I came across a list on the internets of [The Essential Man's Library][1]. Curious, I decided to look and see if I’d read any of them and see if I agreed with their choices. I’m doing this post kind of “live blog style” so final commentary will be at the end.

##[Part 1][1]

***The Great Gatsby*** by F. Scott Fitzgerald: I read this in High School and remember enjoying it (unlike many of the other books we read). Beyond that, I don’t honestly remember much about it.

***Slaughter-House Five*** by Kurt Vonnegut: I’ve always wanted to read this one. Never have though and don’t know if I ever will. I always here mixed things so…

***1984*** by George Orwell: This is a good book. Much better than ***Animal Farm*** (which I hope isn’t on the list) but not quite as good as ***Brave New World*** (which better be on the list). Basically its your run of the mill “utopian society gone wrong” book.

***The Republic of Plato*** by Plato: Good edition. Classical Greek philosophy *should* be more widely read by dudes.

***The Brothers Karamazov*** by Fyodor Dostoevsky: Another solid edition.

***The Wealth of Nations*** by Adam Smith: This is another on my list that I’ll probably never get around to reading. My economic reading of late has tended to come at things from a theological perspective. This one gets cited frequently though so I might get around to it eventually.

***The Catcher in the Rye*** by JD Salinger: Read it. It’s good. (Another on the short list that I really enjoyed in High School)

***Brave New World*** by Aldous Huxley: Yes! It made the cut! For a long while I had this listed as my favorite piece of literature (essentially until I read *Count of Monte Cristo* unabridged). Very good. Very timely. And very thought provoking.

***Walden*** by Thoreau: Another good piece of American literature. Definitely worth the read.

***Lord of the Flies*** by William Golding: This was my favorite book until ***Brave New World***. Excellent character study and look at human nature. If you haven’t read it, you should as it says a lot about our state of mind.

***Atlas Shrugged*** by Ayn Rand: Another one of those books on my list to read someday. This one is more likely to be read than the others I mentioned earlier though.

***The Metamorphosis*** by Franz Kafka: Enjoyable read. I don’t know if I’d put it on this list though. Good none-the-less.

###[Part 2][2]

***Ulysses*** by James Joyce: I wouldn’t call this a “must read.” It was interesting and I’m glad I got through it as it did feel like an accomplishment when I turned the last page but I don’t think it’s a necessary read.

***Crime and Punishment*** by Fyodor Dostoyevsky: I prefer ***The Brothers Karamazov*** (or better yet, ***Notes from the Underground***) but everyone probably had to read this in High School anyways.

***The Art of Warfare*** by Sun Tzu: Definitely a good edition. And not one you were likely to read in High School. Track it down if you can.

***Don Quixote*** by Cervantes: I didn’t particularly care for it (read it in junior high I think).

***The Hobbit*** by JRR Tolkien: Great and deep imagination can be found in Tolkien’s books. Definitely have a home on an *essentials* list.

***Politics*** by Aristotle: More Greek philosophy! I liked this one better than Plato’s *Republic* but your mileage may vary.

***Boy Scouts Handbook***: I made it through Webelos I believe they call it.

###[Part 3][3]

***Hatchet*** by Gary Paulsen: This is one for elementary school. I found *Canyons* to be more meaningful, personally, but enjoyed this one too. Definitely good for a boy to read.

***Animal Farm*** by George Orwell: Hated it in school but it slowly grew on me. Not nearly as much as ***1984*** though.

***Beyond Good and Evil*** by Nietzsche: I’ve read bits and pieces of this and it is quite good if you are grounded and looking to broaden your horizons.

***The Federalists Papers*** by Alexander Hamilton: Read in High School. Kinda amazing where our country has gone from then.

***Moby Dick*** by Herman Melville: Didn’t like it. Sorry.

***Hamlet*** by William Shakespeare: Did like this one. Tied for my favorite Shakespeare play. Definitely one to read.

***The Stranger*** by Albert Camus: Read this in college but honestly don’t remember much. Guess it wasn’t that impacting.

***Robinson Crusoe*** by Daniel Defoe: I enjoyed this one as a boy.

***Treasure Island*** by Robert Louis Stevenson: I LOVED this one as a boy.

***Fear and Trembling*** by Soren Kierkegaard: My preferred existentialist. Definitely some thought provoking readings in these pages. Definitely.

