Confessions of a Bookworm : What I am glad I read before I got a real job

I was in for public service because I want to give back to the country, and I admittedly avoided adulting at 25 by maintaining or joining a private law office which has to maintain paying the bills and taxes and salaries and collecting fees. I signed the rolls of attorney in mid-2004 but it was no coincidence that I only submitted my applications in November of the same year to the two public offices which I deemed helpful in rearing my enthusiasm to serve. I was hired in February the next year. 

I mentioned that it was no coincidence that I deferred from applying as soon as I got my license to practice law. Yes, I got me months of me-time because I was raring to read the books I wanted to read, not just read but imbibing them. Of course, ebooks are not yet around at the time but Booksale was the good source, and I had the best days of reading out of my own time, my own reason for choosing and my own pleasure. I believe that reading has fuelled me in not letting down my work ethics, not letting others’ bad habits affect me, not get burned out, and obviously, guide me as I go along in real life. Let me share the books I read before I set out in the real world and what I learned from them.

LETTERS TO A YOUNG POET

Rainer Maria Rilke

(Translated by Stephen Mitchell)

Deep in my heart, I know that writing a poem will follow me all the days of my life. Reading this collection of letters present to me the pains and hopes that accompany every creation process, as well as the personal philosophies and spiritual connectedness of a poet. One can appreciate the birth of a poet. What I learned from this thin book is that I have to hold on dear to what feeds my soul, otherwise, I will lose anchor.   

WOMAN (AN INTIMATE GEOGRAPHY)

Natalie Angier

Well, before I expect a man to understand my body, I have to understand it first. I believe every woman (and man who cares for a woman) should read this book before they read volumes of tear-jerkers and fantasy collections. Now, after fifteen years, I think I need to read this again and find an updated Angier publication. Also, she’s an upbeat storyteller that one can’t notice how seriously important and scientifically based are the chapters she wrote in this book.

WALDEN AND CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE

Henry David Thoreau

I believe I bought this book while I was still in school so I got no time to read it in full. It got my full attention, a well-deserved attention in 2004. By the way, the copy I have is a soft-bound Harper Classic which I believe is out-of-print already. This a journal of Thoreau during his stay at the Walden Pond, making use what nature provides materially and intellectually and spiritually. This book has a profound influence on me so that I treat money not as the basis for what I do and become. How much do we need to earn in order to live? Now with the traps of consumer culture, I am not misled because I had my personal guidance in this book. Nowadays, I am geared towards permaculture and I want to learn the principles behind it.

ANGELA’S ASHES

Frank McCourt

This book always reminds me that want or poverty is good for our intellectual and spiritual formation as a human being. Poverty makes us struggle to get out of the situation, to think ways of surviving our situation, to triumph. McCourt wrote of his childhood in Ireland filled with difficulties borne out of material and intellectual poverty. It was amazing how he emerged to become an educator after being materially provided in the US.

As hindsight, I did book drives many times and I must say that with the advent of movies and games, young generation does not read anymore. Reading gives philosophical and spiritual insights that no sermons, movie lines or games can provide. It should be considered as poverty now.   

McCourt is one of my favourite memoirists just by writing this book. This memoir is a cocktail of unbelievable wit and deep sadness, a smile and a tear. I wish I met him in person before he died.

INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMICS

Teacher’s Edition

And so, I really believed then that I should read one. Well, I am glad that I did. Money talks are difficult because we treat money as a means to many goals in life. But from reading this introduction to economics, one understands that all economic models are born out of immediate need, they are all theories that are being implemented whether they work or not. Internet bubbles, real estate falls and Euro exit, Greek economy, Chinese economy going up and many more had been seen in the news after I read this book in 2004. During my master’s class in International Finance, I did not wonder anymore why loans can be treated as asset elsewhere, and I did not wonder why that model failed and sent many homeless.

So what this book taught me as I can now recall was not to really pin all my aspirations on money because it can only be illusory one day. If I get to work, I told myself that I have to also pay attention to human resource, not just money. I am glad that I read this book because I don’t fret that much that there is an equal increase of payslip now relative to the increase of bills payment. Also, investments are good but decisions on it should not affect our present needs.

This book is published in 1991 and I consider it as a classic. The Table of contents breaks down the topics to three units: The Mystery of Economics, Microeconomics and Macroeconomics.      

SIMPLE ABUNDANCE

A Daybook of Comfort and Joy

Sarah Ban Breathnach

I love the maternal and feminine warmth of this book. I did not read it on a day-to-day basis as it should be read given that it’s like a Daily Bread. I randomly open it and read something for the day and it reassures me, refuels me, reignites my spirit to positivity. I love her authenticity to herself, what makes us truly happy and satisfied in life can be found in this book. By the way, men can also learn a lot from this.

Just like today, I opened it. I was led to October 20 with the title Complaints. Complaint can be gripe, groan, moan, kvetch, bitch, whine. This daybook taught me how to be creative with my complaining so it won’t hurt me or others around me. By the way, the October 19 is on Compliments.

I encourage you to get a copy of this.

A CAPACITY TO PUNISH

Henry Pontell

ANTHEM

Ayn Rand

Got this two book way before 2004 but I believe that when I reread it at the time, I digested them well. What did I learn from these books? Individuality.

In the Capacity to Punish, it challenges policy-makers to rethink of incarceration and death penalty and hatred and compassion and individuality and our capacity to punish. An updated book on this topic is a great find; I wish I still can.

In Anthem, it puts forward the philosophy of Ayn Rand that puts an individual first. We can’t live our life being treated as Prisoner identified by numbers only.

Other memorable books

In addition, I read Bill Gates’ The Road Ahead and it really planted the scenario we now enjoy using the internet, like doing online banking while waiting for the flight checked-in through the web. I also read Maria Shriver’s Ten Things I Wish I Learned Before I Went Out Into The Real World, and Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder which is a delicious fictional retelling of the philosophies, and Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, which is a pocket-size cauldron of wisdom that started with the visit of a student to his teacher. I also read Gail Sheehy’s Passages which introduces me to different decades in my life and the accompanying crisis therein. So far, I got through two decades without surprise because I got wisdom from reading the book. Well, the New Passages by same author lies down on the shelf for a while now.