Good books inspire our minds, seed our stories, and fill our hearts. This week, Jennifer Leeper, author of the compelling novella The Reiger File, shares the “three books I love” that she recommends for all adult and young adult readers…
Book #1 The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck
This book is a favorite of mine because long before I lived in Asia, Buck Buck introduced me to Eastern culture through one Chinese family navigating a changing culture as well as family relationships. Buck deftly universalizes the experience of family and adaptation to cultural shifts across multiple generations in this work aimed at adolescent readers and older.
Book #2 Elmer Gantry, Sinclair Lewis
Although I love anything penned by Sinclair Lewis, this book stands out for me even among his others because Lewis perfectly captures the complex workings of the human soul and heart. Lewis’ protagonist, Gantry, isn’t cut solely from a morally bankrupt cloth, but his character is more of a patchwork quilt of moral ambivalence, reflecting the spirit of the age Lewis often mirrored in his fiction. This book is geared for adolescent readers and older.
Book #3 The Call of the Wild, Jack London
What I love most about this story is its epic-sized adventure packed into a novella’s worth of words. London’s transference of humanity to man’s best friend is genius to me, becauseThe Call of the Wild is more than a story about dogs who have thought bubbles, but it’s a chance to view, reflect on and analyze our humanity with fresh eyes, literally. We see ourselves as Buck sees us, or more precisely as London would like us to see ourselves. This book is geared for adolescent readers and older.
Thank you, Jennifer! Reading about a kind person recommending good books is always a lovely way to end the day. Read Jenifer’s novella in the suspenseful collection Approaching Footsteps from Spider Road Press. Look for her award winning flash fiction piece, “The Bottle,” in the special Spider’s Web Flash Fiction Prize section of Spider Road Press’ upcoming release, Companion of the Ash.
Learn more about her other books and stories at: https://www.jenniferleeper.net
Follow her on Twitter: @JenLeeper1