All books have something to say, and their point is that someone read them. But some of these stories are more complex than other ones. The more complicated ones are those that try to challenge your mind to open, so they can teach you something new or different. Like the little voice who keeps reminding you about the book at nighttime. Or the reason why some books you fly through pages, and others you want to move slowly each page, because you are afraid, they will be done soon.
I won't bore anyone with a full essay of each of these 10 books. First, I’m confident I won’t do it right. And second, I just want to get your curiosity going. I want you to decide to open these books, and enjoyed each word as much as I did, while you make your own discoveries.
Some books are meant to be read with an open mind. I truly believe this. Only when we open ourselves to new ideas, themes and theories, we tested our principals, philosophy, and belief. But always remember,
“The wise man can change his mind; the stubborn one, never.” Immanuel Kant
Fair warning. I read some of these books in Spanish and some in English. The reason some titles are in both languages. Some I read because of school assignments, other because of friends’ recommendations, others were sitting on my parents’ bookshelves, and some because my mom told me about them, and she made me wondered.
Asi Hablo Zaratustra, by Friedrich Nietzsche
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
I was in the middle of high school when I came across this masterpiece. Legend says this book and author’s philosophy were taking by the biggest tyrants of human history. If you read it, you could see the reason. But I believe this book has a different meaning, to each person that reads it.
I took my time to read it, and I suggest you do the same. To grasp some background lessons on each section, it is necessary to reflect on them. Not an easy read, but very interesting. Like any person’s journey through life; it is complex, with many ideas and concepts. Some of them, old fashioned, stood in a pastime with its rules and traditions. Some others could apply to our times and ways. At the end, it is still a story in a book. Not a gospel written by a god.
The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
My dad gave me this book when I was around 9 years old. He showed me the first picture on it and asked me what I saw. It was an elephant!
I remembered my dad trying to explain to me it was a boa that have eaten an elephant. He tried to talk to me about this story, and even read parts to me.
As you can guess, I went back to play. I thought it was the most boring thing in the world!
Year later, I found a copy in a library. Naturally, I looked for the picture. To my surprise, this time I saw a hat, without a doubt it was a hat. So, I read the book, and I found I couldn’t put it down.
There is so much to learn within this small read. It is full of kindness and wisdom. At the end, I understood why my dad wanted me to read it. But it isn’t a children’s book. To me, the lessons are meant to teach grownups how to get in touch with the caring part of our souls, something kids need not be taught about.
Juan Salvador Gaviota, by Richard Bach
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
I believe this is the story of anyone trying to catch their dreams. A tale of doing what it takes to make them come true, and not to sit and hope. Most of us made the mistake to overthink about what we want. We don’t create a path to reach it. Instead, we sat down and kept thinking in how wonderful it would be. The point of this book is that path, and the effort it takes to walk through it.
But it is also a story about freedom. If I have to define liberty, I will have to describe that seagull. Johnathan flying in the highest of the sky, as fast as possible, without fear of reaching his limits. Imagine you could cross life like that, flying free through it, with wide open wings, feeling the wind pushing you higher and higher, to next the level.
Rastro en el Cielo, by Wilbur Smith
Eagle in the Sky
Any book you pick from Wilbur Smith is a delivered promise to a splendid time and adventure. My mom is the fan who recommend him to me, and I fall in love with his books. Eagle in the Sky, taught me about acceptance and resilient.
I was young when I read it, and I fall in love with the protagonist. What wasn’t to like about him? He was a pilot, flying jets. Handsome like you can only imagine and full of confidence, or so I remember him to be like. As the main character, he was destined to succeed in everything, and… something happened. Something horrible happened to him, and for the first time I learned that bad things could happen to the good guys in a story, and those things sometimes couldn’t be changed back.
Remember I mentioned I was young? Well, to me it was breaking a golden rule. The prince doesn’t get hurt, ever, and if he does there is something to be fixed. But not in this book. I was devastated. I read the rest of the book in one day, because I kept hoping things will magically get better. But they didn’t and more bad thing kept happening.
The poor pilot lost himself along with everything he had. But never doubt a master’s in literature. I memorized the end of this book. Decades later, I can still remember the last couple of pages clear as ever. The book has one as the most strange happy endings among the stories I have read in my life, and to me it was perfect.
Navidad en las Montañas, by Ignacio Manuel Altamirano
Christmas in the Mountains
This story is a piece of art in words. The beauty of it relies in the plot’s simplicity, and the richness of the philosophy behind it.
