Continued: Books and Literature

9. The Fallen Angels by Micheal Saharra. I was exposed to this text by accident. My uncle, who went to seminary in Gettysburg, bought this for me when he went to get some paperwork from the college. We drove out and as he ran through the streets of this famed city, I started asking questions. He realized we had major time before heading back to my grandparents that summer after the eighth grade and so we hoped on a tour bus of this town. But it wasn't enough. Soon the questions became more complex. Why did they send the men, in full face of guns, across an open field? Why did they need to have control of this place called 'Devil's Den?' He realized, after years of attending college in the area, he didn't have all the answers. So he grabbed this book, a text he had read and said, try this. I was glued to the pages. After a while, he had me keep a notepad nearby, so I could list ALL of the people involved--my brain may have been able to grasp the concepts, but not totally--and I learned that history was just as good as reality, when it comes to the story department.

8. Immortal Poems edited by Oscar Williams: We've all had a teacher, that one who made the world for us, right? For me, it was my 12th grade, AP British Literature teacher. He was our theatre teacher, but this was the one English course he worked on, and you could tell. He was so excited everyday, he once blurted out, "my goal is make you either love Shakespeare or love poetry." A loft goal, but his excitement only added to my previous interest (Ian Fleming's Bond was already in my repetoire, as were Paddington and CS Lewis). His coup de grace was when I invited him to my own graduation party (I invited most of my senior year's teachers) and he was the only one who showed up. And this book was his gift. I took it with me to college the following year and when I needed it, I would read and use it to inspire journal entries. And I still use the book when I need it.

7. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams: Look everyone, a play! I knew I wanted to include a play on this list, and this was the first one that came to mind. From there, it was easy--I had written a biography of the playwright in my junior year in college for my American Literature course. He has written better plays, but this was the one, I felt that lept off the page, that I could envision in my mind's eye more then the others. He was exact in his detail. Frankly, I think he was in love with Stanley Kowlowski. And it showed! The playwright, hung up on his own homosexuality, was creating characters to fill his personal voids. But he was conflicted, and those characters destroy each other. A theatrical piece that is an amazing read.

6. Night Shift by Stephen King: Let's just say, my writing when it comes to creating a novel sucks; but because of this author, my short stories shine right through. I know, a bit of boasting on my part but the only thing I have confidence in is writing. Not to say my writing is any good, but I enjoy the act in and of itself. And I love to write short stories. I knew my soul twin would be on this list, somewhere. But what book? Pet Semetary is probably my favorite book of his, but I don't believe it played to his strengths like this title did. After reading this, I was encouraged to write. A collection of his magazine submissions, it varies as much as our personalities, and with that, it worthy of mention. I can only wish to create like he does.

5. Autumn Lightening by Dave Lowry: I stumbled across this title in a used bookstore and I've not been the same since. A story of an American learning martial arts hit me on two levels. First, it drew me in--I love martial arts. I was engaged from the start. But the message became stronger as I saw a theme that the tale of every martialist goes through, that for the quest for knowledge of something. We are responsible, we seek the teachers in our life. I ran into an old student who told me, 'your stupid school taught me nothing.' Having read this book, I realized, it was because 'you were not ready to learn, I guess.' (I offered to have him return to the school and teach what we had missed and he gawked--see what I mean?) Such is the profundity of this text. As a teacher, as a learner, I was marked.

4. Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger: I had long thought that "The Catcher in the Rye" would have ended up on this list, but when I couldn't find enough copies to use in my own classroom, I stumbled across this title. I sat down and read it over the weekend (9 short stories) and found this work was actually BETTER. Surely, the swear words due to return and there are weird moments that had me questioning the author's sanity, but isn't that what reading Salinger is about? This is his far better works, more direct in their publication. And yes, at least for me, more inspiring in their short story form.

3. Writing Down the Bones/the Wild Life by Natalie Goldberg: A writing text by a Jewish Buddist author. I found this book when I was student teaching. I found that I had nothing to do, literally, in that small apartment above the infirmary at the Deaf school where I was doing my practicuum. I kept a journal, because I didn't have a television or a kitchen. It was awful. After a while, with zero friends and a semester to go, I found this book in the self help section of a New Age bookstore. It had journal ideas. But it also had ways of self development. Like killing the critic in my head, meditation through writing, and feeling good about the act of creating. I still read it today. I can see a copy of it from where I sit. And I cannot thank her enough. If only I could write full time.

2. The Tao of Inner Peace by Diane Dreher: I asked my friend to think of another text than the Bible for his list. I should have said the same for myself, relating to this book. Surely, this has, in a way, become like a Bible for me. It takes the works of Lao Tzu's poetry-the workings of Tao--and gives you suggestions on how to apply them into your life. It was like an instruction booklet for a religious text. One of the problems I've always had of the Bible is that it's too open, too many opportunities to self-interpret the meanings. So people tend to lean on 'the professionals' or the church, as it were, to tell them what it means. They rarely read it themselves--which is very dangerous, when you think about it. This book lets the READER make the decisions on what is important within the poetry. And saved my life several times. I still look to this book in times of troubles.

1. The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule: How can not mention this book? I read it, all 300+ pages in two hours. It was reviting and since I read it, I've not been able to put down the world of nonfiction writing. It's the true crime tale of a cop/reporter who's friend, Ted Bundy, may or may not be a serial killer. She reports items from her standpoint, and never really gives in to the wisdom that he was doing said horrid deeds. I worked like a horror/thriller and I couldn't put it down. Why is it at the top of the list? Because she had become what I inspire to be. Not a serial killer, you dolts, but an author, using experience to create a tale so reveting, you'd read it in one night.

HONORABLE MENTION: As I reviewed my notes this morning, I realized I missed one text, so there really was 20 titles. The book, which should have been listed today was the two parter "Mouse Tales and Mouse Tales II by David Koening" They are horribly written, not a single name is given to protect the witnesses, tales about the goings-on in Disneyland. Surely, they are the secrets the company doesn't want us to find out, and they do come off as a bit tantalizing and yellow. But the author is having sheer joy over his topic, a Disney fan not unlike myself, and you can tell, even tho he's reporting the bad, it's because he wants to know everything about our favorite place. This is a fanbook, through and through. And I keep rereading it everytime I find myself in California or Florida. Ya know, just to give myself and my friends to talk about while waiting on line for Space Mountain for four hours.

Peace.