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Gifts for Grads 2007
By
Published: May 20, 2007
Category:
Beyond Classification
It’s that time again. This year’s models are sleek and smart and accomplished and, just possibly, deep in debt and scared out of their minds. Yes, you can give them cash. But do you want to feed them today or teach them how to feed themselves for decades?
The list I’ve assembled may seem curious. Start with…Fiction? Yes, because Getting Ahead — and that, to paraphrase Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada,” is what almost all kids want, no matter what they say — is not just about competence. It’s about knowing how to talk to grownups. And what to say. Newsflash: Powerful people often have cultural interests. Share them, and you’re on your way to…somewhere. So it pays to know about books, music, art. (Culture is also enriching, but that’s not what anyone wants to hear after being in school since age 3.)
Survival is also on my mind. It should be for the Class of ’07 as well. If not, it will be. I’ve chosen some books that should be relevant long after the kegger ends and reality descends. But why sound like a graduation orator? Your kid or your relative or your friend’s hopeless loser of a child got all the way to the end of an Offical American Education. Three cheers for that….
FICTION
Cakes and Ale
Somerset Maugham’s “dirty” book. An impressionable boy has a crush on a famous writer’s wife. The boy grows up. He becomes a medical student. And….
Arrowsmith
The most sincere book Sinclair Lewis wrote. Inspired by an old doctor, a Midwestern boy takes up medicine, then research. He’s a rare one: He loves science more than security.
The Quality of Life Report
In Meghan Daum’s comic novel, a young New York TV producer goes to the heartland to report on the natives. You think her snobbery evaporates?
The Things They Carried
Tim O’Brien’s autobiographical novel about serving in the Vietnam War. Just in case a lad you know complains it’s tough going in the “real” world.
Bel-Ami
In Guy de Maupassant’s masterpiece, a handsome, ambitious and none-too-talented young man rises and rises. A very reassuring book for the Looks Advantaged.
NON-FICTION
Banker to the Poor
“Micrcoredit” — a banking idea for the future. In fact, an idea so solid Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Prize for it.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma
Whether your grad lives to eat or eats to live, Michael Pollan’s look at the American food industry could be a livesaver.
FIRST PERSON
Monique and the Mango Rains
What it’s like to be a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali. Anyone looking for a challenge?
The Best Little Boy in the World
Finding out you’re gay used to be a much bigger deal.
SURVIVAL KIT
Trattoria: Simple and Robust Fare Inspired by the Small Family Restaurants of Italy
Think outside the bun.
The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need
At some point, money will flow in. Tobias knows better than anyone how to keep it and grow it.
Deep Survival
Kids love “extreme” sports and “adventure” travel. Every year, some don’t make it back. Here’s why some live and others don’t.
Why Not?
Two Yale professors say we can learn to think in innovative ways. And they have examples, examples, examples.
Deep Economy
How much do we need to change to continue to prosper — or just save the planet? Bill McKibben has some thoughts.
The Creative Habit
Be creative or move back to the middle. But how? Twyla Tharp says creativity is a muscle — and then she works you out.
WRITING
Bird by Bird
Anne Lamott has a sensible approach to mastering the written word.
On Writing
Stephen King has lots of stories along the way, and his advice is impeccable.
The Elements of Style
Strunk and White — the classic guide.
HEART AND SOUL
The Essential Rumi
The most popular poet on the planet – and he’s been dead for 800 years.
Beethoven Violin Concerto
If you’re having only one….
JUST FOR FUN
The Joy of Drinking
Barbara Holland’s fast-paced history of hooch. Gives history and respectability to questionable behavior.
Poker as Life: 101 Lessons from the World’s Greatest Game
It’s been rumored that college kids like to play a few hands now and then.
Wallpaper City Guides
Just in case there’s a break to the 80-hour work weeks.
The F Word
As in “fiancee.” Kelly Bare tells you what the wedding countdown is like.
Coyright 2007 by Head Butler Inc.
