Top 10 Books to Read Before You Die

We all love our lives very much and always dream of being immortal. Who doesn’t want this, right? Human life is considered one of the most precious. That’s why this birth is one to cherish and do good things at home and in society. When we work according to the rules of society, we earn respect in the eyes of everyone and even God helps us in our troubled times.

But, many people also end up frustrated with their lives because they feel nothing is going right with them and they are constantly becoming failures in whatever things they are doing. That’s why they end up taking their lives in the process without realising how much pain they would leave behind in their families. It is because they have forgotten the importance of human life.

Even our Indian mythological books state that having a human birth is very virtuous for an individual. Because of other life forms, there is much more struggle and pain than human life. So, if a person commits suicide, he/she may not have another human birth. Then they may get converted into a new life which can be very painful for them.

Our Indian religious and mythological books stress a lot about the importance of having a human birth. That’s why Indians cherish their human life more and want themselves to be free from disease and death. But, death is a true reality and everyone must face it at one point in time or another.

No one can live an immortal life on Earth and everyone must play their part on this stage and then leave. That’s why Shakespeare famously quoted that ‘All the world’s a stage’. This quote holds so much meaning even in today’s generation.

Death gives a lot of pain and grief to family members and loved ones, but everyone must accept the reality of this brutal fact. Families especially abuse death very much but they too are helpless because they know that it is a thing out of their control.

That’s why we all must do something good for the betterment of our family as well as society. We must even work for the betterment of ourselves. We can do so through reading books, engaging in different hobbies, and having a good group of friends to discuss different things. There are very good books in this world that everyone must read at least once in their lifetime.

In this blog, we will be taking a look at some of these books and see what morals and teachings they hold. So, let’s get into the blog straight away.

Top 10 Books to Read Before You Die

Some of these famous books are as follows-

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen- This very famous novel by Austen tells the story of Georgian England. It is a sort of satire on the rigid and shallow class structures and exposes the marriage market of that time. This book beckons everyone again and again towards its eternal contemporariness. So, if you read this book even in this generation, you will be shocked to realise that the same things are happening in today’s society as well.

2. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro- This is another great novel by Nobel Prize winner Ishiguro that works on several themes such as love, friendship, freedom, youth, loss, and acceptance. This one is a science-fiction novel. The main characters in this novel are somewhat flawed although they are ‘clones’ living in a dystopic world but are very much like average humans. It is a very emotional novel that contains many valuable life lessons and very much should be read before you die.

3. Beloved by Toni Morrison- Morrison’s famous work, Beloved is the story of the slave trade in America. It is a critique of this trade and Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize for this very novel. It is a somewhat painful novel because its spirit will continue to haunt the reader at some point in life and it paints a tainted picture of America’s past through the characters in the novel.

4. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe- This novel by Achebe tells us about African culture and literature. The author has described the time of colonization and how power dynamics shift in the country during this period. It is the story of Okonkwo, who is a very famous wrestler and the chief of his village. But, he is not ready to accept the new customs and laws that get imposed on his community by the British and he vehemently opposes them till the end of his life. Reading this novel will strengthen the values of what it means to have a civilization and a community in today’s world.

5. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley- This was one of the first sci-fi books written in the Romantic Age by Mary Shelley and it tells the story of a scientist who by his obsession creates a monster. But when the monster demands some love and care from his creator, the latter flees because of his fright of the monster. This leads the monster to become very violent and in his violence, he starts killing innocent people and people who don’t give him any love or shelter. He also kills the scientist’s wife on the latter’s wedding night. This work is a great piece of fiction by Shelly and will lead you to question the ethos and pathos of life. This book will also make you wonder who is the real monster in the novel.

6. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy- This book is a must-read for once in a lifetime. This novel gave Arundhati Roy her Booker Prize award. It was also Roy’s debut novel and first fictional work. This is the story of caste taboos and what it means to break free of them in a rigid society.

7. To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee- This is a very extraordinary and educational tale written by Lee. The story is about the oppressive power structure in America and the story is told through the character, Scout’s eyes. While this novel was written in the 20th century, it will still give you the vibes that are still prevalent in today’s American society.

8. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald- 1920’s is the backdrop of this famous novel by Fitzgerald. This novel shows how America was steeped in decadence and indulgence. This book tells the fragility of the American Dream and the lengths that people can go to to achieve it.

9. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood- Atwood’s classical novel, The Handmaid’s Tale is terrifying. It tells of an American society that is disturbing yet plausible dystopic society. The themes in the novel are those of the patriarchal status quo and endangered women’s rights in the country. This novel has raised several political questions for today’s world.

10. All About Love by Bell Hooks- This book teaches its readers all about love which is arguably one of the great qualities that a human being possesses. It also asserts the fact that the word love is more of a noun than a verb. It also takes a look at how our society has taken the word love and appropriated and distorted its meaning. Read this book to know how to fall in love, stay in love, and cultivate love with your partner.

So, these are some of the top 10 books that you should read once in your lifetime. These are very cherished novels and have been read by people over the generations. As you go through this list, you will see your life-enriching in many ways.