I wasn't going to recommend any more cultural activities this summer! I got too busy with my new Reddit, "Ask Me Anything". But then I went to the Library of Congress and saw the exhibit, "America Reads". It is a MUST for every high school student and adult and even junior high school/middle school students seeking a challenge. And while it is primarily available to those of us in the DC area, it can be checked out by everyone in the country on the Internet. The free booklet alone is worth the trip as it has a number of lists of popular books and books that helped shape America.
Here's one interesting example from the free book that accompanies the exhibit:
Books That Shaped America 2012
TOP 25: Favorites in 2012
- Ayn Rand (1905–1982). Atlas Shrugged, 1957
- Harper Lee (1926−2016). To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960
- Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835–1910). The Adventures of Huckleberry, 1884
- Thomas Paine (1737–1809). Common Sense, 1776
- Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–1896). Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly, 1852
- The Federalist: A Collection of Essays, Written in Favour of the New Constitution, 1788
- Upton Sinclair (1878–1968). The Jungle, 1906
- J. D. Salinger (1919–2010). The Catcher in the Rye, 1951
- John Steinbeck (1902–1968). The Grapes of Wrath, 1939
- Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism, 1939
- Ray Bradbury (1920–2012). Fahrenheit 451, 1953
- F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940). The Great Gatsby, 1925
- Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888). Little Women; or, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, 1868
- Margaret Mitchell (1900–1949). Gone With the Wind, 1936
- Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel, 1904–1991). The Cat in the Hat, 1957
- Rachel Carson (1907–1964). Silent Spring, 1962
- Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862). Walden; or, Life in the Woods, 1854
- Jack Kerouac (1922–1969). On the Road, 1957
- Betty Friedan (1921–2006). The Feminine Mystique, 1963
- L. Frank Baum (1856–1919). The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, 1900
- Herman Melville (1819–1891). Moby-Dick; or, the Whale, 1851
- Dale Carnegie (1888–1955). How to Win Friends and Influence People, 1936
- Joseph Heller (1923–1999). Catch-22, 1961
- Walt Whitman (1819–1892). Leaves of Grass, 1855
- Benjamin Spock (1903–1998). The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care, 1946
ON ANOTHER TOPIC
Indeed I have become extremely involved in conversation with many hundreds of young people on Reddit, and I'm particularly eager to respond to their desire for inter-generational dialogue at this time, I think many of you might find the issues they raise extremely interesting. You might like to take a look at:
My Ask Me Anything on Reddit
and while I have limited my "Culture Blog" this summer, I can't help Ranting and Raving and you can find my latest at
http://www.ronlehkersrants.blogspot.com
Thanks for staying with me.
Ron
No comments:
Post a Comment