What should be the one mandatory book?
- Thread starter GeorgW
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I would say the dictionary for the express purpose of allowing our youth to grow up more articulate. In high school it was simply mortifying to hear pretty much half of my fellow school mates curse on a constant basis, my English teacher use to joke that "Fuck" was the only word that any of her students really knew. If they had to read the dictionary then maybe they could have some more interesting, colorful, and intelligent language.
The Communism Manifesto.
Just so that most of the people will stop confusing communism with dictatorship.
Just so that most of the people will stop confusing communism with dictatorship.
The one book that should be mandatory is You and the Police. It holds lessons that you can actually use in encounters with the police. It's not a law book, it states your rights in first on contact with police officers. What you are required to say or provide, what they can ask you, and elevates between basic contact, reasonable suspicion, detainment, and arrest. Just because a police officer asks to see your ID doesn't mean you need to show it to him. Routine contact requires no more than to state your name.
As far as literature, I'd go with Crime and Punishment.
As far as literature, I'd go with Crime and Punishment.
I'd advise some Discworld, there's a lot of interesting stuff hidden away in what looks like a simple series of fantasy parodies.
'People's lives DO pass in front of their eyes just before death. It's called 'living'.'
'Always be wary of any helpful item that weighs less than its operating manual.'
It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleakly depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone's fault. If it was us, what did that make Me? After all, I'm one of Us. I must be. I've certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We're always one of Us. It's Them that do the bad things.
A marriage is always made up of two people who are prepared to swear that only the other one snores.
Getting an education was a bit like a communicable sexual disease. It made you unsuitable for a lot of jobs and then you had the urge to pass it on.
And, while it was regarded as pretty good evidence of criminality to be living in a slum, for some reason owning a whole street of them merely got you invited to the very best social occasions.
Just because it's not nice doesn't mean it's not miraculous.
"I know about people who talk about suffering for the common good. It's never bloody them! When you hear a man shouting "Forward, brave comrades!" you'll see he's the one behind the bloody big rock and the one wearing the only really arrow-proof helmet!"
- Rincewind gives a speech on politics.
Essentially,after the first few books, it stopped being a simple fantasy series and started being a look at our own world thru discworld tinted glasses. Each one picking on a facet of our life, like music, sport, money, war, the media, movies, death, sexism, and more.
'People's lives DO pass in front of their eyes just before death. It's called 'living'.'
'Always be wary of any helpful item that weighs less than its operating manual.'
It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleakly depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone's fault. If it was us, what did that make Me? After all, I'm one of Us. I must be. I've certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We're always one of Us. It's Them that do the bad things.
A marriage is always made up of two people who are prepared to swear that only the other one snores.
Getting an education was a bit like a communicable sexual disease. It made you unsuitable for a lot of jobs and then you had the urge to pass it on.
And, while it was regarded as pretty good evidence of criminality to be living in a slum, for some reason owning a whole street of them merely got you invited to the very best social occasions.
Just because it's not nice doesn't mean it's not miraculous.
"I know about people who talk about suffering for the common good. It's never bloody them! When you hear a man shouting "Forward, brave comrades!" you'll see he's the one behind the bloody big rock and the one wearing the only really arrow-proof helmet!"
- Rincewind gives a speech on politics.
Essentially,after the first few books, it stopped being a simple fantasy series and started being a look at our own world thru discworld tinted glasses. Each one picking on a facet of our life, like music, sport, money, war, the media, movies, death, sexism, and more.
The Deltora Quest series is quite good for first time reads and it's a fun read as well.
An alternative to this can beMetaKnight19 said:The best book ever...
I'm tempted to include that, but maybe the thesaurus as a back catelogue? For a lot of people that is.Carbonyl said:
I would have said the Bible, since it's an amazing book that changed my life for the better.
But since that's unavailable... As far as a mandatory book, 1984 should definitely be required, as there are legions of people who would happily sacrifice freedoms on the altar of safety.
Simply in terms of excellent books however, I'd have to go with basically anything that Tolkien or Tolstoy wrote, especially The Hobbit and War and Peace.
But since that's unavailable... As far as a mandatory book, 1984 should definitely be required, as there are legions of people who would happily sacrifice freedoms on the altar of safety.
Simply in terms of excellent books however, I'd have to go with basically anything that Tolkien or Tolstoy wrote, especially The Hobbit and War and Peace.
And that you should totally have sex when you're a kid. I mean, serously, that was pretty fucked up...Deathleaper said:
1984 pretty much teaches you a lot of things everyone should know about freedom of speech and such.
Soldier Boys is pretty good since it teaches kids that the Germans in WWII were not all evil Nazi hailing bastards who raped your mother and enjoyed tearing off children testicals while Americans were the bad asses who came in all buff and muscular and tore apart the wimpy Germans.
Soldier Boys is pretty good since it teaches kids that the Germans in WWII were not all evil Nazi hailing bastards who raped your mother and enjoyed tearing off children testicals while Americans were the bad asses who came in all buff and muscular and tore apart the wimpy Germans.
well it was tough but read six pages and my books not here (and with it popping up in heavy metal lyrics consistently i'm surprised a gaming site missed it)
Perfume by Patrick Suskind (its german but i had no problems with a translated version)
because it is a book which deals so primarily with the concept of scent it challenged so much of my world so much. And it isn't shy about any of its subject matter (murdering 14 virgins and distilling them into the prefect perfume) but nor is it gratuitous. it just reveals so much stuff that just dosn't occur to you as a person in modern society. it truly feels unique and it is ferociously engrossing (i didn't have trouble reading it but i was studying john Donne at the time who gets my honourable mention for poetry along with Keats)
runner up is The Pushman and other stories by Tatsumi Yoshihiro, if you hate manga or comics read this. then read Scott Mcleods understanding comics, then read it again. then read The Pushman and other stories again but as if you were studying poetry. It astounded me
Perfume by Patrick Suskind (its german but i had no problems with a translated version)
because it is a book which deals so primarily with the concept of scent it challenged so much of my world so much. And it isn't shy about any of its subject matter (murdering 14 virgins and distilling them into the prefect perfume) but nor is it gratuitous. it just reveals so much stuff that just dosn't occur to you as a person in modern society. it truly feels unique and it is ferociously engrossing (i didn't have trouble reading it but i was studying john Donne at the time who gets my honourable mention for poetry along with Keats)
runner up is The Pushman and other stories by Tatsumi Yoshihiro, if you hate manga or comics read this. then read Scott Mcleods understanding comics, then read it again. then read The Pushman and other stories again but as if you were studying poetry. It astounded me
I'm gonna say Of Mice and Men. I know alot of people will disagree, but it seems like a good choice to me.
