Jan 14, 2022·edited Jan 15, 2022Liked by Seth Jordan
Seth, I'm so glad to discover your site! We met (online) in 2020 when you co-led a course on Social Threefolding and Agriculture, and I've been wanting to be in touch ever since. "But knowing how way leads unto way..." it has taken all this time.
What delights me about this post is how many of the books are already among my favorites or are waiting on my shelf to be read. Watch With Me is a treasure, of course, and I've had the pleasure of hearing Wendell read aloud from it, seeing as how he's a fellow Kentuckian. I've dipped a toe into Wilhelm Meister, though I confess it's not a real page-turner for me. And my wife and I read Cannery Row and are reading The Dispossessed aloud even now. So it's evident that you and I have some similar tastes in reading.
Another fine story is Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene. It tells about the title character, the typical self-doubting religious man of Greene's fiction, and his boisterous Communist friend, as they go on an adventure together. It is both humorous and touching.
A book I found amazing, and that I can't help mention in addition, is Rabindranath Tagore's "The Home and the World." It has an incredible social dynamic between the three main characters -- a progressive Indian businessman who is a benefactor to his community, his childhood friend who is a fiery nationalist, and the businessman's wife who is in love with his friend. The story is told from all three points of view and is both powerful and heartbreaking. One of the most helpful things I found about the book though, is the picture it gives into the Indian nationalist movement. It's not a pretty picture, as Tagore was a severe critic of nationalism, and I would have to agree with him. I think nationalism is one of the most dangerous forces in the world today, so it's important to to learn to see it from the inside whenever we can.
Also, I wanted to say that if anyone wants to explore other works by Steinbeck, all of his books are socially insightful, but of course "The Grapes of Wrath" holds a special place in terms of digging deeper into society's systemic problems.
Seth, I'm so glad to discover your site! We met (online) in 2020 when you co-led a course on Social Threefolding and Agriculture, and I've been wanting to be in touch ever since. "But knowing how way leads unto way..." it has taken all this time.
What delights me about this post is how many of the books are already among my favorites or are waiting on my shelf to be read. Watch With Me is a treasure, of course, and I've had the pleasure of hearing Wendell read aloud from it, seeing as how he's a fellow Kentuckian. I've dipped a toe into Wilhelm Meister, though I confess it's not a real page-turner for me. And my wife and I read Cannery Row and are reading The Dispossessed aloud even now. So it's evident that you and I have some similar tastes in reading.
Another fine story is Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene. It tells about the title character, the typical self-doubting religious man of Greene's fiction, and his boisterous Communist friend, as they go on an adventure together. It is both humorous and touching.
Looking forward to reading more of your posts!
Fred Otto
A book I found amazing, and that I can't help mention in addition, is Rabindranath Tagore's "The Home and the World." It has an incredible social dynamic between the three main characters -- a progressive Indian businessman who is a benefactor to his community, his childhood friend who is a fiery nationalist, and the businessman's wife who is in love with his friend. The story is told from all three points of view and is both powerful and heartbreaking. One of the most helpful things I found about the book though, is the picture it gives into the Indian nationalist movement. It's not a pretty picture, as Tagore was a severe critic of nationalism, and I would have to agree with him. I think nationalism is one of the most dangerous forces in the world today, so it's important to to learn to see it from the inside whenever we can.
Also, I wanted to say that if anyone wants to explore other works by Steinbeck, all of his books are socially insightful, but of course "The Grapes of Wrath" holds a special place in terms of digging deeper into society's systemic problems.