all is optional

Required Reading: American Literature of the 1960s (independent study)

1. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
2. Armies of the Night by Norman Mailer
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
4. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
5. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
6. Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
7. The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
8. Desolation Angels by Jack Kerouac
9. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

aside: Which of the following should I begin with: Silent Spring, The Bell Jar, Cat’s Cradle, The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test, or Catch 22?

Non-required Reading:

1. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
   I want to read this mainly because it’s been sitting on my list for the last couple of years. Plus, I like Dave. And, McSweeney’s.
2. You Shall Know Our Velocity by Dave Eggers
   Again, I like Dave. I liked Tudor’s review. Plus, the cover of the hardback is pretty sweet.
3. McSweeney’s Quarterly #11 edited by Dave Eggers
   Recommended by C.J. Kershner
4. The Plot Against America by Phillip Roth
   Everybody loves a little bit of conspiracy theory.
5. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon
   This summer, I read an article written by Michael Chabon on writing his first novel. I liked his style. His work with McSweeneys’ isn’t too bad either.
6. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon*
   Recommended by C.J. Kershner
7. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
   I keep seeing it pop up every where. Looks intriguing enough.
8. Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
   Erin’s was on a Vonnegut fix. I liked Slaughterhouse Five. I ask, “Why not?”
9. Slapstick: Or Lonesome No More! by Kurt Vonnegut
   See above.
10. A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut
    Recommed by my aunt.
11. Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie*
    Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s execution and placed a $3,000,000,000USD bounty for his head. Eleven countries banned it. Got to see what the big fuss is.
12. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie*
    I thoroughly enjoyed Fury thus giving some of his (relatively) lighter works a go.
13. Acid Dreams: The Complete History of LSD: The CIA, the Sixties, and Beyond by Martin A. Lee*
    I figured this would give good historical set up for my Sixties independent study. Kenny enjoyed it last summer. For the naysayers, like I said earlier, who doesn’t love a good conspiracy theory?+
14. The Prince and Other Stories by Niccolo Machiavelli*
    This bit Machiavelli’s assertion of the then revolutionary idea that theological and moral imperatives have no place in the political arena from the amazon.com review won me over.
15. The Trial by Franz Kafka*
    On Mom’s recommendation. Also, because existentialism is lessthanthree.
16. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison*
    Lauren Hardy gave me this book some time between the end of senior year of high school and the beginning of sophomore year of college. I have a feel I’ll despise it so I haven’t read it yet but there comes a time in every English major’s life where you suck it up and read.
17. The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald*
    Fitzgerald is like my dirty pleasure.
18. Love of the Last Tycoon by F. Scott Fitzgerald
    Apparently, Tycoon was Fitzgerald’s next great masterpiece but he died before it could be completed.
19. The Crack Up by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Edmund Wilson (editor)
    A collection of essays and letters for a slightly different look at good ol’ Fitz.
20. Flappers and Philosophers by F. Scott Fitzgerald*
    Fitzgerald’s short stories are better than his novels.
21. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James*
    Foray into the horror genre of fiction.
22. Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky*
    It was $2.00 at the thrift store.
23. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky*
    Russian literature, it’s famous for a reason, right?
24. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky*
    It’s a nice change when literature makes you work for it to be good. I have a feeling this book will be good.
25. Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky*
    Notes was a present from a boy I once knew quite well.
(more…)