BOOKS

9780393356250

Curator Reviews

Michael Pollan

.. And not just because there are so many great barbecue scenes. (Henry Fielding called The Odyssey's "Homer's wonderful book about eating," and wasn't too far off.) But there's lots to be learn about story structure too, and why it's often a good idea to begin in the middle.  

View Michael Pollan's Top 10 Favorite Books
Michael Pollan

.. And not just because there are so many great barbecue scenes. (Henry Fielding called The Odyssey's "Homer's wonderful book about eating," and wasn't too far off.) But there's lots to be learn about story structure too, and why it's often a good idea to begin in the middle.  

View Michael Pollan's Top 10 Favorite Books
Lisa Yuskavage

This was on my high school reading list. I loved every bit of it. I have always wanted to read it again. If I am on a desert island, I will have plenty of time.

View Lisa Yuskavage's Top 10 Favorite Books
Betty Fussell

In my 30s I tried to teach myself classical Greek so I could read Homer and Sophocles. Of course I failed because their words were mouthed not read. But the stories Homer retold of the fall of empires and the longing for home are as vivid today as a thousand years ago. From him I learned why I love grilled meats.

View Betty Fussell's Top 10 Favorite Books
Yara Shahidi

“The Odyssey” was first book I read with my Grampie at four-years-old and was my introduction to the mesmerizing tales of Roman and Greek Mythology. Not only is this book a classic, with plenty of recognizable tales, but truly a whimsical experience of triumph, love, and hardship.

View Yara Shahidi's Top 10 Favorite Books
Meghan Udell

On the surface the Odyssey is a hero’s book about journey and adventure, but just beneath the main storyline rests a feminist arc of subtly navigating a man’s world without sacrificing your ideals. For me, Penelope, Odysseus’s faithful wife, is my favorite character. A skilled manipulator, Penelope cunningly evades unwanted suitors by claiming to knit or weave (depending on the translation you read) a funeral shroud for her elderly Father-in-Law. She pledges that upon completion of the shroud, she will remarry, but as a stall tactic she secretly undoes her work at night.

View Meghan Udell's Top 10 Favorite Books