Rating: 
Summary: A New Reading Plan for the Global Era
Review: This new edition of the Lifetime Reading Plan is a brilliant updating of Fadiman's old standard that promises to keep the book useful well into the 21st century. While a few of Fadiman's essays on great authors (Shakespeare, Dickens) are starting to look a little stodgy and old-fashioned forty years after they were first published, most remain surprisingly lively and fresh. Fadiman was an immense force in molding America's literary taste throughout most of the last century, and his opinionated, judicious, friendly voice continues to resonate in our own time. Fadiman's new co-author, John S. Major (whose contribution justifies calling this the NEW Lifetime Reading Plan) has re-organized the book's content and has contributed essays on a number of works that are new to the list; these new works broaden the book's appeal considerably. (Major is an excellent guide to good reading; see also his new book 100 One-Night Reads.) The best thing about this new edition of the Lifetime Reading Plan is that it recognizes that we are all now heirs to a truly global culture, so that, for example, Confucius and Muhammad have a daily impact on the way all of us think and behave; it behooves us to be familiar with their works. In other words, the Great Conversation of human literary achievement has moved into a more capacious room, broadened beyond the old "Western Canon" to include representatives of the world's other great traditions. (In fact those representatives were always in the room, but most of us Westerners were too wedded to our own tradition to be willing to listen to them.) The reading plan that this book proposes is thus full of fascinating juxtapositions: read Thucydides, and then read his ancient Chinese counterpart Ssu-ma Ch'ien; both confronted the problem of how to shape the past into a memorable literary form that remained true to the facts of history. Read Lady Murasaki's The Tale of Genji - the world's first true novel - and then read George Eliot's Middlemarch. Read Joseph Conrad and Chinua Achebe back-to-back for two complementary, powerful views of European imperialism as well as two wonderful exemplars of English prose. And so on. The possibilities are endless; this really is a book to use as a companion to a lifetime of reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Ignorance Defined...
Review: To be ignorant of one's ignorance is the malady of the ignorant.The 'ignorant' author writes: "We assume that nearly every reader of this book will own a Bible and be at least somewhat accustomed to reading it; and there is nothing we might try to say about it that would not seem presumptuos." When the most influential and best-selling book of all-time is NOT included in a 'lifetime' reading plan, we have a problem. This is further evidence that we are not a civilization. Moving on, in the 'going further' wrap-up at the end of the book, the author writes: 'Pound was justly criticized for the odious opinions he expressed late in his life; his verse outlives his personality.' An objective critic would at least have the decency to explain the claim. In one of Pound's books, he defines the enemy as ignorance (our own). At the beginning of the nineteenth century John Adams saw that defects and errors of the American government derived not so much from the corruption of government officials as from the ignorance of coin, credit, and circulation. Pound loathed 'swindlers, avoiders of truth, and usurers' and the author most assuredly would be classified in at least one of these groups by him. Pound was probably stupified at how the most successful ethnic group in the United States has acquired a perpetual victim status and an accompanying immunity to criticism. His 1st amendment right to free speech permitted him to put this in writing. My question to the author is: 'Justly criticized' by whom? Purchasing a 'reading plan' is assinine; we all know what we should be reading- THE CLASSICS. Pick and choose what you like, and concentrate on Ancient Greece and Rome. You'll do just fine. Also, the Holy Bible should be FIRST on your reading list! My advice is that if you actually paid money for the 'Lifetime Reading Plan' send it back. I am debating whether to incinerate or bury my copy.
Rating:
Summary: Whets the appetite for great reading
Review: Want to get serious about reading great literature but don't know where to start? This is a perfect starting point. Not only does it guide you into the classic "repertoire" but it creates a hunger to delve into these literary delicacies. The authors definitely have a passion for this material, and the best part is they are not afraid to be critical of these works and authors at times. Included are works that fall outside the "western" canon that could easily go unread by those unfamiliar with eastern culture. The worlds of science and philosophy are also well-represented. I remember that I did some of my required reading in school like many did: by reading the Cliff's Notes. Now, as an adult, it's time to go back and give books like "The Scarlet Letter" and "Crime and Punishment" a second chance, from a more mature perspective. Ahead of me lies literary "Mt. Everests" to climb such as "Ulysses" and "Remembrance of Things Past". Of course, in a reading plan such as this, there are always omissions (where's "Beowulf", for gosh sakes?), but even recognizing the omissions increases my awareness and hunger for them. This book is not the be-all and end-all of literary reading plans, no book is, but it accomplishes its task perfectly.
