8. Tortilla Flat

Tortilla Flat John Steinbeck
May 2009

Besides reading 20 books in 2009, my other goal this year is to incorporate all of my friends favorites into my reading list. One of my best guy friends will instantly tell you that this is his favorite book, so he got to go first. I'm pretty sure that the only other Steinbeck book that I have read is Of Mice and Men, but I remembered really liking it, so I was looking forward to this.

Reading your friends' favorite books tells you a lot about them. At first I thought... "Oh! This makes sense... they are just getting drunk the whole time!" Needless to say, my friends and I enjoy a drink now and then. But as the book came to a close I realized it was about so much more than just that. It was about the importance of friendship, and how no matter what, good friends are there for each other when you need them. It made me smile thinking of how this was one of my boy's favorite books.

Everyone should read this.