Friday, February 12, 2010

451 Fridays

451 Fridays is based on an idea from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. In his novel, a group of people (Bradbury calls them Book People) are trying to keep the ideas found in books alive. Instead of actually saving the books, the Book People each "become" a book - memorizing it, word for word, and passing it down to the next generation.

451 Fridays asks what books you feel passionate about. What book do you think is so important that you would be willing to take on the challenge of "becoming"?

Today, I'm happy to welcome author Jake Black to 451 Fridays. Jake is the author of The Authorized Ender Companion: The Indispensable Guide to the Universe of Ender's Game. You can read my review of Jake's book here.

Jake's official bio:

JAKE BLACK has written for several popular franchises and characters including Smallville, Batman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Twilight, Star Trek, and many others. He is also the author of Marvel Comics’ Ender-series comic books “Gold Bug,” “Cheater,” and “Recruiting Valentine.” He lives in a quiet Utah town with his wife and son.


Welcome, Jake!

What 5 books do you believe are important enough to be saved?


1. Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
2. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
3. The Bible
4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
5. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare



Of those 5, which book would you choose to "become"?


If I could "become" any of these, it would be Shakespeare. The impact that the writing had on language, as well as its prolific nature, make this book the most significant to me. The others are on the list because of similar reasons--primarily their impact on society and culture. Sarah Vowell's "Wordy Shipmates" is a brilliant work that examines our modern American society from its roots. Consequently, to me, it has had as much of an impact as these classic works of literature.



Jake, thank you so much for taking the time to share with us YOUR list of books which must be saved.

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