Succumbing to peer pressure…

April 18, 2005

It was only a matter of time. The dreaded book-list questionnaire had been making the rounds and I knew it’d reach me eventually. Yesterday, my friend Dr. Laniac put me to the challenge, which I have accepted. I hope no one is too terribly disappointed with my selections.

1. You’re stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?

I’ve seen a variety of explanations for what this question is really asking. Some suggest it’s about the book one would literally memorize, others not. If it’s the prior, I’d go with John Locke’s Second Treatise on Civil Government. It’s not only brilliant, it’s short. If memorization isn’t part of the exercise, the first book that comes to mind is Original Meanings by Jack Rakove. If I’m stuck in this dystopia, I figure it’s a good idea to have an excellent book on the Constitution, and this is one of my favorites.

2. Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

Sorry, but the idea has never even occurred to me.

3. The last book you bought is?

It’s been a couple of months because I’ve been catching up on some books that have sat on the to-be-read shelf for a while. This may seem silly, but I’m fairly certain the last book I bought was America: The Book.

4. What are you currently reading?

I just wrapped up a few, including the paperback version of Cicero by Anthony Everitt, Clinton & Me by Mark Katz (a very funny autobiography by a Clinton/Gore speechwriter), and Cassandra French’s Finishing School for Boys by Eric Garcia (a terrific novel written by a friend of mine from high school). Next up: Rick Perlstein’s Before the Storm. I know, I know, I’m getting to it about two months after it was the buzz of the blogosphere, but better late than never, right?

5. Five books you would take to a deserted island?

This was a tough one. Honestly, my first thought focused on books pertaining to survival techniques, first aid, and how best to build a sea-worthy raft. That, however, didn’t seem to keep with the spirit of the exercise. My second thought was on what I’d hope to get from these books. Should I take texts I haven’t read? Funny books to keep up my spirits on during desolate isolation? Thought-provoking books to help give me something to do? In the end, these are the five that I came up with:

* Bleak House by Charles Dickens
* Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
* The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro (Yes, combining all three volumes into one choice. Can I do that?)
* A Preface to Morals by Walter Lippmann
* Dante’s Inferno (the Robert Pinsky translation, of course)

6. Who are you going to pass this (questionnaire) to and why?

It’s not really my style to embrace the whole chain-meme thing, but I wouldn’t mind seeing what Morbo, my weekend guest poster, has to say in response to these questions, in addition to thoughts from you, my dear readers, in the handy-dandy comments section below.

1. You’re stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?

It feels like such a cop-out, but I think in that situation I’d want to preserve a book that explains to future generations what has happened and why/how we started memorizing and reciting books. Something with a lesson that specifically pertains to the social environment that exists, and that can motivate others to care about preserving books. So it seems that I’d want to be “Fahrenheit 451”. If there were already a significant number of Fahrenheit 451’s, then I’d probably choose something with a similar theme. Perhaps something like George Orwell’s “1984” or Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron”.

2. Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

Um, no.

3. The last book you bought is?

I read several of Dan Brown’s books recently, I can’t remember if the last one I bought was “Deception Point”, or “Digital Fortress”.

4. What are you currently reading?

I’m considering selling my house without the assistance of a real estate agent, so I wanted a book that could introduce me to important concepts, ideas, and advice. I chose “House Selling for Dummies” as my house selling primer.

5. Five books you would take to a deserted island?

I don’t have time to review all the books I might consider and put together a good analysis of which is the best choice in each category, but I suspect that I’d try and take one book from each of the following categories.

Thought Provoking
For this category I’d look for a book that seems to have a lot of depth/layers. Something that leads the reader to new thoughts, realizations, and meanings, something that forces me to look at the world in a new way each time I read it.

Escapist
For this category I’d be looking for pure fluff, a piece of fiction that takes me somewhere fantastic and allows me to live through a fun adventure.

Time Consuming
If I’m going to be on a deserted island for a long time, I suspect that I’ll have a lot of time on my hands with very little to do. I’d want to bring a book that is HUGE and VERY DIFFICULT to comprehend, just something to eat up all the excess time and give me something to struggle with.

Reference
I’m not sure exactly what kind of reference book I’d want, but I know I’d want to keep my mind sharp. I’d want a book that was filled with useful facts. No characters, no narration, no plot, just more information than any one person could ever hope to memorize.

Survival
I’ve never really read any books on how to survive on your own in nature. I’ve grown far to comfortable with modern amenities. I’d probably have to do some research before I could choose one, but I know I’d want something that would help me to provide the bare necessities (food, water, shelter, heat, health care) for myself.

6. Who are you going to pass this (questionnaire) to and why?

Nobody, I don’t pass on questionnaires.

  • Well, thanks for playing along. I’m not normally much of a joiner on chain stuff either, but was interested to peek at your reading list.

    • Comments are closed.