• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry
The Little Prince has become a classic because of its fantastic yet realistic depiction of the little boy in all men. It transcends barriers of cynicism and age, and appeals directly to us, triggering personal memories of playing in fields and talking to animals. In our little boys’ minds, we have gone to space and obscure planets too, to be alone with our thoughts and personal discoveries. This book depicts those mental journeys accurately. More interestingly, the author wrote simply and beautifully, and several lines have become modern-day clichés due to their simplicity and truth. "It is the time that you spend with your rose that makes it valuable." and "What is essential is invisible to the eye." Many similar passages from this book have found their way into our consciousness simply because they are true, and are easily applicable to our daily journeys of thought.
• All I Really Needed to Learn, I Learned in Kindergarten, and It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It by Robert Fulghum
Two books by Robert Fulghum, a poet, philosopher, teacher, student, pastor, and more. He avoids being boxed into one category, and insists that he is continuously growing and changing as a man, and therefore must remain free from classification. His books are not novels, but rather, collections of short stories and anecdotes, little nuggets of soulful insight, which have actually gotten me through some difficult times.
Though I am often cynical when it comes to inspirational books and writings, I believe that Fulghum is sincere. He, at one point in his life, was a pastor, but does not at all preach in his stories. Generally, I am attracted to writings that do not claim to know, but rather, inspire thought and moral elevation through humility. This author does that, because his self-deprecation counters the truths his stories sometimes claim. In moments of mental collapse, this book generously offers many safety nets of pure and simple thought, based on life’s fundamental truths.
• Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
These two books are so similar, it’s difficult to write about them separately. I read and liked these books for the same reason – that they effectively humbled my mind and spirit into deep submission to the fact that mankind does not know as much as it claims.
Though highly controversial, these books are courageous and honest writings. They have strengthened more than weakened my faith, because they have broken down walls of deception regarding Jesus, the Church, and humanity, leaving in me a less tainted view of religion and truth. With these realizations, it is easier to believe in a God far greater than humanity’s capacity for thought, and it has made me feel empowered to seek truth more with less interference from political and social manipulations. In the end, Dan Brown, in my opinion, is not set out to destroy faith, but rather, to build it, with fewer lies and more humility.
• Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
I read this book in my teens, when I was treated to a US vacation by my family. It had not yet been made into a movie, and yet, the characters and creatures were so clearly depicted that my boyhood fascination with monsters and creatures were stirred so vibrantly.
More interestingly, this book showed clearly the friction between business and morality, the perennial issues about cloning, and the sensitively dynamic role of science in the life of man.
"Life finds a way," a memorable line from this book that found its way into the movie. Crichton reveals the reality that life cannot be contained by science. His major characters have created the dinosaurs through advanced science, and believed they could contain the life that they had created. But life, as the story shows, was re-created, not created, and therefore remains beyond our total control and understanding. In the end, life (in the form of the dinosaurs) does find a way to break free and cause unspeakable havoc, proving the book’s thesis that "Life finds a way." Life was not meant to be contained, and that life is not a part of science, but rather, the other way around.
• The World According to Garp by John Irving
John Irving’s storytelling style is rooted in surprise, dangerously close to perversion, but which ultimately results in honest writing. He talks about whores and faith, and social taboos, which he depicts as normal in the world he depicts. Garp, for example, is the son of Jenny, a nurse who deliberately impregnated herself by having intercourse with a decapitated patient, who was wounded in battle and rendered incapable of most human activity except sex. Obviously, John Irving, in my opinion, writes this way to introduce his readers to a perversion, a truth about all of us that we are all occasional passersby of this dark alley of thought and temptation. But in the end, he never fails to gloriously surface from this darkness, by touching on the timeless human qualities of understanding and kindness. His characters, though introduced as flawed, always manage to find a way towards redemption.
• Lost Horizon by James Hilton
If you’ve ever been to Shangri-La Makati, you would realize that most of their bars, restaurants, and little nooks and crannies are named after the characters and events found in James Hilton’s story. In our parents’ time, this book was made into a movie, which became a classic film.
Though we commonly hold silent grudges against artworks that have become too popular, we must realize that they have become popular for the sheer reason that they appealed to basic human realities and dreams. His book has done that, for my parents and for me.
In this book, Conway (the main character whom the hotel bar is named after) finds himself in Shangri-La, a secret place in the mountains where monks and wisemen have established a quiet yet silently productive city. The altitude has enabled men to live up to 400 years, and has produced crop like mangoes that are "painfully delicious." Time moves slower in this world, enabling men to achieve higher wisdom and enlightenment.
This book, as I read it over and over again, never fails to make me imagine what I would do if I were given the chance to live that long. Sometimes, I feel that the urgency caused by the fleeting nature of our lives causes unrealized potential. How wonderfully prolific and artistic I would be, in my mind, if I were given the privilege to live four lifetimes instead of one.
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
One problem my generation had while growing up was that money was seldom talked about. In school, we discussed life and science and art, but aside from the usual economics course, money and its real role in society was either ignored or feared, tainted with taboo and malice that made the art of making money difficult to appreciate.
This book talks about money and making money, and accepts it at face value, with no social commentaries or inherent fears. Kiyosaki breaks down our possessions into assets and liabilities, the former being possessions which help earn money and the latter being those which spend money. In summary, he treats it all like a numbers game, and correctly depicts money as a mere number, yet an important part of life.
Reading books like this is empowering. Because of its simplicity, it inspires readers to create their own paths towards financial upliftment. There are no specific how-to’s that apply to all readers. Rather, there are only simple and basic economic facts that we never learned due to fear, but now learn easily through this book because of the anecdotal approach that the author has taken.
• Dekada ‘70 by Lualhati Bautista
Though usually a required reading in schools, I remember enjoying immensely Dekada ‘70. While reading it, I felt a change in my internal moral direction, which is more than I can say for most books I’ve read. It is easy to identify with Jules, a major character in this tale, and his relationship with his mother and his nation, which results in a delectably painful tension and dilemma, so real that it made me seriously imagine what I would do given the choice between personal safety vs. patriotic responsibilities.
I suppose it’s safe to say that we read more foreign novels than local ones generally, since westernization infiltrates most industries. But a book with this much reality inspires in me a nationalism and love for country that no other book has done. On a broader note, the preservation of culture and delineation between nations remain crucial to mankind’s survival. Globalization is not always a good thing. We learn different truths about life because we live in different places, and we must continue to write about the personal spaces that nature has provided us all. The world may ultimately become one nation, but we must still protect our own homes.
Generally, I suppose the usual literary traits that switch on my interest are clear and picturesque writing, and most importantly, honesty. I can detect the fictitious hand upon reading the first pages of a book, and though I am no critic, I choose to read only those books that talk honestly about life, man, and the discoveries we have yet to make. In no general order, these books have directed and redirected my moral compass at one point or another, and I wish in my heart I could thank the authors for their truths.
For the entrepreneurs and business mogul wannabes, why don’t you pick up a copy of Inc. The April issue is an interesting read. It is distributed by Emerald Headway. Call 647-4744 for inquiries.