#160. "The Human Stain" by Philip Roth

In light of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Philip Roth decided to explore the complicated nature of what society can do to a person with "The Human Stain." As the story of an interracial teacher who is fired for a deceptively offensive comment, the story explores how cancel culture can impact one's life. The results are, predictably, uncomfortable but finds Roth sympathizing with a man whose life unravels in a manner that begins to make sense the longer things go on. For every philosophical tirade and effort to get his life back together, the real story is about perspective. Can controversy stain one's life forever or are there ways to move beyond it? Along with a problematic relationship that muddies his relationship with the reader, this is a novel that has a lot of big ideas. How willing one is to listen depends on how much they want to spend time listening to a chauvinistic characer who reflects an older way of looking at the world. 

#159. "Cat Kid Comics Club: Influencers" by Dav Pilkey

One of the greatest gifts that Dav Pilkey have provided to readers is creativity. The latest entry in his famous creative arts series delivers on the promise of exploring what it takes to be an influencer. For as much as Pilkey embraces the nature of being silly, he's also an expert at understanding how to speak to young readers who maybe need advice on how to make art. While the initial idea can be exciting, the effort to have it reach its full potential is more difficult. His characters make the workshop process feel effortless as he makes even the painful idea of criticism palpable.

#158. "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin

While women have been written about for centuries, they have often been presented as fodder for male authors. They're reduced to the ever elusive muse role where they are more an object than a person. Even the authors who create the most dynamic characters have some shortcoming when it comes to giving women the depth they deserve. It's a big reason that Kate Chopin's short but definitely not slight novel "The Awakening" was perceived as such a revelation upon release. What it lacked in typical romantic drama fare, it more than made up for in deep rooted passion, existing within the subtext of every line as characters searched for happiness in their lives. The results may not be high on showmanship, but those willing to sit with the final passages will find something provocative and lasting within the description. Chopin represented not what women were seen as but what they were.

#157. "The Neon Bible" by John Kennedy Toole

One of the most tragic stories of 20th century literature is John Kennedy Toole. While his eventual publications would suggest redemption, the fact that each of his two novels were released long after his passing only helps to reflect how everyone's voice is not fully appreciated within one's lifetime. A lot of his acclaim came with his second completed novel but first published "A Confederacy of Dunces." With an impeccable depiction of New Orleans subcultures, it was considered one of the essential novels of its time. It makes sense that interest would inspire his other novel to go to print, even if it feels very much like the work of a teenage author still finding his voice.

Toole wrote "The Neon Bible" when he was 19. While the prose within itself is above average for a writer, it's still reflective of someone trying to find their voice. In a lot of ways it pales in comparison to his later work, though that may just be attributed to how popular it became. Meanwhile, "The Neon Bible" is a work that ambitiously reflects the rebelliousness of a teenager taking shots at the world around him. The title refers to how neon signs can hypnotize people into believing that consumerism is a religion. With a crime story that develops with bittersweet revelations, the results capture Toole's attention to detail as he brings this world to life. However, his inexperience means that the fluidity of making the world feel lived in doesn't have quite the same ease nor does it land with as many memorable scenes. In a greater career, this would've been the start to something more prolific. Instead, it's a look into what could've been.

#156. "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri

As the world becomes more interconnected, the search for authors reflecting a modern take becomes more desired. Near the top of the list has to be Indian-American author Jhumpa Lahiri whose career is dedicated to reflecting the experience of calling two very different places as home. In her award winning anthology "Interpreter of Maladies," she takes several perspectives that connect to the theme of being alive and longing for a sense of wholeness. While not every story takes place in a similar location or deals with uniform ideas, they all help to paint a compassionate view of Indian-American life as it relates to searching for balance in one's life. Whether it's a break-up that takes place during a blackout or a controversy surrounding a kind old woman who sweeps stairs, Lahiri knows how to get the reader invested in deceptively simple visions of everyday life. The results create one of the strongest anthologies and promising debuts for an author who has only continued to define her voice as time has gone on.

#155. "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift

A detail that may be lost to contemporary readers is how popular travelogue stories were in previous generations. There was a real artform to making foreign lands alluring on the page, creating something for those unable to visit them and inspire their imaginations. Nobody knew if they were being honest, but the writers with the purplest of prose could manipulate and turn their mentality into the embodiment of a culture that could not be refuted. There's been endless masterpieces in that genre, though it was also something bound to be held up to ridicule like "Don Quixote" with chivalrous knights in a former time. 

Alas, here comes Jonathan Swift. As one of the great satirists of early literature, his story "Gulliver's Travels" comes as forceful as a wrecking ball to the tropes. Unlike his other works, people have argued what his larger message is here and whether the satire is commenting on a certain text. Is this a commentary on Ireland's feelings towards England's colonization habits? Is this an attack on intellectualization as being useless? It sort of is all there, but so is a scatalogical undertone that makes the text simultaneously juvenile. Is Gulliver supposed to be aspirational or a complete buffoon? Nobody knows for sure, and it's arguably what makes it one of the defining satires of its era.

#154. "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker

There's are many reasons to praise Alice Walker's "The Color Purple" that aren't apparent on the first page. Because of its writing style, the reader is introduced to the protagonist's interiority more than her surroundings. Because of this, the initial passages where she's praying to god are a bit more vague and don't fully convey the complexities of her life. Within the first page is a recounting of a sexual assault for a man who never fully disappears from the story. In some ways, it's a story of moving beyond the trauma of the past and learning to embrace life. This is a story rooted very much in early 20th century America from a perspective not often celebrated. Walker's introspection may be sidelined by practices of a segregated south, but this isn't a story of imprisonment. It's one of hope.