I didn’t realize how difficult this task would be until I started mulling it over. I’ve read thousands of books over my lifetime and each had some type of impact on me, some subtle while others were more profound. I think we all retain bits of stories that dwell in the recesses of our minds for a lifetime and only come to the forefront when triggered by certain events. Think of old songs that spark a memory when you hear it years later. The same applies to the written word, at least for me.
Here is my list in no particular order:
THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck. I grew up in a one-stoplight town in the middle of Oklahoma. How could I not have an affinity for the Joad family from my home state? The novel, which I first read in my middle teens, opened my eyes to the inequality that was, and still is, prevalent in society.
LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov. I probably wouldn’t have discovered this novel until later in life if it hadn’t been a requirement for a college English class. Humbert Humbert is a pervert with a taste for young women, or specifically one young woman, Dolores Haze, or using his moniker, Lolita. For me, Nabokov writing about a taboo subject, allowed for a wider discussion about societal issues that are often difficult to discuss.
INVISIBLE MAN by Ralph Ellison. In my small town, there were two African American families, and I never considered looking at life through their eyes until I read Invisible Man. Of all the books I’ve read this one probably had the most profound effect on me. I saw the world in an entirely different light, one more inclusive rather than exclusive. And it’s a theme that’s stuck with me through life.
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP by John Irving. I read this book when it was first published in 1978. The coming of age story resonated with me because, at that time, I was struggling with some of the same issues T. S. Garp struggled with––finding an identity, and the yearning for a sexual relationship. Too bad my mother never sprang for a hooker.
LONESOME DOVE by Larry McMurtry. I love a big sprawling western. I cut my teeth on the novels of Louis L’Amour and read everything he wrote. Lonesome Dove is a bit more sophisticated than the L’Amour novels. The reason it made my list is because, at that time, it was the only novel to make me cry.
Tim Washburn, Author of POWERLESS ans CATACLYSYM