#110. "The English Patient" by Michael Ondaatje

When thinking about World War II, the common image is one of death and carnage. There are soldiers lifting their rifles in defense against a terrible foe. These stories have been told ad nauseum and the idea of the hero has been etched into stone. However, Michael Ondaatje had a different idea of how to project WWII. In "The English Patient," he decides instead to focus on the human component of war, specifically that of a romance between four individuals trying to survive in a war-torn Africa. In a decaying landscape, a nurse takes care of the soldier known as the English patient, fragile from a plane crash. He slowly gains life and every day she patiently waits for him to get better, keeping him company in order to survive. As she does this, there is a greater sense of the world, creating something ethereal and spiritual. 

#109. "Unprotected" by Billy Porter

Like most artists, Billy Porter had big aspirations. From his youth watching Dreamgirls perform on The Tony Awards, he knew that he wanted to be up there singing and dancing. As someone from a lower-class family who had an inherent queerness in everything he did, the effort to stand out and get away fueled him, driving him to be the hard worker he is today. But the journey isn't that simple. While hard work paid off as evident by his work in Kinky Boots and Pose, it was decades in the making, where a fraught home life only added to personal issues of valuing himself. Throughout his memoir "Unprotected," Porter opens up as only he can, presenting every conflict in his life with raw honesty and hard truths that helped to shape him into a better person. It's as much a fascinating look into how a singular artist evolved through a society that sought to oppress him as it is a chance to psychoanalyze how that impacts him personally. It's witty, heartbreaking, and beautiful all in one. 

#108. "Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel" by Val Emmich

In this modern age, everything needs to be made into a franchise. By some luck, the Tony-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen has taken advantage of its popularity in some profound ways. From inescapable covers of the hit "You Will Be Found" to a divisive film, the story has been everywhere. In one of the stranger moves, they even have moved into the world of young adult fiction, having Val Emmich expand upon the original story by Steven Levenson. Given that Broadway shows cater to exclusivity, it's interesting to see them spread themselves this thin. Though the question comes back to is this any good? Was this even necessary? To be totally honest, it's one of the rare shows that feels catered to the Y.A. genre and thus its transition isn't totally egregious. It may not be a work that overshadows the original, but for hardcore fans, it's something worth considering.

#107. "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

There are few books in the 20th century American literary canon as mythic as "A Confederacy of Dunces." While the story itself is an entertaining romp through 1960s New Orleans, the journey of author John Kennedy Toole is a more curious affair, both reflective of the "never give up" mentality that authors continually face and the tragedy of never seeing your success come to fruition. Over a decade after committing suicide, the book was published, presenting the author with acclaim and recognition that had been rejected continually, possibly leading to several mental health problems. Thanks to a passionate mother, it finally got into the hands of Walker Percy ("The Moviegoer") and change was made. But still, one has to wonder what would've happened if this happened in Toole's lifetime, able to be recognized for his perceived brilliance.

Because it is easy to see both sides of the argument. On the one hand, his book has a deft control of prose that is compulsory and entertaining. It's also deceptively complex, requiring the audience to empathize with a physically repugnant protagonist named Ignatius Riley and tackle such unflattering stories as sex work and disgruntled hot dog vendors. So much of the book is challenging you to like it, and the irony is the greater commentary. This is a story about someone who lacks value socially trying to find it. At times it may seem like Ignatius is doomed to live in his mother's house, falling victim to her alcoholic tendencies. He's far from perfect but, in its own strange way, Toole makes you like him by the end. All it required was patience and faith that he wasn't given in his own life. It's the epitome of dramatic irony, of a success that could never be built upon.