In the past year I have probably started 5 different books. For whatever reason I lost interest, couldn't find the time, or just didn't enjoy what i was reading so I didn't finish. However I finally started reading something that I couldn't stop. The Stranger written by Albert Camus, is a literary classic, that I did not know anything about until last week (Thanks Irv!) Camus is a philosopher and he believed in what is known absurdist theory of philosophy. Basically life has no rational or redeeming meaning. His first book the Stranger is an excellent story about an amoral and emotionally detached young man, who at the beginning of the story is dealing with the death of his mother. During the 2nd part of the story, the lead character plays a part in a crime, and the rest of the story the character is stuck contemplating the meaning of life, or in his eyes the lack of any purpose to life. I know that story sounds kind of bleak and at times it is kind of a bleak look at humanity, however it has some very powerful themes. If you don't enjoy philosophy, then you probably wont enjoy this book, if you do however like to open your mind to some different schools of thought, this is a great one to read. It is short, under a 100 pages, yet I went back to read many sections just because they interested me. One of the strongest themes to this book in my eyes is the idea that moral order really has no natural or rational basis. How do we decide what is morally acceptable? Camus I think believed in humanity and their ability to decide right from wrong even though he believed in a universe where your actions have real no meaning. The only certainties in this life is that we all die and everything else in this life lacks meaning or doesn't really matter. Anyways it is an interesting look at life, death, love, justice, religion, and society through the eyes of a man that believes in nothing. I know it doesn't sound interesting but I assure you it is.
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