Processing Associate Yosef Ore Lopez recommends The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
The Great Gatsby is a novel about the upper class in the 1920s, showing their luxury, crazy parties, and the search for the American Dream. The story is told by Nick Carraway, who gets to know his rich and mysterious neighbor, Jay Gatsby.
Gatsby throws huge parties at his mansion, but as the book goes on, you realize his main goal is only to get back together with Daisy Buchanan, the woman he’s been in love with for years.
The novel shows how obsession with success, money, and the idea of perfect love can actually end up in disappointment and tragedy.
When I started reading this book, I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. At first, it starts a bit slow, but then it really gets into the characters’ feelings and motives. What stuck out to me the most was how Fitzgerald shows the difference between appearance and reality. Many characters look like they have perfect lives from the outside, but underneath, they’re pretty selfish and lonely.
Gatsby in particular shows how hard it is to let go of the past, even when it’s clear you can’t really bring it back.
Overall, I think this book still matters today because it deals with big themes like love, ambition, and trying to find happiness. The ending makes you think about what happens when you spend your life chasing an illusion instead of living in the present. It’s definitely a good read that goes way deeper than a basic love story.
