Classics

A number of months ago I launched my own little project of reading ten literary classics that I have always wanted to tackle but had never gotten around to. I am happy to announce that a few days ago I finished the tenth novel. Ironically, the final one n this arbitrary series was J.S. Salinger's "Franny and Zooey." I completed it the night before this iconic figure passed away at the age of 91. His work and others I tackled, including "Brave New World," "The Great Gatsby," "Crime and Punishment," "The Confessions of Nat Turner," "To Kill a Mockingbird," "The City and the Pillar," "The Sound and the Fury," "Hard Times" and "East of Eden," were all genuine treasures to navigate. I have not had as much fun on a self-imposed project in years.

What did I learn? One thing is I gained a tremendous appreciation of the talents of the men and women responsible for them. In some cases, I had read other books by some of these people, such as Steinbeck, Vidal, Dickens and Styron, but nevertheless it was a wonderful journey. Good writing is not easy. I enjoy writing, but am the first to admit that when it comes to putting paper to pen, I remain very much a work in progress. Given my limited skills, I know I struggle more often than I care to admit. I can imagine that the authors whose work I enjoyed and their brothers and sisters must struggle even harder because their finished product remains timeless.

According to various reports and studies, fewer people these days read. Book sales, generally, remain on the down swing. Perhaps its due to our fast-paced society, our exploding technology that entices us with the Internet, video games and social media, but more and more books seem to be taking a backseat to ways to get through the day, expand our minds, and entertain ourselves. I feel bad about that because I love books and reading and wish everyone else did, too. Also, I believe the act of sitting down and wading through one page after another of an author's imagination is not only good discipline but a solid investment in our own intellectual capacity. We read. We learn. We grow. What better way to make us better equipped to face the challenges of life?