###[Part 4][4]

***The Autobiography of Malcolm X*** by Malcolm X: Kinda surprised this one is on here. It’s a good book though for insight into race relations of our last century.

***The Count of Monte Cristo*** by Alexandre Dumas: I was going to be upset if this didn’t make the cut. My favorite piece of literature. You ***have*** to read the unabridged version though.

***To Kill a Mockingbird*** by Harper Lee: I didn’t really enjoy it.

###Concluding Thoughts and Additions

Well, obviously list 2 and 4 were my weakest. There were a lot of books on those that I didn’t know or care to read. Overall though, I liked the list. It hit a lot of books that I’ve either thoroughly enjoyed or found particularly instructive. I liked that it wasn’t limited to fiction: there was varied philosophy, history, biography and other social sciences in the mix as well.

It was, however, I decidedly secular list. Outside of a few recognizably Christian names (Kierkegaard jumps out) there really wasn’t any noticeable *religion* in the mix. And I find that statement to be a good lead into what I’d consider adding to the list.

###Additions I’d probably consider including:

* [Candide][5] by Voltaire: Satire, and 18th Century philosophy at its finest. I would include this in the place of ***The Stranger*** probably.
* [A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man][6] by James Joyce: In the place of ***Ulysses***. This tome is quite a bit more accessible, I think.
* [Heart of Darkness][7] by Joseph Conrad: I was honestly surprised that this didn’t make the cut. It ranks with ***Lord of the FLies*** as an exploration of human nature. Well worth your time to read if you haven’t.
* [Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn][8] by Twain: What boy wouldn’t love reading this? Classic American literature.
* [Fabric of the Cosmos][9] by Brian Greene: I don’t like that there wasn’t any hard science on the list. This particular books takes a readily accessible look at modern physics that’s relatively easy to understand. It should have been included (or at least, something like it).
* [Emergence][10] by Steven Johnson: This is an odd edition, but its fascinating social science. It’s explanation of complexity theories opens up the world around us, I think.
* [The Bible][11] by God: Regardless of whether or not you hold dear its principles, this is a worthwhile one to read. At the very least it gives an understanding of a good chunk of the folks living on this planet and at best you could find something else entirely within its pages: liberation.
* [The Reason For God][12] by Tim Keller: I thought about several different apologetic type books: the Strobel *A Case for…* series, *Mere Christianity*, etc, but I think this one does the best at meeting skeptics where they are at. Again, at the very least, regardless of whether or not you believe it, it’ll make you think.

As I’m trying to keep things secular, I’ll leave it at that. Any additional book I might think to add would be decidedly Christian in tone. In the end, you shouldn’t have any problem finding a book to read from this list. Most all of them are worth your time.

[1]:http://www.amazon.com/100-Must-Read-Books-The-Essential-Man-s-Library-Part-I/lm/RCN3MKLVVPRXV/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full
[2]:http://www.amazon.com/100-Must-Read-Books-The-Essential-Man-s-Libary-Part-II/lm/R2J1IGD2DFRRA1/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full
[3]:http://www.amazon.com/100-Must-Read-Books-The-Essential-Man-s-Library-Part-III/lm/RYEM6Q77707AX/ref=cm_rna_own_lm
[4]:http://www.amazon.com/100-Must-Read-Books-The-Essential-Man-s-Library-Part-IV/lm/R1C5N5L45X04LI/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full
[5]:http://www.amazon.com/Candide-Dover-Thrift-Editions-Voltaire/dp/0486266893/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211479454&sr=8-1
[6]:http://www.amazon.com/Portrait-Artist-Young-Penguin-Classics/dp/0142437344/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211479582&sr=1-1
[7]:http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Darkness-Norton-Critical-Editions/dp/0393926362/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211479677&sr=1-1
[8]:http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Sawyer-Huckleberry-Signet-Classics/dp/0451528646/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211479787&sr=1-1
[9]:http://www.amazon.com/Fabric-Cosmos-Space-Texture-Reality/dp/0375727205/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211479853&sr=1-1
[10]:http://www.amazon.com/Emergence-Connected-Brains-Cities-Software/dp/0684868768/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211479970&sr=1-1
[11]:http://www.enetbible.com/
[12]:http://www.amazon.com/Reason-God-Belief-Age-Skepticism/dp/0525950494/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211480642&sr=1-1