"What are your favorite books?"
Sometimes I have a ready answer for this question, but to be frank, the books I love change so often and so suddenly that sometimes it's rather difficult to say.
For instance, the last time I was asked this question I actually paused and didn't answer. I didn't answer because I read ALL the time. I probably read 50+ books every year (some of them are even thick bald-headed pulitzer prize winners) but I still struggle to define my "favorites."
What is a favorite book? The book that elicited the best emotional response? The book that was intellectually difficult to read but was worth it in the end? The book that challenged me physically (yes...physically) and left me tired and humble?
Well.....I will say that if a "favorite book" can be defined as a book that left me with a considerably lively and almost traumatically emotional response, then my favorite books---as of late---would be The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand and Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer.
And since, at the moment, I'm rather trumped for time, and it would very likely take me five hours to say what I feel and think about The Fountainhead I'll say something rather simple about Under the Banner of Heaven.
This book is a challenge. The reading isn't intellectually difficult but the questions that are posed to the reader (especially Mormon readers) are the most difficult questions of all.
You see, I'm a Mormon, and YES, I love this book.
Despite my own enjoyment of "this read," however, there are some Mormons who seem to think that this book isn't quite up to par with their own literary standards. For example, according to Wikipedia's entry on Jon Krakauer Mike Otterson, director of Media Relations for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), said the following in regard to Krakauer's work: "This book is not history, and Krakauer is no historian. He is a storyteller who cuts corners to make the story sound good. His basic thesis appears to be that people who are religious are irrational, and that irrational people do strange things."*
Upon reading this quote, and upon considering what I had previously read in Krakauer's book, I can't help but think about my job. You see, I've written many quotes (I'm a copywriter) designed to represent the views of the upper management professionals who lead the various companies I've worked for. These quotes, to be blatantly honest, are rather silly brainless little things and are dastardly similar to the one above. In fact, little ditty quotes such as the one above, are, from my experience, written in approximately10 minutes, are obviously biased and are designed to say effectively nothing. In fact, I have to wonder whether Mike Otterson (and/or the writer who wrote Otterson's quote) has actually taken the time to read (and feel) the import of Krakauer's book, which I think I can safely say is a far greater example of hard work, of time well spent, and of spirtual effort than any book Otterson could throw together. (Sorry ....that was a cheap shot).
Though it's EASY for an avid reader to see that Under the Banner of Heaven is not likely 100% historically accurate** (e.g, Krakauer describes Mormons as seeking to gather one year of food supply instead of the prescribed two years) I can't help but think (I'm making the same point I did in the paragraph above) that with the many sources Krakauer gathered his information from (we don't even have to count his quotes from Fawn Brodie) it's plain to see that Krakrauer has simply done more homework than Otterson.
And that's how it should be. After all, the book is the work of it's author and it's Krakrauer who takes the time to ask difficult questions, write beautifully about them, and finally, admit he doesn't have the answers. Then there is Otterson, who in one paragraph claims to have an answer.
Which attitude produces better art? Which attitude produces better truth?
That's for each one of us to decide.
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* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Krakauer
** What book is?
