My favorite book turns 50

 On February 28th, 1973, I picked up a newly published book that had received a glowing review.  The review piqued my interest, you might say.  The book was a ground-breaker, raved the reviewer!  It was massively risky, absolutely hilarious and downright dangerous!  It would change the way American literature was written and perceived forever!  

Okay, a bit much, yes?  Maybe hyperbolic, too.

But it turned out to be true.  The book's taught in colleges everywhere now.  It's considered the most important post-modern novel of the 20th century.  

All I knew was that it was an absolute hoot! It was funny, ribald, paranoid, inventive, filled with brilliant writing, obscene limericks and over 100 characters.  It really did turn out to be that important.  And I've read it over a dozen times now.  

People are still fighting over Gravity's Rainbow.  Readers either adore it or find it incomprehensible.  Dozens of youtube videos.  Endless tugs of war.  There's actually a webpage dedicated to "The 50 Best One-Star Amazon Reviews of Gravity's Rainbow."  A list of reviews that HATE the book?  

And yet the author is most famous for being unbelievably reclusive.  Want to know what he looks like?  So do the folks at The Simpsons .  To this day, Pynchon will not talk to the press -- or anybody else, really.


I was still 20 when it was published, and it's as famous today as it was then.  So happy birthday, GR!

So what's your favorite book ever?  Has it stood the test of time?  Has it stayed in print?  Or do your friends say, "What's that" when you bring it up?  Share!

    AlextheKay has been reading GR for 50 years.  Oy.    

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