d be the person you are if you hadn’t encountered these books?

    Enough from my soap box. It’s just really bugging me because it’s by challenging ourselves that we grow.



  3. Charlene
    October 4th, 2007 at 5:03 pm · Link

    Grass is an amazing novel.



  4. Norma
    October 4th, 2007 at 5:31 pm · Link

    ALA likes to make a big deal about BBW. Nonsense. The banning starts in the selection process, with what never gets to the shelf or never reviewed in PW or LJ. Or never published at all.

    This is my 4th blogiversary.



  5. Lauren Dane
    October 4th, 2007 at 5:38 pm · Link

    And that means what? Censorship is meaningless because it happens on all levels? That makes no sense at all.

    A rational argument would be – Banned Books week is nonsense because X and X renders it nonsense because Y.

    Moreover, many authors do indeed address the issue of how difficult it can be to write about controversial issues and get published – through the ALA site by the way. Judy Blume addresses this issue in the blog entry I made earlier this week.



  6. Mechele Armstrong aka Lany of Melany Logen
    October 4th, 2007 at 7:59 pm · Link

    I Loved the Red Tent! One of my faves. Great list.



  7. Lorelei James
    October 5th, 2007 at 9:03 am · Link

    I too, love some of Margaret Atwood’s books. I was fortunate enough to spend time with a woman who shares an editor with Ms. Atwood…and according to her, they do a LINE BY LINE edit over the phone on every manuscript she turns in. She said it means her editor doesn’t have tons of time for other authors but it seems to worth it!