🙈😈🙈 Ranking our Reads (CONTROVERSIAL?) 🙈😈🙈

I’ve really enjoyed this class. I think writing the semester project made me appreciate how hard it is to work history into fiction in this post-modernist way. The most interesting theme of the class that runs through the novels to me is the way the author can do whatever they want in creating their own history. As long as there are gaps in the real history, those gaps could hold these stories and tales the author wants to create. For example, Harry Houdini getting into the car accident right in front of the little boy’s house. I want to take the time here to create a ranked list of each book we read this semester.

6th Place: Course Packet Readings

I want to make this list based on both interesting and how much it influenced the class. I don’t mean this as disrespect to the curriculum, but I do think the readings by White and McHale were a little boring. I think that’s only because it doesn't get involved with characters like how novels do. But, I think our discussions at the beginning of the year were vastly important because before this class I had no idea what post-modernism was. So, it’s important to read. Unfortunately, these readings still fall in last place.

5th Place: Mumbo Jumbo

Mumbo Jumbo is a fascinating book to examine if you know what’s going on. I bet if I had read the readings after we had talked about all of the intricacies of the story, opposed to before we talked about what happened, I would have been able to connect more and understand everything. I felt pretty lost, but I always liked finding things out in class. I know lots of people in the class would rate it as their favorite, so it seems like a hit or miss for much of the class. My favorite moment was talking about the real Hinckle Von Vampton and the things about the talking androids.

4th Place: Slaughterhouse 5

Slaughterhouse 5 is a classic book. So classic that I read it in both history (World Since 1945), and English (History as Fiction). I rate it in the middle of the pack because it’s very interesting, but I just didn't get connected to the characters in the same way because I knew what was going to happen. My favorite part of the book was the story of how Billy and Kilgore Trout met and how he worked for him and their relationship.

3rd Place: Ragtime

I really liked Ragtime because of the different stories told. I really liked the way Tateh became Baron Ashkenazy and how his job transformed to a street artist to a filmmaker. I liked Coalhouse’s story a lot as well because it highlighted the Black Panthers of the 70s in relation to the racism of the early 20th century. As a reader, my favorite part was when I realized that the Baron was also Tateh. It wasn't explicitly said until later and personally it made me feel really happy for him, as it is one of the happier story lines.

2nd Place: Libra

Although I’m not finished with Libra yet, I think it has been one of the best novels we have read. Similar to Ragtime, it follows a lot of different characters. In comparison to Mumbo Jumbo, it has a lot of the same intricacies, but it is a lot more reader friendly. But maybe that’s just my reading comprehension skills. My favorite theme of the novel is the idea of a world inside a world. There is so much going on underneath the surface, and this novel really kind of scares me by showing me how little we could know about how much we are being watched. The lines about “There is a world inside the world” was during the chapter In Dallas, and it also mentions later the role of multiple levels of our politics, which also scares me because it makes me wonder if we really have a good democracy.

1st Place: Kindred

Kindred was the only novel of the semester where I found myself starting to read ahead and really getting into the readings. I think the reason I liked it so much was because of how much I could understand and maybe how blunt it was in presenting parallels. Dana often noticed the same things we were supposed to see as readers like how Kevin and Rufus make the same face, or how Kevin and Tom make the same commanding voice. My favorite part was the symbolism of having Kevin’s friends coming over to celebrate the 4th of July before the last time they go back. This is symbolic because the year 1976 (when the story takes place), is the 200 year Anniversary of the creation of the United States. It’s emphasizing 200 years of liberty of freedom, but Dana had just went back in time during that 200 years and saw horrors wherever she looked. This also relates to one of the themes of the class which is the gaps in time that are left untouched. The things we don't tell, or leave out. What was this character doing when? It all works out very well. I really, really enjoyed Kindred.

Thanks for reading guys!

If you guys have any concerns, feel free to roast my rankings as one of your comments.

Have a good summer.

🗿  Paul  🗿