To Kill A Mockingbird : This Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Harper Lee celebrates its 50th anniversary in print this year. A coming-of-age tale set in a land poisoned by virulent prejudice, the multi-layered story of South Alabama during the Great Depression in the 1930s dissects the white and black communities of the American South. Told with gentle humor, it focuses on religious turpitude and the ambivalence of adult morality. It has sold more than thirty million copies worldwide and also served as the basis of an enormously popular motion picture.
The Catcher in the Rye : The ultimate novel for disaffected youth. The story of Holden Caulfield, a seventeen- year-old dropout has always remained relevant to readers of all ages. A novel whose interest and appeal comes from its observations rather than its plot intrigues, J.D. Salinger’s timeless classic deals with society, love, loss, and expectations without ever falling into the clutch of a cliché.
The Little Prince : A book with a story so short and simple, it is often placed alongside popular children’s books at bookstores. Told in barely a hundred pages or so, Antoine De Saint-Exupry presents a thought provoking allegory of the human condition with his tale about a lost little boy.
The Diary of a Young Girl : Anne Frank was just thirteen years old when her family went into hiding for two years to escape the Nazi occupation of Netherlands in 1942. Her diary which was later discovered after the family was apprehended, vividly describes her frustrations of living in confined quarters, the constant threat of discovery, and the hunger and tiredness she faced daily. After it was published in 1947, the book remains the single most poignant true-life story to emerge from the Second World War.
Animal Farm : Fueled by Orwell’s intense disillusionment with Soviet Communism, the dystopian, allegorical novella reflects events leading up to and during the Stalin era before World War II. A masterpiece, both as an engaging story and an allegory that actually works, the book symbolizes all the injustice that happens in name of an outside force and how simple minded people who do not educate themselves get taken advantage from.
These are just a selected few from among the classics. If you feel that there are other books which deserve to be added on this list, do leave us a comment below. All readers are welcome to recommend their favorite books.
July 2nd, 2010 at 12:27 pm
Here are 4 more recommended by avid book readers from our Facebook group….
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Tuesdays with Morrie (Thank you Vibhanshu)
Bridges of Madison County (Thanks Sahila!!!)
The Alchemist (Thanks Alemla!)
The 48 Laws of Power (Thank you Kunal
July 2nd, 2010 at 12:32 pm
I would definitely add Siddharta and Atlas Shrugged
July 2nd, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Some more from our facebook group:
Fountainhead (Thanks Praveen)
Midnight’s Children (Praveen, Thanks again!!1)
A Good Earth (Thank you Mukta)
July 3rd, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough) ; Children of a Lesser God (Arundhati Roy) ; Midnight’s Children (Salman Rushdie)
July 4th, 2010 at 5:29 pm
Here’s more from our facebook readers:
Praveen recommends Kite Runner
Upasna recommends A suitable Boy, An Equal Music, A Time to Kill and Animal Farm
Sharon recommends Catch 22
(please note, we are only adding books that are not already recommended or in the list….so you might have suggested some more which are already on the list and hence not listed under ur name
July 12th, 2010 at 12:35 am
Great stuff. thanks for this
July 23rd, 2010 at 10:06 am
may I suggest – Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights
November 19th, 2010 at 3:58 am
Hi – great article. We’re big fans of Ayn Rand / Atlas Shrugged here too – so much that we re-created the chain link bracelet that Hank Rearden made from his first batch and tried to give to his wife. It’s named the Liberty Bracelet – check it out at http://www.libertybracelet.com. Proceeds will go to the Campaign For Liberty so we had a feeling you might enjoy it.
If you’re interested in blogging about it or let us post about it for you, we’re happy to hook you up with the “Friends and Family” coupon on them! Please write us an e-mail if you like that, we’d really appreciate it.
Anyhow… nice blog… we joined your feed now so we’ll be checking in regularly!
May 18th, 2011 at 3:48 pm
My Experiments with Truth Mahatma Gandhi
Gitanjali Rabindranath Tagore
Maximum City Suketu Mehta
Do and Die Manini Chatterjee
May 18th, 2011 at 4:03 pm
Uncle Tom’s Cabin Harriet Beecher Stowe
Roots Alex Haley
December 19th, 2012 at 5:22 pm
TRUE COLORS OF LOVE
AN ADOLESCENT MIND.
Both written by novelist IR SHANKAR.