Rating: 
Summary: Sit Back With a Good Book â?? About Books
Review: We in America have moved away from the idea of a core cultural corpus. Many people we work with, talk to, play by, and love every day have never read the central works of our culture. How can we possibly communicate with each other, much less claim to be a nation with a sophisticated cultural background, when we have no core in common between us? In three previous editions of The Lifetime Reading Plan, Clifton Fadiman has attempted to spell out what books constitute the center of our culture. There has been no universal agreement, and making a list like this is always controversial. I think Percy Bysshe Shelley is a ratchet-jaw with a tin ear, but many scholars think his work is epochal. Kudos to Fadiman for braving this controversy and sticking to his guns. With this fourth edition, dubbed The New Lifetime Reading Plan, Fadiman teams up with John S. Major to expand the curriculum outside the Western World. In an increasingly interconnected planet, it is necessary to know not just about our own culture, but about the cultures throughout the world. However, the kind of person who would buy a book like this is generally going to be pretty conservative about these issues, and the authors are to be applauded for going worldwide in the face of this. The Bible is noticeably absent from the western classics. The authors explain this away by pointing out that most Americans either own a copy of the Bible or have access to one. This really doesn't wash, as even many devout Christians have no idea what's between the covers of the Good Book. Still, it's the thought (that most people read at home) that counts. Possibly the most controversial section of the book is a selection of 100 Twentieth-Century writers the authors consider worth reading. Because many of these people are alive now or were alive in living memory, there will be some heated discussions stirred by these selections. I was disappointed by the fact that T.C. Boyle is absent from the list, though gratified that J.R.R. Tolkein, whom many self-proclaimed literati despise, was included. Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that the authors don't claim these are the only books worth reading. They simply suggest that these books should form a universal center from which other thoughts may radiate. Used for that purpose, this is a superlative primer and a good jumping-off point for library building
Rating:
Summary: Sit Back With a Good Book â¿¿ About Books
Review: We in America have moved away from the idea of a core cultural corpus. Many people we work with, talk to, play by, and love every day have never read the central works of our culture. How can we possibly communicate with each other, much less claim to be a nation with a sophisticated cultural background, when we have no core in common between us? In three previous editions of The Lifetime Reading Plan, Clifton Fadiman has attempted to spell out what books constitute the center of our culture. There has been no universal agreement, and making a list like this is always controversial. I think Percy Bysshe Shelley is a ratchet-jaw with a tin ear, but many scholars think his work is epochal. Kudos to Fadiman for braving this controversy and sticking to his guns. With this fourth edition, dubbed The New Lifetime Reading Plan, Fadiman teams up with John S. Major to expand the curriculum outside the Western World. In an increasingly interconnected planet, it is necessary to know not just about our own culture, but about the cultures throughout the world. However, the kind of person who would buy a book like this is generally going to be pretty conservative about these issues, and the authors are to be applauded for going worldwide in the face of this. The Bible is noticeably absent from the western classics. The authors explain this away by pointing out that most Americans either own a copy of the Bible or have access to one. This really doesn't wash, as even many devout Christians have no idea what's between the covers of the Good Book. Still, it's the thought (that most people read at home) that counts. Possibly the most controversial section of the book is a selection of 100 Twentieth-Century writers the authors consider worth reading. Because many of these people are alive now or were alive in living memory, there will be some heated discussions stirred by these selections. I was disappointed by the fact that T.C. Boyle is absent from the list, though gratified that J.R.R. Tolkein, whom many self-proclaimed literati despise, was included. Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that the authors don't claim these are the only books worth reading. They simply suggest that these books should form a universal center from which other thoughts may radiate. Used for that purpose, this is a superlative primer and a good jumping-off point for library building
Rating:
Summary: Probably as useful a guide as you can find
Review: What better person to ask for book recommendations than the man behind the Book of the Month Club? I didn't really get a thorough education in literature as a college grad. Clifton Fadiman shares his opinions of what the best books of all time are. He turned me on to a lot of great books. There were a few I didn't care for, but if you are an independent minded person able to go against the accepted opinion regardless of the reputation of the author, you are sure to disagree here and there with anyone's selections. I have now read almost all of the recommended novels in this book. I don't plan to read all of the philosophy recommendations - I'm bored by most philosophy books. I don't expect to get far into the poetry either. You take what you want and leave the rest.
Rating:
Summary: What and How to read
Review: What separates us from every other species on this panet? The ability to think and read. Books have always been a constant companion in my life but I noticed what I had read in quanity I felt lacked in quality. This boko was a present from my brother who is an English teacher and knew of my misgivings. Mr. Fadiman compiles a vast list of authors that includes well known (Plato, Aristotle) and some not as well known (Sun Tzu, Koran) Mr. Faldman also assists in recpommending which books by the authors to read and in what order. This way the development of a writer can be seen. This list is not set in stone. Create your own list Mr. Faldman's list is a good start.
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