which I only read since it was researched at both my most hated institution of higher learning (Stanford) and my most loved (Duke). And he gave a fantastic commencement speech at Duke the year before I graduated, when his daughter graduated.

Well having not read The Right Stuff I can't say.

I would have said something about The Fountain, but since everyone's utter distaste for Ayn Rand was voiced earlier in the thread I decided to spare myself the public flogging. For the record, I enjoy The Fountain for many of the reasons everyone else hates it. I think the ideas of objectivism are worth discussing if only to point out why they are so discordant with a healthy society. And a part of me identifies with Roark.

Now if you really want to discuss a piece of shit, let's talk about Atlas Shrugged which I refused to finish. Fuck that horrendous piece of trash. There's not even a worthwhile narrative there. At least The Fountain has that going for it.

And furthermore my top 5 canon would have looked something like this:

1. Faulkner - The Sound and The Fury
2. Vonnegut - Cat's Cradle
3. Steinbeck - East of Eden
4. Rand - The Fountain (fuck it, I'll say it)
5. Middlesex (just to keep it interesting with something contemporary)

But I was attempting to avoid things that had already been said and avoid books that should already be considered canonical.