Recently I attended a meeting examining the seemingly unstoppable incursion of the digital world in our life. Even though the event was far from critical, and exposed the positives of such a trend, it lamented the downward spiral of the use of the printed word. It seems that digital media is the perfect way of satisfying our ever shortening attention spans, whereas a book is simply too long and requires too much time and concentration to read.
After some discussion the group came to the conclusion that everyone should answer the question, “Which three books would you take on a desert island to stimulate, entertain and amuse you?” This would not only disclose our literary preferences but also tell something of our character and mindset.
It was interesting to see the range of choices, from The Bible to War and Peace and from the SAS Survival Guide to Gone with the Wind. My three choices were:
The Anabasis by Xenophon, the story of a group of Greek mercenaries fighting their way back to Greece from Persia in 400BC. If you like intrigue, danger and adventure, this is the book to read.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck because it is one of the best social commentaries of western society ever written, and,
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller because I never tire of reading it over and over.
Which books would you take?
Tania says
Can I cheat and combine the printed word with electronics? If I take my Kindle I can take all my fave books! There’s no way I could narrow my choice down to three…. 🙂