The books that made me who I am

This is a tough quest really. Selecting the books that I have subsumed into my psyche, to make who I am.

It would be easier to list influential authors: George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Jack Kerouac, Ernest Hemingway, Harper Lee, Martha Gellhorn, Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Conrad...OK, the list can just go on and on.

1. The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway

2. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

3. Dharma Bums - Jack Kerouac

4. The Road to Wigan Pier - George Orwell

5. The Face of War - Martha Gellhorn

I could easily go on to a top 20 - but these 5 books take me from my childhood to my young adulthood. I remember reading the 'Old Man and the Sea' at the age of twelve, in a single sitting and being captivated completely. It lead me to search for other books by the author but it still a few more years before I could really delve into those post war adventures.

As I grew, chronologically and psychologically, the books that I read awakened my awareness of that the world was not quite the Winnie the Pooh utopia that school and my parents wanted me to believe as a child.

Integrating into the continuum of human existence and coming to terms with the human condition with a sense of balance and poise was made possible due to the authors that I worshipped. As friends fell for every fad and trend, I kept my head in the books and my ears in the music and was happy to be part of a different community.

#readingrecommendations #curiosity