Below are some of the most beautiful books that I have read or plan to read in my life...

1. Beyond Good and Evil - Friedrich W. Nietzsche (Existentialist Philosophy)

2. The Birth of Trajedy - Friedrich W. Nietzsche (Theory of Art)

3. Thus Spake Zarathustra - Friedrich W. Nietzsche (Existentialist Philosophy)

4. L'Etranger - Albert Camus (French/Algerian Nobel Laureate - the Existentialist Absurdist poignant world-view. Camus has an unequaled faculty of describing inner torment and anguish)

5. The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins (Sick but hair-raising scientific theory - with this book I killed the ugly ogre named Science)

6. Twenty Love Poems and A Song of Despair - Pablo Neruda (Chilean Poet - Nobel Laureate)

7. Eros, Eros, Eros - Odysseus Elytis (Greek Nobel Laureate)

8. The Axion Esti - Odysseus Elytis

9. The Prophet - Gibran Khalil Gibran (Lebanese Writer who migrated to the US)

10. Moby Dick - Herman Melville

11. The Last Temptation of Christ - Nikos Kazantzakis. Walk with Christ as He carries His cross... This book is something else...

12. The Hero With A Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell. Campbell is one of the Giants. Climb on his shoulder.

13. Come Follow Me (Vol 1.) - Talks On The Sayings of Jesus Christ - Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. The book starts out very boring, and bear with Rajneesh when he glorifies himself, but in page 57 I experienced an ecstatic Epiphany and after that the book became a page turner.

14. The Tao of Physics - by Fritjof Kapra. An amazing book which tells how modern physics and Eastern mysticism are converging, how the rational and the spiritual, practical and mystical, matter and emptiness, Confucianism and Taoism, the Ying and the Yang complement each other and are all manifestations of the ultimate reality: Brahman (in Hinduism) or Tao (in Taoism). This book taught me that all things are interconnected and derive their being and nature by mutual dependance (in other words, Freedom defined as being self-sufficient is false). Kapra does not dismiss science even though he recognizes that it is an approximation, a map, but not the territory. It's usefulness lies in building bridges and flying airplanes. However, to taste Absolute Knowledge, one has to elevate themselves to the spiritual realm which is irrational.

15. Love Is Dog from Hell - beautiful poetry book by Charles Bukowski. Some of my favorite poems are : "One for the Shoeshine Man", "The Insane Always Loved Me", "How to Be A Great Writer".

Rami E. Cremesti  BS, MS
Los Angeles, CA

 
Last Updated: April 04, 2004

PS: Please email me with any worthy suggestions of great books.