MY TEN FAVORITE BOOKS by Howard Feigenbaum

Mutiny on the Bounty, Men against the Sea, & Pitcairn's Island by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall

 In the sixth grade in Jeffersonville N.Y., I found this trilogy on a school library shelf. I spent lunch hours reading these historically-based novels. Nordhoff and Hall transported me from my Catskill Mountain village to the South Pacific. They introduced me to Pacific Island culture and instilled in me the desire to see the world. The conflict between military discipline and failed leadership was so compelling that three motion pictures re-told the story. I watched every one. Only half the sailing vessels rounding Cape Horn completed the passage. When Captain Bligh announced his decision to take a short-cut home, a Bounty crew member in the Mel Gibson movie yelled out, “Not the Horn!” He was absolutely right.     

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

 The battle between a great marlin and Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman down on his luck, has universal relatability. We know the struggle in our own lives. Bad luck happens to everyone. In this case, he lands the marlin after a two-day effort. However, the fish is too big to fit in his boat so he ties it to the side. On the way back to shore, sharks eat every part of his catch except the head.

     Disappointment has the power to immobilize us. What does Santiago do? He gives away the head to a friend and promises his young assistant that they will fish together again. This, for me, is the value of the story: the unpredictability of life may knock you down, but you don’t have to stay there. My mother would’ve said, “Tomorrow is another day.” Perhaps Santiago’s mother did the same.   

Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller.

The book expanded the boundaries of truthful writing. I liken Henry Miller to the artist, Jackson Pollack. Both departed from the conventional and established a new paradigm for their art. Long-banned in the United States for its frank sexual language, an American publisher introduced the book in 1961. My high school classmate discovered a copy in the West Los Angeles Public Library. He gave me a note with page numbers for the “good” parts. Of course, I read them. But I also discovered a stream-of-consciousness style of writing and a brutal honesty that fascinated me. The Supreme Court, in 1964, ruled Tropic of Cancer wasn’t pornography. The book received rave reviews from Samuel Beckett and Norman Mailer, among others. Even George Orwell liked it. What a stroke of good luck for a dirty old man living the bohemian life in Paris.

James Bond 007 series by Ian Fleming

 Write what you know. That’s exactly what Ian Fleming, a naval intelligence officer, did. He built a great action/adventure hero who has outlasted time. I read a half-dozen of the fourteen books written by Fleming himself before I saw the first movie, Dr. No. The written work gave good detail about Bond, the man. The movies transformed him into a stereotype and embellished the action. I was happy to know the man before the stereotype.  

Travels With Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck

 John Steinbeck wrote about Americans. He wanted to gain greater insight as to who they were. He set out on a cross-country adventure with his French poodle, Charley, to satisfy his curiosity. The story is a travelogue as seen through the eyes and told through the language of a great writer. His observations grew from up-close and personal encounters. The descriptions and dialog were authentic and revealing. The book was a best-seller. Why? I believe most of us have the same interest as Steinbeck in knowing about our country and our fellow citizens.

Hawaii by James Michener

 Through James Michener, I learned the value of researching your subject. His historical novel about the island nation told of the rise of a migrant Chinese family and the decline of a kingdom. He bridged the chasm between historian and writer in this captivating tale. People who would never pick up a history book read the novel. How clever of the author. I admired his skill in combining story-telling with history-telling in the rich tapestry of his work. He showed us how it’s done. Thank you, Mr. Michener.

Exodus by Leon Uris

 Uris wrote about the struggle of the Jewish people in establishing a modern state in their ancient, Biblical homeland. He added greater human interest with a love story. From his writing, we have the facts and the emotions. For a Jew, especially, the book has great meaning. The need for an independent Jewish state became clear to the world after the Holocaust. Jews in the diaspora gave their full support, many helping in the fight. As a child in 1950, I collected enough money to plant two trees in the new nation. I’m proud to say I still have a certificate of appreciation from the State of Israel.  

The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

 Using knowledge, inductive reasoning, and keen observation, Sherlock Holmes never hesitated to embrace the task of solving the most difficult cases. Even the police respected his expertise. Dr. Watson, Holmes’ loyal sidekick, assisted in the effort.

     Doyle, a real physician and a prolific writer, knew how to draw in the reader. I so admired and respected his style in the crime fiction genre that I paid tribute to Sherlock Holmes in my first novel, Benny Goldfarb, Private “I.” At the end of each Holmes story, the sleuth revealed his analysis in solving the crime. Doyle, a man of science, knew the chemistry and physics of his age well enough to provide believable, yet unexpected, endings. Great fun.    

Complete Tales and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe

 No doubt about it. Poe was the grandmaster of the short story and the poignant poem. His work held me spell-bound. Unforgettable tension grabbed me and didn't let go. Shock and awe enveloped me as I read The Cask of Amontillado, The Black Cat, The Masque of the Red Death, The Pit and the Pendulum, and The Tell-Tale Heart. Who could forget The Raven or Annabel Lee? Nobody.

     That his personal life was in shambles didn’t bother me. In fact, it added to his mystique and probably provided grist for his creative mill. He was a gambler, debtor, womanizer, substance abuser, West Point failure—who cares? He succeeded in his life’s ambition: writing for a living, such as it was. Despite his short time on this earth, he left us a rich legacy.

The Great Plains by Walter Prescott Webb

 This is a story about the settling of the American West beyond the 98th meridian, as told by an insightful University of Texas historian. The geography of the treeless plains produced alternating cycles of plentiful rain and drought. Life in the Great Plains could be described, at different times, as a lush garden or as a semi-arid desert. The desire of risk-taking pioneers to survive gave rise to the use of technological adaptations: barbed wire, windmills, and sod houses. In his 1931seminal work, Webb focused on water, or lack of it, as a defining feature of the West. That view remains valid today. America’s history provides a reminder that those who came before us suffered remarkable hardships in building a

nation. They have my admiration and gratitude.