100 Best Books of All Time Pt. IV

In honor of World Book Day, here is what Reader's Digest thinks are the 100 Best Books of All Time. The way it's set up on that site, it actually only comes to about 99. There are ads included in the slideshow of books

76. The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe (1979)

-There have been many missions to the moon and back. Many men and women have gone on missions to explore the moon, stars and more. No book can take you further into the world of space exploration than this one. This book allows you a glimpse into the Apollo missions with astronaut Tom Wolfe

77. Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin (1953)

-Not only is this a popular gospel song sung at Christmastime in Baptist churches, it's also the name of  a book by author James Baldwin. He tells of growing up as a gay black man in the 20th century. Of the discriminations he faced. But in the face of it, he managed to write in a positive tone

78. The Road by Cormac McCarthy (2006)

-A deeply haunting tale about a father and son, who take a road trip across a burned, and thoroughly destroyed America. They have next to nothing except for their names, they must save each other, scavenge food, armed with only a pistol, and they must fight off everything post-apocalyptic America can throw at them

79. The Stranger by Albert Camus (1942)

-It's a story about murder, mystery, death and destruction along with the power of human thought. It's about a man who kills a man he doesn't know and seems strangely devoid of any emotion as he is deemed a threat to society and sentenced to death

80. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (1926)

-This book takes a look at WWI, following the adventures of Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley as they navigate through Europe, seeking out the next adventure

81. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (2015)

-This book takes a no holds barred, honest look at racism. It's even considered to be a sort of Bible for the Black Lives Matter movement. This book shows how black men and women have been treated differently throughout history

82. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien (1990)

-Centering on the war in Vietnam, this book tells of the pain and experiences soldiers brought back with them when they came home from the Vietnam War. How each of them came home not with glory for fighting for their country's freedom, but scars, nightmares and trouble they didn't ask for. It's an open, honest look at the topic known in the world of psychology as "Vietnam Syndrome"

83. The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami (1994)

-Toru Okada wants nothing more than to find his lost cat. Then it becomes his life wife. He finds himself at the crossroads between a failed marriage, a dark past and secret underground world

84. The World According to Garp by John Irvin (1978)

-This book centers on T.S. Garp, the fatherless son of a feminist and female rights activist. His world is one of extremes-emotional, physical, sexual. It can be cringeworthy one moment to laugh out loud funny the next

85. Hamlet by William Shakespeare (1603)

-One of the classic stories most kids in school read, this iconic tale tells of a son out to avenge the murder of his father. This story has even inspired other forms of pop culture, from Disney's The Lion King to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard

86. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (2005)

-One truth to life is that there will be good times, bad times. Like Led Zeppelin said in their song "Good Times Bad Times". This book tells the story of a marriage, a family, relationship and life, and all of the good and bad that comes with it

87. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (1958)

-Centuries ago, European colonists arrived in Africa to establish outposts for their rulers back in their native countries. What happens to the locals who already live there is catastrophic and even tragic. The traditions of these native people are wiped away, erased forever when foreign colonists move in and take over

88. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hildebrand (2010)

-This story centers on and around Louis Zamperini. During his teen years, he was a bit of a rebel, before finding talent at the Olympics and eventually joining the military to become a US airman. He found himself flying over the Pacific Ocean and eventually becoming stranded in said ocean, miles from help. While others would succumb to their fate, he refused to give up hope

89. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1868)

-A highly iconic book, about mother-daughter relationships. Little Women tells of the March sisters-Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy. It follows their lives from childhood to adulthood

90. White Teeth by Zadie Smith (2000)

-Two people's lives are forever changed by WWII. The book covers topics like race, ethnicity, religion, class struggles and more

91. The Color Purple by Alice Walker (1982)

-Author Alice Walker faced a lot of criticism for this book, and she chalks it up to the criticism coming from people who never bothered to crack open the book and read it. This story tells of a black teen named Celia in the 1930s, growing up in rural Georgia. She writes about her day to day goings and comings in letters to God. It's a sort of Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, but set in the 1930s and involving a black teen. The book contains sexual themes, profanity, and violence. But aside from that, it's an overall interesting read

92. Atonement by Ian McEwan (2001)

-Taking place in WWII-era England, the story centers on Briony Tallis and how an accusation in childhood against a family friend forever changed three lives forever. It's romance. It's a war novel. It's historical fiction

93. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (1847)

-Emily Bronte takes the concept of a simple love story and completely rewrites it in her own vision. She adds in a dash of Gothic atmosphere. Here you meet a handsome man named Heathcliff who falls in love with his foster sister Catherine. When another man enters the scene, their love story takes a dark turn, with violence included

94. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (1950)

-Adapted into a highly successful film, this is the first installment of the Chronicles of Narnia series. The three Pensieve children discover a wardrobe that whisks them off to a fantastical land, with a lion named Aslan, an evil White Witch and plenty of adventure to go around

95. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2013)

-Centering on a Nigerian resident in the US, it's a tale of love, regret and identity, all experienced by this immigrant living in the US, all seen through their eyes

96. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (1937)

-It's considered a highly interesting read in the African American literature world. It's about Janie Crawford, a young black woman making her journey to Florida in the 1930s, on her own

97. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (1932)

-A tale of sci-fi and a dystopian future, Brave New World tells of a World State, where humans were conditioned to be without emotion and the ability to relate to others. It seems eerily close to what is happening today-self medicating to stop feeling, genetic engineering, instant gratification

98. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (2003)

-This book centers on two boys from different worlds in Afghanistan-one poor and one rich. Familial love, redemption and friendship make this a book that most book clubs would choose to read

99. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (2010)

-A collection of 13 short stories connected by a record company executive named Bennie Salazar and his assistant Sasha. The stories move through time, showing the background of each character and the way that time changes everyone