Travel Without Moving Your Feet
- May 26, 2020
- 3 min read
Photo taken by Lillian Humber
Author, Jhumpa Lahiri once said: “That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.” Now, with summer around the corner and many of us being home-bound, we must resort to this unconventional mode of travel: reading. The following five books will transport you around the world from the barren Egyptian deserts to the lush forests of the Pacific Northwest. Each page reveals a journey that is unforgettable and may even greatly impact your outlook on life! Without further ado, here are my top five book recommendations of all time for you to read during this quarantine!
1) The Overstory by Richard Powers: This National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winning novel is an incredible story about “the most wondrous products of four billion years of life: trees” (Powers 493). This novel unfolds in concentric rings of interlocking fables, all connected by unseen roots of fate. A few of these many stories are that of a spiritual resistance leader, a psychology student on a mission and a groundbreaking arborist. The Overstory will leave you with a heightened appreciation of the natural world, a call to action and a listening ear to those which were once silent. After reading this story, you will never look at a tree in the same way.
2) When Nietzsche Wept by Irvin D. Yalom: Today, therapy is a very normalized practice, but it hasn’t always been that way. The novel When Nietzsche Wept is set in the 1880s and follows the story of the first “doctor for despair,” doctor Josef Breuer. His patient is Friedrich Nietzche, the philosopher who infamously claimed “God is dead.” As the story unfolds, Dr. Breuer realizes that perhaps the roles of doctor and patient have been reversed as they dive into the uncharted waters of psychoanalysis. This unforgettable tale blends fact and fiction and truly displays the healing power of human connection.
3) The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: This classic story follows the incredible journey of the young shepherd Santiago as he pursues his search for hidden treasure. Yet, the gifts he discovers on the way teach us the true lessons of the novel: listen to your heart and follow your dreams, but make sure to appreciate the unexpected omens strewn along life’s path. This fantastical international bestseller has inspired readers to search for their purpose for centuries and preaches the message that “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” (Coelho 22).
4) The Vegetarian by Han Kang: This novel is set in modern-day South Korea and tells the story of Yeong-hye, a woman who decides to stop eating meat after experiencing a bloody nightmare of human cruelty. This decision leads to horrendous consequences in her familial and personal life. The Vegetarian, which is often described as very extreme and bizarre, is told in three parts with three distinct narrators who are of relation to Yeong-hye. Despite the title, the main focus is not on the vegetarian diet, but the themes of desire, shame and empathy. With no doubt, each page will make you hunger for more, and the horrific yet beautiful story will linger in your mind long after you’ve finished it.
5) Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Glimpse inside mind of a criminal with this suspenseful novel! It tells the story of Rodin Raskolnikov, an impoverished ex-student from Saint Petersburg, Russia who has committed a terrible crime: the brutal murder of an innocent elderly woman! Although he gets away with his deed, he experiences guilt, disgust, sickness and horror as he watches the real-life consequences of his actions play out. Will he be able to remain silent?! You’ll have to read and see!
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