Conversation

“Sophomore portal” books: You’re likely to read them 17-21, with median at ~19 — Ayn Rand — GEB — HHG — Alchemist — Pirsig They seem optimized to have a profound effect in that range, be inaccessible if you’re younger (unless you’re precocious) and underwhelming if you’re older
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Each will either stay with you for life or turn into a red flag for people to avoid. HHG is my only stayed-with-me-for-life one. The rest turned into red flags. I’m suspicious of anyone who is shaped by them past 25. I think HHG is primarily a red flag for “good people”
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Everybody should read a sampling of these. Like 4-5. It’s like a Rorschach test. The selection evolves of course. I don’t know what the sophomore portal books are in 2021. These are circa 1995. Ayn Rand is the perennial member of the set. Something worth probing about that.
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What’s common to these books is that they’re like expansion chambers for compressed, fuel charged minds or something. Something else provides the spark, but these books provide the room to expand. A tree-like space where exponentially racing minds can roll out for the first time.
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Hmm I’ll take Alchemist out of the list. Too linear/convergent and simple. It’s more for the 14-year-old mind than 19-year-old.
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Replying to
You WERE a superior soul. Same thing after discovering Sandman by Neil Gaiman for me. And in general graphic novels. Some really good ones! Great, even. Some not so great.
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