A person’s favorite book says a lot about who they are. For one, it may be an example of the last time he or she read something. Avid readers tend to place a lot of value on other people’s books of choice, but what do certain books say about the people who love them?
J.D. Salinger’s famous novel The Catcher in the Rye is a story about a young man named Holden Caulfield, a privileged but complicated teenager who stopped developing emotionally after he lost his beloved brother Allie to leukemia. Holden’s situation is pitiable, for sure, but the way he handles his grief is pretty terrible. He decides not to form any real attachments to any other people in his life, knowing just how much it hurts to lose someone he truly loves, so to avoid getting too close to anyone else, he treats his classmates, teachers, parents, and women in his life with disdain. He craves human contact, once going so far as to solicit the company of prostitute, but when he gets to her boudoir, only wants to talk.
If a man’s favorite book is The Catcher in the Rye it’s probably not a great sign. More than likely, he identifies with Holden Caulfield and sees him not as a selfish, immature (if unfortunate) young man, but instead as some kind of rebel. He probably views Holden as someone who can identify the “phonies” of society and who refuses to conform to social norms. If a woman finds out that her boyfriend’s favorite book is The Catcher in the Rye, she should proceed with caution. And give him some Vonnegut to read.
If a member of either gender’s favorite book is The electronic books Lord of Flies, that person probably hasn’t done much reading since he or she was in high school. The Lord of the Flies is a perennial 10th grade favorite. English teachers can’t seem to get enough of the symbolism of the conch shell, and they love to make their students write about the social hierarchy that exists amongst the young boys stranded on that island, particularly focusing on whether Jack or Ralph should be chosen as the “king” of the group. It’s also possible that the person is just a sucker for the “stuck on an island” plot. If he or she is a big fan of LOST and/or Swiss Family Robinson, the latter is probably the case.
Finally, if a woman’s favorite book is The Outsiders, it’s probably for one two reasons. One: she finds the book poetically beautiful. She probably wells up at the words “Stay gold, Ponyboy” and declares Robert Frost to be her favorite poet, even if she can’t name any of his works besides Nothing Gold Can Stay. The other is that she saw the film version, which is chock full of 1980s era hunks and associates her positive associations with those gentlemen with the book itself. Or it could be both.
A person’s favorite book isn’t always a perfect indicator of his or her personality, but it never hurts to find out what it is, just in case.
A Magazine Reader’s Review of Current History
In this article, I am going to talk about one of my favorite magazines. I will discuss why I consider it one of my favorite magazines and will provide a brief history of this magazine. I consider this type of magazine to be political. You may have guessed by now, from a prior article of mine on a political magazine that I thoroughly enjoy reading these types of magazines and subscribe to many of them.
First, I will give a brief history of this magazine. Current History is the oldest publication in the United States. It is devoted entirely to world affairs. When I say that Current History, is political I use that term loosely. Actually, the magazine is more geopolitical than political. Current History was founded in 1914 by the New York Times. Today, the magazine is privately owned. It is published from September to May monthly. In the beginning, the magazine was founded to cover World War I or the Great War as it also is known by. Many esteemed and well known people have contributed to the magazine; the likes of Winston Churchill, George Bernard Shaw, and more contemporary names like John McCain and Condeleeza Rice. Current History is not affiliated with any institution or political organization or government body.
Now, that I have provided a brief history of this storied publication I am going to talk about why I consider it one of my favorite magazines to read. Each month, Current History discusses various issues from around the world. Each month’s magazine focuses on a particular region of the world and various issues that affect that region and issues that are also affected by the region. The magazine talks about regions like the Middle East, Europe, Africa and China and Est Asia. The magazine discusses economic and political issues that affect a particular region. For example, terrorism, nuclear weapons and various ebooks economic issues. Economically speaking, there are articles on technology, various economic trends and economical institutions, like the IMF. At the end of the year, I like that a year in review is put together. The year in review issue looks back at important issues from the prior year that the magazine wants to highlight. Throughout the year, there are “special” issues published that focus in depth on a particular topic. For example, migration trends or global warming. I consider the magazine to be quite academic and can be a bit time consuming to read. I don’t find it as easy to read like Cosmopolitan. There is book review section that I also like to read. If you want to become more informed of the geopolitical issues of our times, you should check out this valuable magazine.