9 Books You Must Read

Whether exploring love, society, or the human condition, these literary works provide insights that enrich our understanding of the world and ourselves. Reading these books is not just a leisurely activity; it's an exploration of diverse ideas and experiences that can profoundly impact our lives. Each book offers a unique perspective, touching on universal themes that resonate across time and cultures. 

"The Art of War" by Sun Tzu:

Written in the 6th century BC, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War is still used as a book on military strategy today. Napoleon, Mae Zedong, General Vo Nguyen Giap, and General Douglas MacArthur all claimed to have drawn inspiration from it. Beyond the world of war, business and management gurus have also applied Sun Tzu’s ideas to office politics and corporate strategy.

"The God of Small Things" by  Arundhati Roy

The story recalls the early years of identical twins whose lives were ruined by the "love laws" that were in place in the 1960s in Kerala, India. The novel explores how small, seemingly insignificant occurrences, decisions, and experiences shape people's behavior in deeply significant ways. The novel also explores the lingering effects of casteism in India, lending a culturally specific critique of British colonialism in India. It won the Booker Prize in 1997.

"The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck 

The Good Earth is a historical fiction novel by Pearl S. Buck, published in 1931, that dramatizes family life in a 20th-century Chinese village in Anhwei. It was the best-selling novel in the United States in both 1931 and 1932, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1932, and was influential in Buck's winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938. Buck, who grew up in China as the daughter of American missionaries, wrote the book while living in China and drew on her first-hand observation of Chinese village life. The realistic and sympathetic depiction of the farmer Wang Lung and his wife O-Lan helped prepare Americans of the 1930s to consider the Chinese as allies in the coming war with Japan.

"The Bastard of Istanbul" by Elif Shafak

Asya, a nineteen-year-old woman who loves Johnny Cash and the French Existentialists, and the four sisters of the Kazanci family who all live together in an extended household in Istanbul: Zehila, the zestful, headstrong youngest sister who runs a tattoo parlor and is Asya’s mother; Banu, who has recently discovered herself as a clairvoyant; Cevriye, a widowed high school teacher; and Feride, a hypochondriac obsessed with impending disaster. Their one estranged brother lives in Arizona with his wife and her Armenian daughter, Armanoush. When Armanoush secretly flies to Istanbul in search of her identity, she finds the Kazanci sisters and becomes fast friends with Asya. A secret is uncovered that links the two families and ties them to the 1915 Armenian deportations and massacres. Full of vigorous, unforgettable female characters, The Bastard of Istanbul is a bold, powerful tale that will confirm Shafak as a rising star of international fiction.

"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee:

To Kill a Mockingbird was published in June 1960 and became instantly successful. In the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. To Kill a Mockingbird has become a classic of modern American literature; a year after its release, it won the Pulitzer Prize. The plot and characters are loosely based on Lee's observations of her family, her neighbors, and an event near her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama, in 1936, when she was ten.

“The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald:

The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and Gatsby's obsession to reunite with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan.

"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger:

The Catcher in the Rye is a novel by American author J. D. Salinger that was partially published in serial form in 1945–46 before being novelized in 1951. Although it was intended for adults, teenagers frequently read it because of its themes of alienation and anguish, as well as its criticism of society's superficiality.  The novel also deals with themes of innocence, identity, belonging, loss, connection, and depression. The main character, Holden Caulfield, has become an icon of teenage rebellion. Caulfield, nearly his age, gives his opinion on a wide variety of topics as he narrates his recent life events.

"Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte:

Jane Eyre is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Bront. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on October 19, 1847, by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. Jane Eyre is a bildungsroman that follows the experiences of its eponymous heroine, including her growth to adulthood and her love for Mr. Rochester, the brooding master of Thornfield Hall.

"One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez:

One Hundred Years of Solitude is a 1967 novel by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez that tells the multi-generational story of the Buendía family, whose patriarch, José Arcadio Buendía, founded the fictitious town of Macondo. The novel is often cited as one of the supreme achievements in world literature.

"The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho:

The Alchemist is a novel by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho that was first published in 1988. Originally written in Portuguese, it became a widely translated international bestseller. The story follows the shepherd boy Santiago on his journey across northern Africa to the pyramids of Egypt after he dreams of finding a treasure there.