451 Fridays

451 Fridays is based on an idea from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. In his novel, a group of people (Bradbury calls them Book People) are trying to keep the ideas found in books alive. Instead of actually saving the books, the Book People each "become" a book - memorizing it, word for word, and passing it down to the next generation.

451 Fridays asks what books you feel passionate about. What book do you think is so important that you would be willing to take on the challenge of "becoming"?


Today, I'm so thankful to welcome Anna to 451 Fridays. Anna blogs at Diary of an Eccentric, where there is always something interesting going on. I love the articles she writes for Examiner.com, and the joint reviews she does with her daughter, The Girl. Anna is also the co-host of the War Through the Generations challenge, which I am looking forward to participating in next year. Welcome, Anna!

What 5 books do you believe are important enough to be saved, and why?


The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan -- Amy Tan tells such beautiful stories and her understanding of the complex mother-daughter dynamic and ability to put it into words is awesome.


Night by Elie Wiesel -- A must-read for those interested in learning about the Holocaust.


Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen -- Austen's humorous commentary on society, manners, and relationships is the original chick lit.


Anne of Green Gables (series) by L.M. Montgomery -- It's impossible not to fall in love with Anne, the free-spirited child, and watching her grow into a women, wife, and mother was a high-point of my childhood reading.


Sea Glass by Anita Shreve -- Shreve has a way of making her characters come to life, and she brilliantly throws in a final twist that leaves you shocked and emotionally drained.


Of those 5, which book would you choose to "become"?


The Joy Luck Club. It's been my favorite book since I first read it in college, and one of the few books I've read more than once. It makes me cry every time.


Do you have any favorite quotes from that book, so we know why you love it so much?

"And then my mother cut a piece of meat from her arm. Tears poured from her face and blood spilled to the floor.

My mother took her flesh and put it in the soup. She cooked magic in the ancient tradition to try to cure her mother this one last time. She opened Popo's mouth, already too tight from trying to keep her spirit in. She fed her this soup, but that night Popo flew away with her illness.

Even though I was young, I could see the pain of the flesh and the worth of the pain.

This is how a daughter honors her mother. It is shou so deep it is in your bones. The pain of the flesh is nothing. The pain you must forget. Because sometimes that is the only way to remember what is in your bones. You must peel off your skin, and that of your mother, and her mother before her. Until there is nothing. No scar, no skin, no flesh." (page 41 in my paperback copy)



Anna, thank you so much for taking the time to share with us YOUR list of books which must be saved.

If you have a list you are burning to share, please let me know - I'd love to have you!