Introduction by Way of Recommendations - Eric Asp

Introductions

Isn't it fascinating how much one can learn about a person by simply tuning into whatever he or she is watching, listening to, or reading? To me, it feels like this is almost more informative than listening to that person's introduction of himself or herself? (For the record, however, you'd be more than welcome to look around my own website, www.ericasp.com, if you want to know more about my perspective of me).

So let me introduce myself a bit by way of some book recommendations. My first three recommendations are automatic, no-brainers. The last two were more difficult, but I ended up choosing books that might offer a more unique, personal perspective (as opposed to simply listing the "greatest works of literature" in my mind). Take 'em or leave 'em, for whatever they're worth:

The Gospel of Mark, by John Mark

To recommend the Bible as a whole would be a cop-out (since it's really more of a collection of books than a single book of its own), so I recommend this particular section of the New Testament which is widely believed to be the earliest account of Jesus' life and ministry. It's shorter and it reads more quickly than the other gospel narratives, but it's also remarkably beautiful as a work of literature. As a person of faith I believe that everyone would do well to understand and deliberately address his or her own personal beliefs about Jesus -- but I also recommend this book purely for its literary merit, as it seems to me that the stories of Jesus (and of the Bible in general) are essential in understanding so much of Western literature over the last 2000 years.

Life After God, by Douglas Coupland

Despite the book's title, this one is not at all religious. It's written by a Canadian writer who I believe is an atheist. But in any event, I recommend this collection of short stories simply because it moves me. The writing style is simple and elegant. The stories are compelling and meaningful. And I've thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, each of the 10 or 12 times that I've read it.

The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck

This one perhaps deserves mention among the "greatest works of literature" of all time, so its inclusion on a recommendation list such as this one shouldn't be too surprising -- still, I personally include it because of Steinbeck's writing style and his sense of place (his essential Americanness). Personally, I also think it's astonishing to see how timely the book is -- how accurately it describes our world today -- even though its subject matter is Oklahoman migrant workers in the time of the Dust Bowl in the first half of the 20th Century! Themes of the earth's resources being mindlessly used up, soulless corporations chewing up people to stave off their own extinction, and "regular" people trying to figure themselves out and determine their place in the world in the aftermath... It's really remarkable to see how relevant it is for our current world situation.

The Horse and His Boy, by C.S. Lewis

I think "children's stories" are often greater, not lesser, works of literature than many of the high-brow pieces that we often include in conversations such as this one. This particular story is one of the more obscure stories in Lewis' famed "Chronicles of Narnia," but it's one of my personal favorites. It's set off from the rest of the Chronicles, in that the main characters from the other stories only play a minor role in this book -- but it still demonstrates all of the brilliance of Lewis' writing, which can be read on two levels (literal / children's and symbolic / adult's). It's a story about identity and purpose. And I loved the book so much that I named my youngest son, in part, after the main protagonist in the story.

The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne

An early-American classic about a woman ostracized from her community for bearing a child out of wedlock (even though it turns out that the baby's father happens to be the town's popular young minister). The story is particularly interesting to me because of its themes of hypocrisy and (in)fidelity. Still remarkably accessible, 150 years after its publication.