Top Five

Despite being marketed as an anti-war novel, I’ve never viewed Slaughterhouse-Five as such. While it is certainly reminiscent of many precedent anti-war novels, it doesn’t preach that peace is something that’s actually attainable by humanity. This is precisely why I enjoy Slaughterhouse-Five so much; the book views the actions of humanity from a point of view that’s rarely been so thoroughly described. The distinct writing style, copious amount of well-constructed figurative language, and the portrayal of aliens  also support the overall message that Vonnegut illustrates in order to make Slaughterhouse-Five a novel that’s hard to set down. It certainly isn’t to say that there’s no plot to Slaughterhouse-Five, though; in my personal experience, however, the plot (which was, by all means, very compelling and well-done) came secondary to Vonnegut’s writing and message, which I found to be beyond profound. The novel will appeal most to those who are seeking a unique and creative taste on philosophy, as well as those looking to explore the darker corners of the human mind.

Fight Club is a strange blend. There are two distinct sides to this novel: the side adrenalin-filled, thriller side that appeals to those in search of a plot with no shortage of brutality and action, and the more prominent, deeper side that explores themes of unfulfillment, contemporary social class-based issues, the concept of immortality, and many others issues that plague the common American man. The book will appeal primarily to those who enjoy either of these things.

 The plot of Fight Club follows who we’re led to believe is “Jack”, and his journey through schizophrenia and the impact he leaves on earth, for better or worse. What I personally found most appealing about Fight Club was the characters. The banter between the protagonist and Tyler, the contrasting interactions between Marla and Tyler compared to Marla and the protagonist, and many other distinct personas make you almost want to believe that these people exist, despite the many morally reprehensible crimes that they commit on a casual basis.

               

1984 is responsible for spawning a huge impact on popular culture even to this day. Whether you’re aware of it or not, you’ve heard plenty of references to Orwell’s literary masterpiece. “Oppression” is the strongest theme in Orwell’s 1984, which brought the dystopian genre to mainstream attention at the time. Following the story of Winston, 1984 describes the life of an average man living in a totalitarian society, detailing the events that led up to the most significant time of Winston’s life, and the events afterward. The most common criticism of 1984, that I’ve observed, regards the love story that occurs towards the middle and latter parts of 1984, and how they felt out of place to some. To me, these chapters were the most profound of the entire novel; there was more characterization in how excited the sight of a woman in high-heels would make the oppressed Winston than in any of the prior chapters. This is only one example of many of the scenes that made Winston’s life story feel so personal and deep to me, which seems to often be overlooked in favor of the more obvious examples of oppression that Orwell describes. This book is must read for any fans of dystopian novels like Brave New World.

Yet another novel of Orwell, Animal Farm contains many similar themes to 1984. While failing to reach the same level of popularity, Animal Farm is still considered to be a profound piece of literature, that’s ideal for those familiar or interested in the history of the Soviet Union and the Cold War. The novel takes place over a long period of time, detailing a farm’s transformation from a human-run “labor” camp, into an animal-run community after a powerful revolution, and the decay of this new “perfect” society afterward. Like 1894, Animal Farm is focused around politics and society, and while 1984 describes life in an oppressed society, Animal Farm describes the transformation into one. With every character in the novel used as an allegory for a figure from the history of the Soviet Union, Animal Farm stands out for its innovative take  on government, ranging from everything from the fact that talking animals run the community, to the methods of censorship the governing figures use to their advantage. There’s nothing else like it out there.

A must read for any individual seeking a career in journalism, or any who hold even a mild interest in the counter-culture of the 60s and the narcotics craze surrounding it. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is unconventional by every definition of the word; there are no heroes or villains, merely different shades of grays, and different personalities depending on what substance a character has taken. Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo, travel throughout Las Vegas as a journalist and his attorney in search of the American dream, modeled closely after some of the actual experiences of the author, Hunter S. Thompson, and his attorney. As the man credited with the invention of “Gonzo journalism”, i.e. journalism with heavy emphasis on personal feelings and individual experiences, Fear and Loathing brings his style of writing to a new high with its many vivid and memorable descriptions of life through the eyes of an unstable reporter suffering from terminal psychosis as the result of heavy drug use. What sets Fear and Loathing apart from anything else I’ve read, is that it is completely shameless in its approach to the subject matter; there’s no shortage of excessive substance abuse, and Thompson strongly gives the impression that he knows exactly what he’s writing about during every sequence through this trippy journey, dominated by allusions to the culture of the 60s that will be sure to please anyone even remotely familiar with this time period.