As part of our back-to-school series on reading, post-gazette.com asked prominent Pittsburghers to recommend a book for others to read and to explain their choice. Those selections are on this page.
We invite readers to share their own book recommendations. Please send your comments to postscript@post-gazette.com. Please include your full name and hometown.
Here are some of the responses so far:
My name is Bethany Lang, and I'm originally from Pleasant Hills, now living in Chicago.
My favorite book of all time, and one I highly recommend to anyone interested in an almost-perfect novel, is Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita. In Russia, it's required reading, but it never has gotten the attention it deserves in the U.S. Seamlessly blends three storylines and threads of religion, philosophy, mysticism, and romance. It is an absolute joy to read, and I hated to see it end.
I'd recommend these books for teens & adults:
A Lesson Before Dying -- Ernest Gaines
Killer Angels -- Michael Shaara
Amy Cordes,
Reading Specialist, Dormont Elementary School, Keystone Oaks S.D.
My name is Janet Sanders, I currently live in San Francisco, but I'm originally from the West Newton area. Although I love to read all types of books, my current favorite is Oh No, Not Jesus!
It's a very funny book about Jesus returning to Pittsburgh that makes you laugh and also makes you think about things.
My daughter just read it and it sparked all sorts of questions about religion. I thoroughly recommend this smart, quick read.
I had a wonderful time as a literature major at Virginia Tech and Pitt and encountered a number of engaging books. Two of my favorites, however, were Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga and Dancing with Cuba: A Memoir of the Revolution by Alma Guillermoprieto.
Melissa Andreychek, Whitehall
I recommend "Ride a Dancing Horse" By Eileen Watkins
My name is Elisa Chalem from Fort Lee New jersey
One of my all time favorites, as much for the beautiful writing as the subject, is "An American Childhood," by Annie Dillard. Like Bill Bryson's "The Thunderbolt Kid," it recounts growing up in the 50s. But this one is set in Pittsburgh! I'm living in England right now but am originally from Crafton.
Linda Cross
Hello:
My name is Juanita Connor and I live in Swissvale. I would like to recommend the book, "Unburnable" by Marie-Elena John. This is a first time author and I thought the book was excellent. I highly recommend it.
Thank you.
I have two recommendations:
"A Piece of Cake: A Memoir" by Cupcake Brown. It is an excellent book that shows how someone with determination can turn themselves around.
"The Pact: Three Young Men Make A Promise and Fulfill a Dream" by Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt, and Lisa Frazier Page. This book also shows what determination can do in a person's life.
Sincerely,
Thomasine Butler, originally from the Hill District, now residing in Maryland
"The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived" (nonfiction) by Allan Lazar, Dan Karlan And Jeremy Salter, Harper 2006. (ISBN-13: 978-0-06-113221-6)
Eileen Watkins, Wanaque, NJ
Staying away from some of the titles mentioned in the article, here are my suggestions for books to be read:
The Memory Keepers Daughter, Kim Edwards
Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
Fall On Your Knees, Anne Marie McDonald
My Sisters Keeper, Jodi Picoult
The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
The Giver, Lois Lowry
Night, Eli Weisel
Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl
All books by Edward Rutherford
I could go on, my list of books to be read is over 500, and I've ready over 85 of those.
Great article!
Maria Inks, Pleasant Hills
First Published: August 30, 2007, 7:45 p.m.
