Looking at the news recently, I thought about writing a political piece this week. But I think the events that deserve condemnation have already condemned themselves. So I'm going to discuss some of the individual books and series that have meant the most to me. Not every book I love is on this list, but I picked some of the ones that need the shout-out the most. You can avoid politics temporarily, or find uncanny parallels to Turkey and the RNC to your heart's desire! In no particular order, here are some of my favorite books.

1. "1984" by George Orwell

George Orwell is one of my favorite writers, and 1984, as his last book, is a culmination of all his experiences and personal philosophies. Everyone knows 1984 discusses surveillance- Big Brother is watching you, after all- but there's much more going on. I'm especially fixated by themes such as rewriting the past and the limit of the conditions human nature can tolerate. 1984 puts the idea of a hero fighting insurmountable odds in a different light, one I find somehow inspiring, in a bitter way. Such is the nature of Orwell's writing.

2. "Homage to Catalonia" by George Orwell

While "Animal Farm" is more famous, I would recommend "Homage to Catalonia", Orwell's account of fighting in the Spanish civil war, more than it. Orwell was sent to report on the war, but quickly joined the POUM, a Marxist organization fighting against the fascists with the Spanish republic. While you would think that this would compromise his abilities as a journalist, Orwell gives a remarkably fair assessment of the mess of Republican factions fighting themselves as much as the fascists. Besides politics, he also recounts plenty of simply funny stories about his disorganized, ragtag, but ultimately fiercely devoted POUM militia.

What I like so much about "Homage" is how it does away with the sliding scale of idealism and cynicism. Somehow, Orwell sees the rise of two authoritarian ideologies, Stalinism and fascism, yet still believes in the leftist anarchists and the working class. It's worth reading whatever your views are.

3. "Last Chance to See" by Douglas Adams

I would also recommend "Hitchhiker's Guide to Galaxy", Adams' more famous work, but "Last Chance" left more of an impression on me. The BBC sent Adams with a small team around the world, visiting some of the most endangered species of the time. Only a comedian could have written this book. The weight of the sixth mass extinction we have created should crush the reader, but "Last Chance" is genuinely funny; it's just serious enough so we can care without despairing. The book is even more powerful when, after reading, you check up on the fate of the animals described. Some have done well. Others, not so much.

4. "The Book Thief" by Markus Zuzak

Plenty of novels have been set in Nazi Germany, but "The Book Thief" takes things from a different perspective. Its story is told by Death himself, who is weary of his job but cannot help but remember Liesel, a girl growing up an orphan in Germany at the time. Politics and war are a backstage to the novel. It is really about the power of words and books, and imagination and humanity. I think "The Book Thief" taught many people in my book club when we read it that Nazis are people too, that their motivations were just as complex and human as our own.

5. "2001: A Space Odyssey" and sequels by Arthur C. Clarke

"2001" is more famous as a movie, of course, but I generally like the book better. Clarke's version of the story explains more, but leaves enough mystery to keep us wondering. It's so delightfully scientific; only the alien technology is unexplained by known physics. And I am impressed by how compelling the plot is even though it doesn't focus on characters much. Arguably the one character is Hal, a more sympathetic villain than you would expect.

There are three other books in the series- "2010", "2061", and "3000". They're all interesting reads, though the latter two are not necessarily good "2001" series novels. But they have some powerful lines.

6. "The Thinking Life" by P.M. Forni

"The Thinking Life" is sort of a self-help guide, but it's really about the philosophy of daily life. Forni basically wants us to leave time in our busy lives to think, and be more thoughtful about our actions. He's inspired by Greek and Roman thought, especially the Stoics. "The Thinking Life" introduced me to the notion of learning to not worry about the things you can't control. While I already valued thinking before reading this book, and don't agree with all aspects of it, "The Thinking Life" is a great guide to becoming more conscientious and reasonable in everyday life.

7. "Guardians of Ga'Hoole" by Kathryn Lasky

Not all good books have to be aimed at adults. By far the most influential series I read as a kid was this one, a fantasy world inhabited by owls. It combines the atmosphere of epics such as "Lord of the Rings" with a deep respect for knowledge and equality. Lasky built a unique universe in the series, with the right mix of species involved as main characters, technology developed by the owls, and magic from the past.

8. "The Mismeasure of Man" by Stephen Jay Gould

Gould was an underappreciated teacher of evolutionary biology. He wrote this book in response to “The Bell Curve” byCharles A. Murray and Richard Herrnstein, which claimed that there is a significant innate difference in intelligence between races. Gould's response is to tear apart not just their argument but the arguments made throughout history in the same vein. He was the rare person who knew enough about statistics, biology, and history to put together the argument. And more importantly, he cared enough about justice to do so.

9. "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair

Upton Sinclair's novel discusses the disgusting conditions of the Gilded Age meatpacking facilities, yes, but ulitmately it is about the people. Jurgis Rudkus, the protagonist, is the working class hero. He is far from perfect, but ultimately fights for a better future for himself and his family, by his own sense of right and wrong. "The Jungle" is ultimately socialist propaganda, something that was frankly necessary for the time. I do not have to ask myself whose side I am on in the Gilded Age.

10. "The Foundation" Series by Isaac Asimov

Many of Asimov's stories take place in a massive galactic empire, and at this point it is dying. But the mathematician Hari Seldon, who came up with a way to predict the outcome of history, has a plan to reinstate a new empire in only ten thousand years. It involves setting up two planets as foundations for a new empire at opposite ends of the galaxy. While the series contains one villain, it isn't based on conflict with an enemy, since Asimov knew that nobody sees themselves as the antagonist.

Foundation takes on the view that individuals generally do not influence history, that its course is set by general trends. I think there is some truth to this, but it's difficult to work out to just what extent.

11. "It's Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini

This story tackles depression in a funny, devastating, and powerful way. And, as I most appreciate, it criticizes overly competitive schools for damaging students' mental well-being. The author was actually hospitalized for depression himself, and it's obvious he knew what he was talking about. The book puts an empathetic human face on mental disorders, showing that, like bodily illness, aren't things one just 'gets over'. However, it also shows they can be treated.