This weekend, the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
will take place at UCLA. What is your favorite book of all time and
why? Julie Garchow First-year Biology
“My favorite book is “Exodus” by Leon Uris
because it’s a great book about the conflict with Palestine
and Israel. It’s changed my view about what’s going on
in that region. It has also changed my long-term goals in terms of
working in the emergency medicine field and travelling around the
world. The book is about European Jews going into Israel and
Palestine after World War II and what life was like for
them.” Arash Kohanteb Second-year Undeclared
“My favorite book is “Crime and Punishment” by
Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I like reading about the character’s
struggle and how he overcame it. The book puts you into something
that’s not an everyday situation and helps you understand how
people deal with personal strife. It teaches us that if you commit
a crime, you’ll have to do time, whether it’s mentally
or physically.” Seena Samini Second-year
Political science “My favorite book is called “Only a
Story.” It’s about the religious persecution of the
Bahais in Iran and the conflict they had to go through. They were
put in jail and tortured for their religious beliefs, similar to
what has happened to people from other faiths. The book changed me
a lot. It made me realize that people are willing to give up their
life and everything they have for something they strongly believe
in.” Elizabeth Shehata Fourth-year
Neuroscience “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho is my
favorite book. It’s a fable about following your dreams. It
reminds us that we have to be true to them and never let go.
It’s about a young boy named Santiago and his quest to find
the person he is inside. It teaches us to follow everything our
heart desires. It’s a really good book; everyone I’ve
recommended it to has loved it.” Sosia Bert
Fourth-year Communications studies “My favorite books are
“Tales of the City” by Armistead Maupin and
“Light in August” by William Faulkner. I like
Faulkner’s book because it’s intense, deep and
beautiful. “Tales of a City” relates to my personal
life because the book is about San Francisco and that’s where
I’m from. The book manages to capture a lot of details and
quirks about the city that I can relate to.” Denye
Versher First-year Physiological science “Treasure
Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson is my favorite book. I like
science fiction-type reading because it stretches the imagination.
It’s not ordinary or something you can do in the real world.
It allows you to think more creatively and expand your mind.
Science fiction is a good way to get away from things and sit back
and relax.” Speaks Out compiled by CUAUHTEMOC ORTEGA, Daily
Bruin Senior Staff. Photos by ED RHEE, Daily Bruin Contributor. Web
Adaptation by JENNIFER JAVIER