“I started writing sci-fi stories during my senior year of high school and through college I’d been submitting them to journals and magazines. I still read mostly science fiction but my reading had expanded a bit : I left behind Heinlein and Lackey now. I liked Maureen McHugh, Kelly Link, Lucius Shepherd, Michael Swanwick, Navy Kress, John Brunner, and a whole host of other New Wave and humanist sci-fi writers. One of my favorites, Kelly Link, had attended a graduate program in creative writing, so I figured that I belonged in a writing program as well. In between drinking bouts, I applied to eleven programs.” (p. 28)
Naomi Kanakia was rejected by all 11 creative writing programs. Her solution: “I heard Michael Dirda, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post book critic, talk about how Fadiman’s Lifetime Reading Plan had taught him how to read the classics. So I went to Barnes and Noble, bought the book’s latest edition, wrote out a list of all 268 works that it mentioned, and started to read.” (p. 29)
What’s So Great About the Great Books (2026) is Naomi Kanakia’s reading journey through Great Books. Her journey starts out in shaky fashion: “When I began college, really the moment I began, I commenced a vigorous self-study program of alcoholic drinking, and I can’t recall ever fully reading an assigned text. I chose classes with large enrollment sizes and a lecture format, and I rarely went to class unless there was a midterm or a final. I enjoyed college quite a bit, particularly the quarter where I dropped LSD every weekend.” (p. 53)
Off to a dubious start, Naomi Kanakia stumbles in a course called INTRODUCTION TO HUMANITIES. “My course syllabus contained Plato’s Republic, Nietzsche’s Ecce Homo, and Dostoyevsky’s Brothers Karamazov, among others–I didn’t read any of thes books, because I was too busy drinking…” (p. 54)
Not a promising college experience so far. But wait, there’s more! “I identified as gay and was sporadically hooking up with men from the internet, but it wasn’t totally satisfying to me, and that activity eventually tailed off.” (p. 206) Not surprisingly, Naomi Kanakia started going to therapy and started taking anti-depressants.
I bring up Naomi Kanakia’s troubles because What’s So Great About the Great Books shows how Great Books helps her get her Life together so she could become a successful writer and blogger. Actually Great Books save her.
What’s So Great About the Great Books includes a list of 250 Great Books and Naomi Kanakia discusses many of the books that changed her Life. Yes, this is an unusual book with an important message. Do you like Great Books? GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Why should I read the Great Books?
pp. 1-14
What do you mean by “The Great Books”?
pp. 15-27
Have people always read the Great Books?
pp. 28-36
Isn’t it true that the Great Books are too difficult to read on your own?
pp. 37-60
Where did your list of Great Books come from?
pp. 61-78
Aren’t the Great Books kinda problematic?
pp. 79-102
Why not read other books that are equally beautiful but have better politics?
pp. 103-115
Does it matter what we read? Isn’t it more important to develop our thinking skills?
pp. 116-134
How do we know whether a book is “Great”?
pp. 135-151
Why do we need a list at all?
pp. 152-173
When we say, “The Great Books are worth reading,” do other people hear, “White men are inherently superior”?
pp. 174-181
Can’t reading the Great Books be psychologically damaging for marginalized people?
pp. 182-197
Weren’t some of the Great Books written by reprehensible people?
pp. 198-203
What if, at the end of the day, I simply prefer to read other books?
pp. 204-216
Acknowledgments
pp. 217-218
Appendix—How do I start reading the Great Books?
pp. 219-240
Notes
pp. 241-246
Works Cited
pp. 247-256
Index
pp. 257-262
Read them, liked many of them, loved some of them, but these days, shorter genre books claim my attention. Age perhaps, or possibly the object I’m holding in my hands as I type this.
Deb, I know that feeling. I have 500+ page TOM JONES waiting to be read but need about three days of uninterrupted Time to do it.
I have not read that many great books, unless you count ELEVATOR GIRLS IN BONDAGE (which most people do not), but I have a distinct appreciation for great thought, great ideas, and great sentences. Now that I’ve reached what (despite what the calendar might say) is the mid-point in my life, I may get around to tackling some great books. I’ve already read HUCKLEBERRY FINN and ALICE IN WONDERLAND, so it will take some doing to top them. In the meantime, I also have my huge pile of paperbacks and pulps, mysteries, science fiction, westerns, and P. G. Wodehouse to content with.
