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THIRTY BOOKS EVERYONE SHOULD READ BEFORE THEYRE THIRTY

The Web is grand. With its fame for hosting informative, easy-to-skim textual snippets and collaborative written

works, people are spending more and more time reading online. Nevertheless, the Web cannot replace the

authoritative transmissions from certainclassic booksthat have delivered (or will deliver) profound ideas around the

globe for generations.

The thirty books listed here are of unparalleled prose, packed with wisdom capable of igniting a new understanding

of the world. Everyone should read these books before their thirtieth birthday.

1. Siddhartha by Hermann HesseA powerful story about the importance of life experiences as they relate to approaching an understanding of reality

and attaining enlightenment.

2. 1984 by George Orwell1984 still holds chief significance nearly sixty years after it was written in 1949. It is widely acclaimed for its

haunting vision of an all-knowing government, which uses pervasive, twenty-four/seven surveillance tactics to

manipulate all citizens of the populace.

3. To Kill a Mockingbirdby Harper LeeThe story surveys the controversial issues of race and economic class in the 1930s Deep South via a court case of a

black man charged with the rape and abuse of a young white girl. Its a moving tale that delivers a profoundmessage about fighting for justice and against prejudice.

4.A Clockwork Orange by Anthony BurgessA nightmarish vision of insane youth culture that depicts heart wrenching insight into the life of a disturbed

adolescent. This novel will blow you away leaving you breathless, livid, thrilled, and concerned.

5.For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest HemingwayA short, powerful contemplation on death, ideology and the incredible brutality of war.

6. War and Peace by Leo TolstoyThis masterpiece is so enormous even Tolstoy said it couldnt be described as a standard novel. The storyline takes

place in Russian society during the Napoleonic Era, following the characters of Andrei, Pierre and Natasha and

the tragic and unanticipated way in which their lives interconnect.

7. The Rights of Man by Tom PaineWritten during the era of the French Revolution, this book was one of the first to introduce the concept of human

rights from the standpoint of democracy.

8. The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques RousseauA famous quote from the book states that Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains. This accurately

summarizes the books prime position on the importance of individual human rights within society.

9. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garca MrquezThis novel does not have a plot in the conventional sense, but instead uses various narratives to portray a clear

message about the general importance of remembering our cultural history.

10. The Origin of Speciesby Charles DarwinFew books have had as significant an impact on the way society views the natural world and the genesis of

humankind.

11. The Wisdom of the Desertby Thomas MertonA collection of thoughts, meditations and reflections that give insight into what life is like to live simply and purely,

dedicated to a greater power than ourselves.

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12. The Tipping Point by Malcolm GladwellGladwell looks at how a small idea, or product concept, can spread like a virus and spark global sociological

changes. Specifically, he analyzes the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable.

13. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth GrahamArguably one of the best childrens books ever written; this short novel will help you appreciate the simple pleasures

in life. Its most notable for its playful mixture of mysticism, adventure, morality, and camaraderie.

14. The Art of Warby Sun TzuOne of the oldest books on military strategy in the world. Its easily the most successful written work on the

mechanics of general strategy and business tactics.

15. The Lord of the Ringsby J.R.R. TolkienOne of the greatest fictional stories ever told, and by far one of the most popular and influential written works in

twentieth-century literature. Once you pick up the first book, youll read them all

16.David Copperfieldby Charles DickensThis is a tale that lingers on the topic of attaining and maintaining a disciplined heart as it relates to ones emotional

and moral life. Dickens states that we must learn to go against the first mistaken impulse of the undisciplined

heart.

17.Four Quartetsby T.S. EliotProbably the wisest poetic prose of modern times. It was written during World War II, and is still entirely relevant

today heres an excerpt: The dove descending breaks the air/With flame of incandescent terror/Of which the

tongues declare/The only discharge from sin and error/The only hope, or the despair/Lies in the choice of pyre or

pyre/To be redeemed from fire by fire./Who then devised this torment?/Love/Love is the unfamiliar Name/Behind

the hands that wave/The intolerable shirt of flame/Which human power cannot remove./We only live, only

suspire/Consumed by either fire or fire.

18. Catch-22by Joseph HellerThis book coined the self-titled term catch-22 that is widely used in modern-day dialogue. As for the story, its

message is clear: Whats commonly held to be good, may be bad what is sensible, is nonsense. Its one o f the

greatest literary works of the twentieth century. Read it.

19. The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott FitzgeraldSet in the Jazz Age of the roaring 20s, this book unravels a cautionary tale of the American dream. Specifically, the

reader learns that a few good friends are far more important that a zillion acquaintances, and the drive created from

the desire to have something is more valuable than actually having it.

20. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerThis novel firmly stands as an icon for accurately representing the ups and downs of teen angst, defiance and

rebellion. If nothing else, it serves as a reminder of the unpredictable teenage mindset.

21. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor DostoyevskyA smooth-flowing, captivating novel of a young man living in poverty who criminally succumbs to the desire for

money, and the hefty psychological impact this has on him and the people closest to him.

22. The Princeby Niccolo MachiavelliThis book does a great job at describing situations of power and statesmanship. From political and corporate power

struggles to attaining advancement, influence, and authority over others, Machiavellis observations apply.

23. Waldenby Henry David ThoreauThoreau spent two years, two months and two days writing this book in a secluded cabin near the banks of Walden

Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. This is a story about being truly free from the pressures of society. The book can

speak for itself: I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life,

and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.

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