The eNotes Blog Literary Nostalgia A Few Favorite Reads from Over theDecades

Literary Nostalgia A Few Favorite Reads from Over theDecades One of the best things about books is that they can be about anything.  Anything.  There are post-apocalyptic stories dating all the way back to ancient times, and a lot of those wild and crazy stories about medieval kings and primordial gods are still being read today (thank you, oral tradition). As it happens, some of the best books are also some of the oldest books, and epic poems like  The Iliad and  The Odyssey never go out of style. Unfortunately, while stories never lose the ability to draw us in, they do lose one thing: publicity. Word of mouth. There are always new books being published, and wed all rather talk about that hot new bestseller than that old book from years ago. Out of sight, out of mind, right?   If youre like us, youve probably got a millions books on your shelf or your to-read list and dont have any idea where to begin. Fear not: weve made a list of some of the most popular books of the last two and a half decades to help you out. The Plains of Passage  by Jean M. Auel (1990) The second installment of  The Earths Children  series,  The Plains of Passage takes place in what would be considered modern day Europe if modern day Europe was populated with hunters and gatherers. The story follows the journey of Ayla and Jondalar as they travel west along the Great Mother River in an effort  to return to Jondalars homeland. Throughout their travels, the two encounter members of other tribes and face challenges, strife, violence, and danger, as well as some more touching moments between the two and the people met along the way. Scarlett  by Alexandra Ripley (1991) Another sequel,  Scarlett follows the story of, surprise, Scarlett OHara, and details the events that unfold after the conclusion of  Gone With the Wind.  Its difficult to give a synopsis of events of a sequel without giving away the ending of the prequel, so lets keep this vague. In essence, Scarlett, a spoiled Southern Belle, goes on a journey to win back her (rightfully?) estranged husband, and readers are treated to delightfully old-timey chaos. The Pelican Brief  by John Grisham (1992) Still held in high regard even today,  The Pelican Brief  is one of John Grishams most highly regarded litigation dramas. The novel begins with the assassination of two ideologically convergent Supreme Court justices; because of their inherently different stances on the most important issues, its borderline impossible for law enforcement to nail down a motive. That all changes when law student Darby Shaw looks into the case and discovers that perhaps the motive may not be political, as everyone assumed, but rather based on the greed of one selfish businessman. The Bridges of Madison County  by Robert James Waller (1993) Perhaps one of the most famous titles on this list,  The Bridges of Madison County  sold over 50 million copies worldwide and has  been made  into a feature film (starring none other than Meryl Streep) and, more recently, into a 2013 musical. The story follows a married but lonely Italian woman who enters into  an affair with a National Geographic photographer doing a photo essay on the covered bridges in Madison County, Iowa. The Chamber  by John Grisham (1994) Like  The Pelican Brief,   The Chamber begins with some unfortunate and politically controversial happenings. In this novel, set  in 1967, the Jewish mayor of Greenville, Mississippi, sees his office bombed. The mayor himself survives the attack, but his two young sons arent  so lucky. After identifying a young member of the KKK as a key suspect in the attack, the trial begins with our leading perp serving as his own lawyer. Over the course of the trial, we earn that our man isnt the most wholesome member of the community and is certainly guilty of a number of offenses, but it remains  unclear whether this particular act of antisemitism can be attributed to his resume. The Partner  by John Grisham (1995) Okay, this Grisham guy was really just the literary bees knees of the 90s. Patrick Lannigan, partner at a prominent firm in Biloxi, Mississippi, gets wind of a scam orchestrated by one of the nations most powerful shipping magistrates. The story really gets interesting when Lannigan puts it together that his own firm stands to gain millions (stacks on stacks) from the scheme, but that no one but the firms founders stand to benefit. In his rage, our protagonist decides to get a little crafty. How crafty? Well, for starters, he manages to successfully fake his own death and siphon millions into a private, offshore bank account. But what does he do with the money? Does he get away with it? Youll have to read to find out. The Tipping Point  by Malcolm Gladwell (2000) The Tipping Point is the  first and, arguably, the best book  of Gladwells eclectic career. Inspired by Gladwells research on AIDS and the nature of epidemics in general, this book looks into what would happen if everything (from business to social interactions) unfolded in the same nature as an epidemic. That is to say, what would happen to the world as we know it if every interaction, every endeavor, unfolded first slowly, and then all at once, until we were  powerless to stop it? Fast Food Nation  by Eric Schlosser (2001) Fast Food Nation  might not be a novel, but its definitely readable. Each and every one of us, particularly residents of the U.S., is familiar with the stronghold the Burger Barons have over the meat industry. This book lifts the curtain on the cruelty of the mass market industry and how terribly it treats both its  human employees and the  animals  it raises  for slaughter. Schlossers work was the first monumentally influential piece that to change  the way we think about our food and start the healthy eating revolution. The Book Thief  by Markus Zusak (2005) Though technically a Young Adult novel,  The Book Thief is so inventive and so interesting that it quickly became an international bestseller with both teens and adults raving about how good it is.  This deeply emotional novel is painful and  magnificent from start to finish. Narrated by the character Death, the story follows Leisel, a recently orphaned girl  taken in by an Aryan family during Hitlers reign,  just before the rise of the Nazi regime. In addition to defending their newest child, Leisels adoptive parents take in a Jewish boy and conceal him in their basement, putting their  entire family at risk. The Road  by Cormac McCarthy (2006) A favorite of  scholars who appreciate its  meditations in regards to the human condition, The Road is one of those novels that both academics and the general public can love. Its a spare, brutal novel told in deceptively simple prose about a father and son traveling on the road in a barren, post-apocalyptic America.  Along the way, the man and his son (who are never named) encounter occasional thieves and at one point a band of cannibals (seriously), as well as suffering from  hunger, fear, and the dangers of a bitter  midwestern winter. Billy Lynns Long Halftime Walk  by Ben Fountain (2012) Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, Fountains first novel generated a lot of interest when it was published  almost four years ago. The story follows Billy Lynn and seven of his fellow rookies from the U.S. Armys Bravo squad. Fresh out of  an Iraqi firefight, the eight young men are dubbed heroes and taken on a stateside  tour of the U.S. culminating  in the titular halftime appearance at a Dallas Cowboys game. This novel captures the essence of what it means to live as a United States soldier in the 21st century. Readers are given a window into how soldiers live, their emotional turmoil, the incredible stress theyre under, and what its like to suffer from  PTSD.