Classic Suggestions

In "Public Libraries", (a magazine published by the Public Library Association) February 2010 issues, Brad Hooper, Adult books Editor for Booklist magazine wrote in the Readers' Advisory Issue an article, "Selling the Classics." What is a classic? There are innumerable answers to that question. It is a work of enduring excellence. It can stand the test of time. A classic makes connections.

Anyone who enjoys recommending books will find it helpful to have a list of classics you have read and enjoyed. Classics need not be "stuffy" but vividly alive for contemporary readers. The three classics annotated here are classics that focus on one region of the United States; eastern southern and western.


The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Jay Gatsby, a mysterious man of great wealth, entertained lavishly on his estate on Long Island, New York. His goal was to impress Daisy whom he loved and courted when he was poor. Daisy was married to wealthy Tom Buchanan. Their mansion was close to the Gatsby estate. The basic theme is about moneu; the new "rich" versus old, established wealth and class differences.


To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Pulitzer Prize Winner

Set in Alabama, Atticus, a single father and a lawyer, instills s strong sense of right and wrong in his two children. Atticus is appointed to defend a negro on a rape charge in a small Alabama town. This excellent classic has contemporary national significance.


Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather

Father Latour travels to Santa Fe, New Mexico from Lake Ontario in 1851 where he is to become Vicar Apostolic of New Mexico. His great ambition is to build a cathedral. As he was successful, he became Archbishop Latour. When he knew he was dying he asked to spend his last days near the Cathedral. He died at twilight and the Cathedral bells carried the news to the waiting countryside. Conflict between the earthly and the spiritual is at the heart of this classic.