Actually, my personal favorite is Poe. And you could probably read all of the stories I mentioned in the earlier comment in a day or two. But this is about your personal preference. A Connecticut Yankee is cultural satire and is kind of timeless. Sawyer and Finn are coming of age stories - quite good, though a bit dated. They are certainly more often included in American Lit classes.

Look at that - you can read all three (and Poe and others) right here.

In reply to this comment by kymbos:
Gotcha. So you wouldn't start with Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer or something higher profile? I've literally read none of them.


In reply to this comment by jonny:
I meant that even if you don't especially enjoy a classic novel, you haven't completely wasted your time - you're still probably better off for having read it. But yeah, enjoyment of a book - just like music, food, and art - is all about personal taste. I've read very little Russian literature, basically for fear of exactly the same reaction as yourself. (Oddly, though, I did enjoy A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, which is about as depressing and plodding as you can imagine.) If you're not fond of the Russians, there are some Americans you should probably avoid too - Faulkner, Steinbeck and some (not all!) of the other early 20th century writers probably first among them.

Okay, plug up your bleeding heart for like two seconds and try to pick on up the NUANCES of these next few statements.

If MLK was arrested in a PUBLIC park, for no other justification than loitering [i'm sure he was].. that's Institutionalized Discrimination and is wrong. Society should never revert to that way of being.

[This is your main concern and the issue you feel I'm avoiding, correct?]

However, since MLK was arrested in a PRIVATE establishment, for loitering and possible harassment.. It's right.

He was infringing upon the natural rights of narrow-minded racist to segregate themselves within their own little box of hate.

AGAIN, THIS IS INCONSEQUENTIAL BECAUSE OUR SOCIETY HAS EVOLVED BEYOND THE IDEA OF SEPARATE BUT EQUAL.

Meaning, we don't need a fuckin' law to tell us it's immoral.
E.G. "Good thing the 13th Amendment will never be repelled. Otherwise, all my black friends would have to be slaves again"

[Luckily for us, those Yankees made an amendment. Now we only have wage, sex, prison and sweatshop slavery to contend with! Go Liberal Democrats!!]

I feel i've been very honest about the implications of a Ron Paul presidency.
I agree that some groups will seek to reestablish institutionalized discrimination under the guise of property rights [which I never intentionally advocated for this entire discussion].

Again, not the point!

The entire point of Ron Paul becoming president is to reshape the political landscape!

You know, into one where our tiny individual voices actually make a significant difference.

I'll put this argument in the simplest terms I can:

p1 - @NetRunner wants to see political change thru the act of voting and unimpeded democracy/consensus.

p2 - A Ron Paul Presidency would enable political change thru the act of voting and unimpeded democracy/consensus.

C - @NetRunner should advocate for a Ron Paul Presidency.

Shit, late for work.
kthanksbai

Well, I'm not sure you can't go wrong with classics. I guess it comes down to taste in the end, but I found myself bored to tears with Russian classics, for example. I'm somewhat embarassed to say I just couldn't get through Crime and Punishment - it had no pace, for mine. As someone well read, this is probably sacrilege to you, but then I found the Lord of the Rings trilogy similarly overcooked.

I will get around to reading one of your suggestions when I'm next in the market for a book, and I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks again.
In reply to this comment by jonny:
Well, that's the thing about classics - you can't really go wrong with any of them, so yeah, A Connecticut Yankee is as good place to start as any. But it really comes down to your own preferences. Guys like Faulkner and Melville are generally considered giants of American literature, but I can't stand their stuff and would be very unlikely to recommend them. Steinbeck is another great that, while I personally like most of his work, a lot of people don't care much for it, even if they appreciate the quality.

You might find Good Reads a useful resource for finding the classics you'd most enjoy.

In reply to this comment by kymbos:
Hey, thannks for the leads. I just watched some of Midnight in Paris, and realised I'd never read the classics. Would you suggest I start with your Connecticut one?

Well, that's the thing about classics - you can't really go wrong with any of them, so yeah, A Connecticut Yankee is as good place to start as any. But it really comes down to your own preferences. Guys like Faulkner and Melville are generally considered giants of American literature, but I can't stand their stuff and would be very unlikely to recommend them. Steinbeck is another great that, while I personally like most of his work, a lot of people don't care much for it, even if they appreciate the quality.

