50
Used, New, and Out of Print Books - We Buy and Sell - Powell's Books
Cart |
|  my account  |  wish list  |  help   |  800-878-7323
Hello, | Login
MENU
  • Browse
    • New Arrivals
    • Bestsellers
    • Featured Preorders
    • Award Winners
    • Audio Books
    • See All Subjects
  • Used
  • Staff Picks
    • Staff Picks
    • Picks of the Month
    • Bookseller Displays
    • 50 Books for 50 Years
    • 25 Best 21st Century Sci-Fi & Fantasy
    • 25 PNW Books to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Books From the 21st Century
    • 25 Memoirs to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Global Books to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Women to Read Before You Die
    • 25 Books to Read Before You Die
  • Gifts
    • Gift Cards & eGift Cards
    • Powell's Souvenirs
    • Journals and Notebooks
    • socks
    • Games
  • Sell Books
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Find A Store

PowellsBooks.Blog
Authors, readers, critics, media − and booksellers.

Guests

Read Something Revolutionary on Bastille Day

by Matt Stewart, July 14, 2010 11:08 AM
It's Bastille Day — the day in 1789 when French revolutionaries stormed the Bastille Prison and kicked off the French Revolution. It's worth noting that there were only seven actual inmates of the prison at the time, and the attackers lost the fight in terms of manpower — 98 attackers killed to just one defender, according to Wikipedia. Far more importantly, the revolutionaries elevated their act of defiance into a source of inspiration, a rallying point, the fuel for the considerable national fire which threw the French way of life into chaos.

It's an important reminder that great, life-changing movements — and great, life-changing books — don't start great. Instead, they germinate as small, fervently loved personal experiences that challenge the status quo, slowly snowballing from small, passionate groups to large, passionate groups, steadily building unstoppable speed.

This Bastille Day, why not read something revolutionary alongside your Bordeaux and triple brie this evening? My debut novel, The French Revolution, is, of course, a highly topical selection, but there are loads of terrific genre-bending, new-thinking works of fiction out there. A few books that have “stormed my Bastille” lately include:

  • Tony DuShane's Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk — An insider's view of growing up Jehovah's Witness.
  • Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel — A page-turning crime caper set in a fully imagined Jewish settlement in Alaska.
  • Tod Goldberg's Other Resort Cities — A hilarious set of stories that hit like speed-induced Sun Belt hallucinations.
  • Meredith Norton's Lopsided: A Memoir — A funny memoir about cancer. Seriously.

What are the novels that have revolutionized your life?




Books mentioned in this post

Lopsided: A Memoir

Meredith Norton

Other Resort Cities

Tod Goldberg

Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk

DuShane, Tony

The French Revolution

Stewart, Matt

Yiddish Policemens Union

Michael Chabon
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##

Most Read

  1. Best Books of 2022: Fiction by Powell's Staff
  2. The Big List of Backlist: Books That Got Us Through 2022 by Powell's Staff
  3. 25 Books to Read Before You Die: 21st Century by Powell's Staff
  4. Powell's 2023 Book Preview: The First Quarter by Powell's Staff
  5. 7 Essential Authors Recommend Their 7 Essential Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books by Powell's Staff

Blog Categories

  • Interviews
  • Original Essays
  • Lists
  • Q&As
  • Playlists
  • Portrait of a Bookseller
  • City of Readers
  • Required Reading
  • Powell's Picks Spotlight

2 Responses to "Read Something Revolutionary on Bastille Day"

JB July 14, 2010 at 04:13 PM
I got to go with two classics: Victor Hugo's Les Miserables Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities

monkeywomantoo July 14, 2010 at 02:22 PM
i've got to say chuck barris' CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND eventhough it's not really a novel....or is it???

Result(s) 2

Post a comment:

*Required Fields
Name*
Email*
  1. Please note:
  2. All comments require moderation by Powells.com staff.
  3. Comments submitted on weekends might take until Monday to appear.
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram

  • Help
  • Guarantee
  • My Account
  • Careers
  • About Us
  • Security
  • Wish List
  • Partners
  • Contact Us
  • Shipping
  • Transparency ACT MRF
  • Sitemap
  • © 2023 POWELLS.COM Terms