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Brain Matter

Reading Is Fundamental

Because India has approximately 350 million people
who cannot read or write,
the United Nations Children's Fund has said
that it is the most illiterate country in the world.


With the help of our readers,
we have compiled a list
of what we think are some
of the most important books of our time.


These books either challenged us
in the way we think or look at the world.

We have made it easy for you
to purchase these books
by providing a direct link
to a sister site where you may
add these titles to your collection





We Thought You Would Be Prettier
by Laurie Notaro

The wonderful thing about Laurie Notaro is that she taps into the 30 something year old strapped into a totally inappropriate but oh so much fun pink prom dress. She's bitter, she's funny, she's not perfect and willing to share just how much NOT perfect she is with the rest of us.

The Glass Castle
by Jeannette Walls

It's probably the best account ever written of a dysfunctional family -- and it must have taken Walls so much courage to put pen to paper and recount the details of her rather bizarre childhood - - which although it's like none other and is so dramatic - - any reader will relate to it. Readers will find bits and pieces of their own parents in Rex and Rose Mary Walls.

The Day I Turned Uncool
by Dan Zevin

These likable, well-crafted Gen-X essays explore the surface disillusionment and middle-class compromises of growing older. With comic skill, Zevin (The Nearly-Wed Handbook; Entry-Level Life) takes a sentimental first-person approach to suburban adult dilemmas such as wine tastings, lawn care, the starter home and the contrast between the freewheeling college semester abroad and the fearful, sensible 30-something European vacation.

Possible Side Effects
by Augusten Burroughs

These often hilarious, sometimes contrived essays put the "me" in "confessional memoir" front and center. Burroughs recounts scenes from the floridly dysfunctional childhood chronicled in his bestselling Running with Scissors, along with vignettes from various bad jobs, including his travails at an ad agency, and his life as a famous writer.

The Bookseller of Kabul
by Asne Seierstad

That said, the book does provide a penetrating look at a complex and complicated family forced to live under horrific conditions. Within the context of his society, Sultan Khan is an enlightened and liberal man. No fundamentalist, he reads widely and believes in freedom of thought and speech. But for all that Khan is a liberal man in a conservative society---he is still a product of a highly conservative society. As such, he is a polygamist and a man who forces his sons to bind to his will.

Blankets
by Craig Thompson

Craig Thompson's Illustrated Novel "Blankets" is a masterpiece. His story is well told and his imagery supplements it. Thompson's layouts are innovative and push the boundaries of the traditional graphic novel layout. overall the work is very strong. The term graphic novel, often applied loosely to this genre has true meaning in this book in that it truly is a Novel.

I'll Be Your Mirror
by Nan Golden

This is one of the most important books available in contemporary photography. i admire it for its bold reality, honesty and shockingly moving images. Anyone who takes documentary photo seriously should own this book. there is no pomp or frill here just the pain, disapointments and celebrations of life and death.

Maximum City: Bombay
by Sukhetu Mehta

"Bombay is the future of urban civilization on the planet. God help us," Mehta writes. As the world's third-largest metropolis at 18 million people, and with the fifth-highest density at 17,550 per square mile, Bombay ("Mumbai") commands attention. Mehta, a fiction writer and journalist, left Bombay as a teen to return 21 years later to try to grapple with his vastly changed hometown. This is his perspective as both a newcomber and insider.

Other Recommended Reading


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