The Chosen by Chaim Potok (1967)

Dana says: This was my first time reading a book having to do with modern Jewish culture. This books deals with Hasidic Jewish culture which I find to be so extremely different from Old Testament Jewish culture that I don't think I would have recognized it as Jewish if I wasn't told it was. Though some of the culture I find to be very odd there are other parts of it that are very admirable, such as the intense studying of the Torah, Talmud, and religious traditions done by individuals and family members together (fathers and sons). The book also paints an interesting and positive picture of young men who are very serious about and engaged in their academic studies overall which seems so different than the sentiment of today. But this not what the book is about. It mostly deals with family relationships, expectations of parents on children, friendship, and differing views on Zionism in the Jewish community during the 1940s to name a few things. The book is an easy and quick read. I did enjoy it but I am not sure I think is has the marks of a Classic.

Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift

Gulliver's Travels is one of those books that stands clearly as one of the great classics of English Literature. Gulliver's progression from one fantastic world to the next slowly instills a change in the narrator and brings him to the point of despising his own country and even the human race. Though it is really well done, there were a few times that I found the allegory very hard to interpret. Some of the most obvious satire took aim at the corruption of the judicial process, the madness of legislators and the avarice of humanity. At times I found myself laughing out loud especially with some of the descriptions of lawyers and state-funded science programs (the cure for colic was worth the price of the book). The final adventure was in some ways the most ridiculous but was also the most revealing. The satire takes a very serious and sad turn and I was left feeling a little melancholy about my own race.