Jerry, I too have stacks of books waiting to be read. I try to read an occasional GREAT BOOK but too often they are 500+ pages so time is a factor.
Well,I must admit I find her story interesting, and I always like reading books about other people reading books, even (or especially) books I am unlikely to read myself, like David Denby’s.
I have read some of what would be considered “great books” (The Odyssey, yes; The Iliad, no), often under duress in school. These days I’m in Deb’s camp (and Jerry’s- that Elevator Girls sounds good to me). So yes, I’m much more likely to read this than any more Great Books.
Jeff, I’m always interested in reading about GREAT BOOKS I haven’t read yet.
I put it on hold.
Jeff, I found Niomi’s story compelling. And it does motivate me to want to read more GREAT BOOKS waiting on my shelves.
I wish I still had the intellectual stamina I had at ages 16-17, when I read LOOK HOMEWARD ANGEL, DON QUIXOTE, GRAPES OF WRATH, WUTHERING HEIGHTS, and yes, TOM JONES alongside Howard, Heinlein, Moorcock, Doc Smith, and Max Brand. Those in addition to school assignments of HUCKLEBERRRY FINN, SILAS MARNER, and SCARLET LETTER! Later, my college 201 Lit course was a grand tour of dead white male writers, MOBY DICK, SUN ALSO RISES, GATSBY.
Fred, I hope you enjoyed my reviews of your wonderful A BULLET FOR CTHULHU and YULETIDE CTHULHU last Wednesday. I’m hoping you’re working on more CTHULHU stories!
George,yes, a belated thanks for the review. I’m happy they hit the spot. More to come.
Fred, you write the books and I’ll buy them!
I barely read now. I did finish a Laura child tea shóp mystery set in Charleston SC, a favorite place and am now reading the new donna andrews. Like Jerry, I have many PG Wodehouse books to read. When I first discovered him in the early 70s I was lucky enough to acquire his complete works. Sadly some of the books have very small print.
Maggie, I share your distaste for small print books! One woman in Diane’s Book Club only listens to books. Diane and I occasionally listen to audio books together…and separately.
Jackie can only read e-books these days. The Kindle or tablet, or even the phone, are OK. She can’t hold a book open.
Jeff, I can relate to Jackie’s situation. I have trouble holding Big Fat Books. And I hate small print. I like my iPad because it allows me to make everything I read on it LARGE PRINT.
I’ve read a lot of the classics: Chandler, Hammett, Spillane!
Bob, I’ve read those CLASSIC CRIME books, too. Great stuff!
As a teenager I also read manyof the classical Great Books – from the Ilias to the German/ nordic stories and the stories from 1001 nightsto the Greek classics.
70 – 65 years ago I went to our City library almost every day – the library woman liked me and let me read books which were officially “for adults only”.My parents often checked on me at midnight eg – it’s time to sleep!
Wolf, I also had a friendly Librarian when I was a kid. She let me take out books from the Adult Section.
I try to read today’s “great books” as much as I can. Belonging to two reading groups, which choose literary books helps me. There a few “mystery” writers I keep up with but on the whole I only read a few a year. For years that was my main reading material. All the Sayers, Marsh, Tey, Christie, Stout, Grafton, Paretski, etc. But the ones written today are less satisfying. I am not sure why.
Patti, I own a lot of Classic Crime novels–Aird, Sayers, Marsh, Tey, Christie, Stout, Grafton, Paretski, Penny, etc. I try to chip away at them. For example, I have all of Agatha Christie’s mysteries but I’ve only read about 50 of them. It’s a balancing act for me to read current fiction, current non-fiction, and Classics.
I’e read all of Christie and Sayers and Tey and half of Marsh’s books. I quit Grafton about halfway through the alphabet. Currently I’m up to date with Michael Connelly, Archer Mayor, Steven F. Havill, Lee Child up to when he brought his brother in, several others.
Jeff, I’ve read several Lee Child JACK REACHER novels. The new season of REACHER starts on AMAZON PRIME Video soon. This season is based on GONE TOMORROW, which I’ll be reading this weekend.
I remember my jaw dropping with the solving of the murder of roger ackroyd, but I can’t remember whodunnit so I need to find a copy of it.
Maggie, my jaw dropped too!