Beginning in 1996, Oprah Winfrey’s book club shined a dazzling light on some of the best… Beginning in 1996, Oprah Winfrey’s book club shined a dazzling light on some of the best contemporary fiction of the day. As a result of her enormous influence over the American media, millions of people began reading for pleasure again, engrossing themselves in the novel she chose each month. However, her book club ended in 2002. No official reason was given, although I’m betting the Jonathan Franzen ordeal had something to do with it. He asked that his novel “The Corrections” not be chosen as a book club selection, citing the fact that practically all of her books had the same theme – women in distress learning to be strong.

But now Oprah’s book club is back, and instead of focusing on modern fiction, the Queen of Media is drawing upon literary classics for her millions of fans to read. Her first selection was John Steinbeck’s novel “East of Eden,” which was followed by “Cry, the Beloved Country” by Alan Paton. The latest novel Winfrey has chosen for her book club is “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

There is nothing new about these novels. All three are books people read in high school or college English courses. “One Hundred Years of Solitude” was first published in 1967, before the United States had even put astronauts on the moon. So why is Oprah choosing these novels for her book club? What’s the use of reading books that were published before you were even born?

Well, contrary to the college mentality, reading is good for you. When you read a well-written novel, you’re forced to examine the ideas within it that challenge you to think about the way you view the world. And it doesn’t matter if that book was published in 2004 or 1904. Good writing and compelling ideas are timeless.

Although we like to think of America as the land of freedom and believe that life is rosy all the time, the fact remains that there are issues that divide us deeply. One of these issues is race. By picking up a copy of “Cry, the Beloved Country,” which is set in South Africa during the years of apartheid, a reader can compare the story told in Paton’s book with the current racial situation in our own country today.

I’m not saying you have to read the books Oprah chooses. Be an individual. There are tons of classic books out there just waiting for eager young hands to happen upon them. But once the average person sees the word ‘classic’ attached to a piece of literature, a certain stigma is created. Immediately, he thinks the book will be boring, like that Charles Dickens crap he read in high school, or too symbolic, like that book by George Orwell with all the animals, or just too complex, like the stuff that Ayn Rand person writes about.

Have a little faith in your own brain! You made it into college, even with Pitt’s rising academic standards, so there has to be at least some sort of activity going on in that cranium of yours. And some masterpieces aren’t difficult to read at all. Look at “The Catcher in the Rye” or “To Kill a Mockingbird,” for example. These are straightforward stories that will no doubt leave you thinking about your world and how it works.

All I’m saying is that a book doesn’t have to be recent to be interesting or compelling. So take a chance and head to the library for a little brain food to unwind with once you’re through cramming for midterms.

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with Howard Roark.