Stoner by John Williams
Photo by Greg Still
Last year, I read this book after it was recommended to me by my boyfriend, who read it first. It is about
William Stoner, a Midwestern farm boy who ends up attending university and finding a passion for English
literature. He was originally just supposed to attend university for a little while before going back to his
family's farm, but he decides to become a professor instead. This book is so well written that, despite the plot
being mundane, William's ability to add detail to simple scenes makes it dynamic. For example, I remember reading
the ending of one chapter where there was a whole paragraph just talking about snow falling, but the way he wrote
it, I was able to visualize it distinctly.
The overall message of this book, in my opinion, is that it's
okay to live a quote-unquote "ordinary life." The main character, Stoner, did exactly this. Yet he passed away
leaving a mark on the university and his students. This is a book I recommend to anyone who has borne witness to
the power of literature.