Optical Allusionist

Reading is a great past-time. There's a lot that can be accomplished from sitting down and reading a book, being introduced to a new way of thinking, taking into account that there are different lifestyles, theories, and amounts of knowledge, some of which we may choose to accept, and others we may not. Anyway, in my humble opinion, here are the top ten (from the books I've read, obviously) books everyone ought to read in their lifetime.


10. Secrets by Blaine Yorgason & Sunny Oaks
I became very interested in reading every book available to me, that had to do with abuse, a few years ago while in high school. I've read 100+ books that dealt with abuse, and, y'know, most were okay, some were good, a few were excellent, and even fewer were spectacular. This book deals with abuse within the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You follow a growing bishop, whose ward, he is coming to find, is saturated in abuse. The principles taught in this work of fiction are accurate. I've talked with several people in small, casual group discussions, and the majority of those I've talked to have skewed perceptions of abuse, abusers, and the abused. This book helps clear up a lot of questions, and does it through an accurate, God-guided view of the Lord's gospel.


9. The Giver by Lois Lowry
I'm always wondering whether Thomas More would like this book or not. This book is about a Utopian community gone too far. The citizens of the town are basically mindless humans who have their decisions made for them, down to verbatim apologies. One of the positions of the community is The Giver. The Giver maintains all the painful and joyful memories so the regular citizens don't have to-- to allow them to maintain an emotional homeostasis. So... what do you think of the idea? People seem to be able to function better. They don't feel emotion, but they function. Do you think we do that today anyway? I never seem to be able to settle the argument in my mind concerning whether or not Lois Lowry thinks we're already stuck in this society.



8. All Quiet On the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
Oh. Wow. Okay, so there's a reason that this is so low on the top ten. This book wasn't written.... well. It's very monotonous, until they begin to get into the bloody sunsets of war. Hypnotic at times. It definitely shows us that any soldier in any war is not necessarily the blood-thirsty wretch, in the field because of some sadistic tendency.


7. Transforming a Rape Culture by Marth Roth
This is a beautiful book. It's an anthology of essays, some on how our acceptance of rape is portrayed, some on what we're doing to help that, others that discuss certain aspects of rapes. With all the books I've read, this one was an especially informative, statistically, emotionally, and socially.


6. The Lucifer Effect by Philip Zimbardo
This is an account and explanation of the meaning of the Stanford Prison Experiments, performed in the 70s. Zimbardo seeks to answer the question "Why do good people do bad things?" He discusses situational force, and how we can fight it. Fight the bystander effect! Fight situational force! Fight Mob Mentality!


5. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
A touching book about forgiveness. This is a nonfiction piece Miss Ten Boom wrote about her experiences being held by the Nazis with her sister in a concentration camp. Definitely a book to read if you're seeking to understand God's love for His children, and where personal forgiveness fits into that.


4. How to Say It Best: How to Say It Best / How to Say It When You Don't Know What to Say by Robbie Miller Kaplan
I hate getting advice, because most of it is crappy. I've gotten a lot of advice, and a lot of it has to go straight to the garbage, even though it was well-meant. I really think people should watch what they say, and this book really explains what to say to people under emotional distress, in all kinds of situations, including words, questions, phrases, etc to avoid.


3. Oh, the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss
It'd be awesome if we all had a little more self-confidence and self-esteem. This children's book lets us all know, that no matter where we are right now, we can get somewhere... from here.


2. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Oh, wow! I love this book! It really opens up a lot of questions for me, about societal expectations, censorship, government involvement, and personal responsibilities in our community. He makes a lot of good points. And in the words of Ray Bradbury himself, "There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them."


1. Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
Where did we come from? What do we believe? Ishmael nudges you through a headache of a journey. But when the headache is relieved, your mind is opened to further light and knowledge, including your personal relationship with your Mother Earth, your past, your future, and your God.


☼ Stargirl Series by Jerry Spinelli
Okay, so I know that this is cheating, kind of. But this tops them all. If you never read another book after this one, at least you will have read Stargirl and Love, Stargirl. Stargirl opens your eyes to true joy, involvement and individuality. She is the epitome of truth. It may not seem like she's real, but, oh, she's human enough. She simply doesn't follow the same rules of life we've accepted as acceptable. Reading this book will change your life, open your eyes, and reveal your heart.


So, now that you know what books you've been missing out on... Read!