You might find Good Reads a useful resource for finding the classics you'd most enjoy.

In reply to this comment by kymbos:
Hey, thannks for the leads. I just watched some of Midnight in Paris, and realised I'd never read the classics. Would you suggest I start with your Connecticut one?

Hey, thannks for the leads. I just watched some of Midnight in Paris, and realised I'd never read the classics. Would you suggest I start with your Connecticut one?
In reply to this comment by jonny:
[edit] woops, meant to reply on the talk post.

Twain is a great choice - definitely read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. It's LOL funny. Some of my favorites among the American classics are Poe, Emerson, Washington Irving, Walt Whitman, Joseph Heller, Vonnegut (is he counted as classic yet?). Edgar Allen Poe is a must. I first read The Pit and the Pendulum in my 30s and it scared the shit out of me. He clearly had access to the best drugs available in the world at the time. Other top Poe choices - The Black Cat, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Tell-Tale Heart.
In reply to this comment by kymbos:
I'm reading Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club, which is a pretty good page turner.

I'm interested in reading some classic American literature if anyone would recommend some for a guy who has never really read any of the classics (like Mark Twain, Hemmingway, Fitzgerald).

I'm green.

Twain is a great choice - definitely read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. It's LOL funny. Some of my favorites among the American classics are Poe, Emerson, Washington Irving, Walt Whitman, Joseph Heller, Kurt Vonnegut, Gore Vidal (are those last two counted as classic yet?). Edgar Allen Poe is a must. I first read The Pit and the Pendulum in my 30s and it scared the shit out of me. He clearly had access to the best drugs available in the world at the time. Other top Poe choices - The Black Cat, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Tell-Tale Heart.
In reply to this comment by kymbos:
I'm reading Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club, which is a pretty good page turner.

I'm interested in reading some classic American literature if anyone would recommend some for a guy who has never really read any of the classics (like Mark Twain, Hemmingway, Fitzgerald).

I'm green.

[edit] woops, meant to reply on the talk post.

Twain is a great choice - definitely read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. It's LOL funny. Some of my favorites among the American classics are Poe, Emerson, Washington Irving, Walt Whitman, Joseph Heller, Vonnegut (is he counted as classic yet?). Edgar Allen Poe is a must. I first read The Pit and the Pendulum in my 30s and it scared the shit out of me. He clearly had access to the best drugs available in the world at the time. Other top Poe choices - The Black Cat, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Tell-Tale Heart.
In reply to this comment by kymbos:
I'm reading Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club, which is a pretty good page turner.

I'm interested in reading some classic American literature if anyone would recommend some for a guy who has never really read any of the classics (like Mark Twain, Hemmingway, Fitzgerald).

I'm green.

Damn! I forgot aboot you dang Canadians! You're too close!

I will give you 5 virtual twonies. Go down to your local mountie station and ask for them there. They'll be waiting for you.

In reply to this comment by therealblankman:
Silent 'e'. Live in Canada. Send cash please... prefer Canadian dollars or English Pounds, the Yankee greenback is so unstable these days.

In reply to this comment by brycewi19:
10 (virtual) bucks to anyone who can pronounce the name of the town who is NOT from Washington!

Silent 'e'. Live in Canada. Send cash please... prefer Canadian dollars or English Pounds, the Yankee greenback is so unstable these days.

In reply to this comment by brycewi19:
10 (virtual) bucks to anyone who can pronounce the name of the town who is NOT from Washington!

Yep, goes to show how messed up MLB is. No salary cap means Yankees can just buy their World Series title. They did it in '09. I can only hope that Detroit will eliminate those Yankee bastards from the playoffs for 2011.

I hate the Yankees.

Not to mention the truck, the car and the motorcycles.>> ^Januari:

Thought it was interesting the guy was wearing a yankee cap but had never seen a photo of himself.

>> ^Januari:

Thought it was interesting the guy was wearing a yankee cap but had never seen a photo of himself.


Considering goods like that are most likely mass produced in China, what are the chances that they are factory seconds shipped out to local stores?

Thought it was interesting the guy was wearing a yankee cap but had never seen a photo of himself.