To continue our monthly series of book lists, the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library would like to recommend the following diminutive masterpieces.
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. A tale of a man's journey by steamboat to the center of the Congo. As he penetrates its forbidding interior, he faces an increasing propensity for inhumanity in himself and in others. Cassette book RC 58105. Spanish language cassette book RC 26729. Braille book BR 11418. Large print book LP 19396.
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. A poor white family faces numerous obstacles as they trek across the Mississippi countryside to deliver their mother's body for burial in her home town. Cassette book RC 49008. Braille book BR 12386.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The glitter and recklessness of the Jazz Age is the backdrop for this novel about Jay Gatsby's desperate attempt to recapture the past, and along with it, the love of Daisy Buchanan. Cassette book RC 55714. Braille book BR 11057. Large Print book LP 11888.
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. Tale of a young Brahmin who abandons his comfortable home to wander through the Indian countryside seeking enlightenment. Based on the early life of Buddha. Cassette book RC 52190. Braille book BR 13524.
Animal Farm by George Orwell. A political satire of communism in which the animals on a farm overthrow their master and live a utopian life until the pigs take over and one establishes himself as dictator. Cassette book RC 38959. Braille book BR 13456. Large Print Book LP 7933.
The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder. Novel of the lives of five Peruvian traverlers, victims of the collapse of a famous Incan bridge in 1714. Cassette book RC 41185. Braille book BR 3167. Large Print book LP 13385.
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. An elderly Cuban fisherman hooks a giant marlin after eighty-five days without a single catch. Then he fights a losing battle with sharks that deprive him of his triumph. Cassette book RC 53792. Spanish language cassette book RC 33853. Braille book BR 10599.
Link to previous Recommended Reads.