How to Survive the Economic Crisis

While we're all worried about our 401k's (if we have them) and the future of our jobs (if we have them), there's little we can do to affect the economic downturn. However, we can take steps to protect ourselves, specifically, by spending less on frivolous expenses, such as entertainment. Now's a good time to stop shelling out ten bucks a pop to go to movies, to cancel our netflix memberships, to stop downloading music from iTunes, to play the video games we already have instead of buying new ones, etc., etc., etc.

However, just as it's a mistake to stop investing for retirement when the stock market is low, it's also a mistake to stop reading and buying books to save money when times are tight. Now more than ever, we ought to turn to literature for inspiration and salvation. Watching a dumb action movie only leaves you worn out and numb. Listening to some pop song by the likes of Beyonce only reminds you of the difference between her lifestyle and yours. Reading a great work of literature, however, can make you smarter and entertain you at the same time. Supporting the publishing industry at this time can also help to ensure the continuity of our national culture and intellectual life.

Below, I've made a list of book recommendations that seem appropriate for our current recessionary conditions:

1. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy. You think you've got it bad because you can only afford one new manicure a month instead of two? Read this guy's story and you'll never feel bad about yourself again!

2. Babbit by Sinclair Lewis. Money's not everything, you know, as this razor-sharp satire of the American bourgeoisie makes loud and clear.

3. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. In this novel, Atwood imagines the following nightmare scenario: America run by an oligarchy of right-wing religious whack-jobs. A bit like the Bush administration, only permanent and with no checks on its power. Thankfully, in real life, we had the good sense this time around to elect Barack Obama to fix what ails our country.

4. The Assistant by Bernard Malamud. This story of a hard luck grocer struggling to get by reminds us that as human beings, we can't escape suffering in our lives, but that suffering has the potential to enlarge and ennoble our spirits.

5. Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill. You know things are pretty tough when all you've got left to sell is yourself. These are fierce, sometimes brutal stories of sex and desperation.

6. Waiting by Ha Jin. As we wait for this economic downturn to pass, read this story about a guy who waits decades to marry, or even to have sex with the woman he loves. Now there's patience for you.

Other ideas? Let's hear them!