This week we discuss our list of must read books. Also, we shit on Matt Damon and The Great Wall.
Brian’s List:
The Talmud
Any serious study on Western Religion requires at least a passing acquaintance with the Talmud, which does not enjoy the same widespread familiarity as the Torah.
The Art Of War by Sun Tsu
I consider this much more philosophy and psychology than strategy. Everyone should read this book, but no one should quote it- only douchebags quote The Art of War.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The book makes you feel uncomfortable, then you’re reading it correctly; the book is supposed to make you squirm (in a moral sense,) so as to challenge your conceptions of “good” and “evil.”
On the Beach by Nevil Shulte
A story about coming to terms with death, and learning to face the end with dignity. Not going to lie, this was a really hard book to read, but worth it.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Every North American Male should read this book when he turns 17, and before he makes any serious life choices.
Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
This book gave us Space Marines and creepy bug aliens. Also, a deeply philosophical work of speculative fiction about the nature of civic responsibility and what it means to accept a duty to others over the self.
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
A novel about the young wanting to be old, the old wanting to be young, and learning to love where you are, this book is so deeply rewarding. Every line Bradbury wrote is a spell that fills the heart with substance.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
A novel about the nature of humanity and how far we’ve come from the rest of the animal kingdom, Lord of the Flies discusses what it means to be a human being in an otherwise savage world.