“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.”
All of Isaac B Singer, especially his novel about post-Holocaust life for survivors, Enemies, A Love Story. Next, The Blue Mountain by Meir Shalev, who died last year. Third, A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz.
I find it interesting that you find it helpful to turn your brain off when watching TV shows or movies. Which makes me wonder what exactly you're watching that allows you to do this. Personally I find it intellectually stimulating, which is why I write about the philosophy behind it. But what exactly do you watch?
When I was an older teen, Boede Thoene's historical novel series, The Zion Chronicles and the Zion Covenant, introduced me to the heart of God for the Jewish People, their spiritual connection with the Land of Israel and the significance of the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. It influenced me greatly to be Christian Zionist and pursue my connection with the Jewish people and their Land for my entire life.
These are interesting comments. Thanks.
(The Forever War was one of my favorite books.)
I like this one:
“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.”
― James Baldwin
Fahrenheit 451. Put me on the path to being an academic.
In literature?
Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath.”
Although not a novel, I learned much about China that I was only peripherally aware of from Wild Swans, The Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang.
All of Isaac B Singer, especially his novel about post-Holocaust life for survivors, Enemies, A Love Story. Next, The Blue Mountain by Meir Shalev, who died last year. Third, A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz.
I find it interesting that you find it helpful to turn your brain off when watching TV shows or movies. Which makes me wonder what exactly you're watching that allows you to do this. Personally I find it intellectually stimulating, which is why I write about the philosophy behind it. But what exactly do you watch?
When I was an older teen, Boede Thoene's historical novel series, The Zion Chronicles and the Zion Covenant, introduced me to the heart of God for the Jewish People, their spiritual connection with the Land of Israel and the significance of the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. It influenced me greatly to be Christian Zionist and pursue my connection with the Jewish people and their Land for my entire life.
Liberation Day , a collection of short stories and Lincoln on the Bardo by George Saunders both heartbreaking and thought provoking.