It is settled in a part of the Mexican history where a captain, after the War of Reform is welcomed to a town in the middle of the mountains by a Spanish priest, during a Christmas eve.
In a time where in Mexico, priest was pictured as arrogant men, and against all stereotypes, this priest surprised the soldier by his genuine care for the wellbeing of people of his town. Through the story, the soldier learned that not all is lost, and change is possible.
Beyond the plot and through amazing descriptions, you get to know about traditions of this holiday, that are far from what we know now. It isn’t a religious read, although is set in a town getting ready to celebrate the birth of Christ. It isn’t about gifts, or even love, but a humbler tale that frames the compassion and kindness of the season.
The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking
If you ever want to feel your problems aren’t that big, that what is happening will go away, and that it doesn’t matter what we are doing here, just look up and the night sky. Then really try to understand the size of the universe you are staring at.
This is a book about knowledge, and the fun that takes to understand complicated concepts. It is writing and illustrated to make easier to grasp its concepts. One of the amazing feeling of reading this book is when you figured out how mind-blowing some theories can be.
Quantum physics, general relativity, superstrings, and of course black holes. All is there, and once you are done, there is a sense of intellectual accomplishment not many reads can leave on you.
Pais de Las Sombras Largas by Hans Ruesch
Top of the World
I read this book many years before I visited Minnesota or Alaska, so my concept of cold weather wasn’t as accurate as it is now. The idea of not having the sun out for more than a couple of hours never crossed my mind. But then I saw it, and it was crazy.
Descriptions from this book came to my mind when I was in Alaska at 4:30pm and it was pitch dark. The cold to me should be measured in how fast you lost the sensation of your fingers, and not in degrees. Once you are cold, you are cold.
The cultural contrast from this story truly teaches how the environment where we live affect our livelihood. There is a hunting description that sort of shocked me. Not because of the action, but because of what they were hunting and eventually eating.
El Viejo y el Mar by Ernest Hemingway
The Old Man and the Sea
My mom gave me this book and told me it was amazing. I think is a heartbroken story.
The story is very simple, but full of emotions and persistence, borderline stubbornness. I couldn’t understand first why he kept trying so hard to get that fish. It wasn’t until years after that I got it. I grew up and witnessed how some huge people I met grew smaller as they aged. I hated how other people who didn’t meet them in their best years treated them, just like that old man. I saw the life in their eyes getting dimmer as their dreams flew away, and their memories grew heavier. And they left this world, without knowing the mark they made on some of us.
I know one day, that will be me, and if I’m lucky, I will have a fish I will hold on to, even when it cost my life to do it.
El Vagabundo de las Estrellas by Jack London
The Star Rover
This book has such an influence on me, that part of the concept is inside Saber’s trilogy. The reason is the power of the mind. The story is about a man who is a prisoner in one of the most horrifying ways. His body is capture in a small cell with barely room for himself, and with only one opening where he can see the sky. His mind isn’t trap though, and with it he escapes his physical reality to the one of his dreams.
Most of us aren’t prisoners in a cell, but our minds are trapped. We live our daily routines, hoping for our weekend to come. Without noticing, we are becoming prisoners of our coming breaks. We forget our minds can take us anywhere, anytime, and release the pressure of having to work, to study, to care for others, etc. Books, movies, games, sports, all are there, but we diminished the power we all have above our shoulders.
To me, that is part of being a writer. You escape to your own stories while you put them on paper.
Ensayo sobre la Cegura by Jose Saramago
Blindness
This is a disturbing book, but sometimes the worse also teach us something. Very well written, and highly interesting, but the outcome is probably close to how disgusting humanity can be.
Probably odd to write about it now, because it may sound too familiar to what is happening (check the date of the post). Unlike the book, I’m happy we haven’t fallen as low as this story tells.
So, imagine, people got blind for no reason, and spreads without knowing how or why. First the government works around and try to help the blind people. Then it gets worse, so they “solve” the problematic ones, and then everyone is blind, so things switched.
Now the power is the experience of have lived blind for a while. The pleasure of oppress others, the desire of imposed suffering and revenge happens. The disgusting things that desperation brought are near to be possible in reality. And then people waked up able to see again, and pretended nothing ever happened.
No one but the character who takes you through the story learns something, and hopefully the reader. Some days I wished I have never read it; like one of these things you can’t unseen. But other days I’m glad I did, because I leaned about the low and inhuman nature of humans.