I got "tagged" on Lindsay's Book Meme. This one seemed interesting, so here you go...

1. One book that changed your life:

I don't think that any one single book has ever strongly changed my outlook on life. There is one book, however, that significantly altered my life path just because I read it. See, Wendy Kopp, the founder of Teach For America came to speak at UVA as part of our UDems speaker series. She gave out copies of One Day, All Children..., her book, and signed them as part of her presentation. I already knew that I wanted to apply to TFA, and did. But -- when I found out that I got an interview, I read the book on the weekend before my interview and it gave me a huge leg up. Had I not read the book, I don't think I would have gotten in, and I would be in quite a different place. So in that sense, it changed my life.

2. One book that you've read more than once:

I read Of Mice and Men twice to my sixth grade class. The first time I read it, the kids hated it. But, the second time I made up a voice for each of the characters. George had a really gruff voice and Lenny was completely goofy. Curley's wife was of course high pitched and highly suggestive. The kids were completely invested the second time I read it to them. It just goes to show that presentation is everything.

3. One book you'd want on a desert island:

OK, so the obvious answer to this is either a) a book on survival or b) your favorite book. I'm picking neither. I'm pretty confident that I'd be able to survive for a long time on a desert island, and wouldn't need a book to figure out how. I'd be much more concerned about the mental effects of being a castaway:

Real-life castaways were reduced to an extremely primitive condition, or lost the powers of speech, in a space of a few years. One report describes a Frenchman who, after two years of solitude on Mauritius, tore his clothing to pieces in a fit of madness brought on by a diet of nothing but raw turtles. Another story has to do with a Dutch seaman who was left alone on the island of Saint Helena as punishment. He fell into such despair that he disinterred the body of a buried comrade and set out to sea in the coffin.

So, for my only book on said island, I would choose Cannery Row. I choose it because the characters in it are all cut from a wide cross-section of society. There is the wealthy scientist, the young drunk guys, the prostitutes, the Asian immigrant store owner, etc. Plus, it takes place in California. It would want it to think about what all is back home, which would keep me going. Picking a book with a narrower cast or one from a time very far removed would not do me much good.

4. One book that made you laugh:

America (The Book) is pretty obvious. I actually haven't read the whole thing through yet, but what I have read is hilarious.

5. One book that made you cry:

I had to read Sofia Petrovna as part of my Soviet History class because it's a fictional account of the Stalinist purges. While most stories of the purges center on what happened to the purged, like One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, this book follows the mother of a young man who is purged and her madness that ensues. The entire book epitomizes Soviet reality and the injustice therein. I didn't actually cry, but I was highly depressed.

6. One book you wish had been written:

I definitely think that someone should channel Faulkner to write a full length book about the Bush Administration. Here is a sample of what it would be like.

7. One book you wish had never been written:

I'm really not one for saying that a book should never have been written, because that's a slippery slope that leads to community book burning events (sponsored by the local GOP). However -- there are two books that perpetually piss me off. And, no, it's not some conservative right wing nut job's book. It's a well established fact that outrage over those books fuels their sales, so I won't bother.

The first is The Incredible Journey, which incredibly sucks. I tried reading this book with students, and usually I could quell rebellion over some students not liking a particular book. But when the book bores me and every single one of my students, it's really not worth fighting.

The second is The Catcher in the Rye, everybody's favorite book. Honestly, everybody needs to get over this book. IT'S NOT THAT GOOD! Most people read the book because it's a rebellious thing to do at the age of 16 and they somehow connect with Holden Caulfield because of their teenage angst. Then they grow up and still consider it as a favorite book. First of all, there are so many better books to read for venting teenage angst. Outsiders, anybody? Second, please let the book go. Holden isn't likable, or even noble. He just gripes about having to grow up. Honestly Holden, shut up and get a job. Oh wait, you can't because you're in an insane asylum.

8. One book you're currently reading:

I only got a heavily abridged version of Great Expectations in high school, and it always seemed like a cool story. So I'm reading it now. It's pretty good thus far. If you're looking for an abridged version, the creators of South Park made an excellent one. They even included the robotic monkeys.

9. One book you've been meaning to read:

This book would have gone in the "books I wish had been written" section, because I had been hoping for it for years. But, it just came out. Hannibal Lecter is by far my favorite fictional character. He's so interesting and I always wondered what made him who he is. Now I'll know ... once it comes out in paperback or is realeased in theaters, whichever comes first.

10. Six people to tag:

Nobody really updates their blogs anymore, but I'll tag these people anyway.

Starr, Therese, Lonely Eater, Ed Wahoo, Blue Cat Democrat, Jackie Viernes, Jennie, Shoa, et al.