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Every week the writers for The Onion AV Club answer a question. I thought I’d share my own answers to one of their previous Q&A’s.

This week’s question for me is: What one book would you most like to make the rest of the world read?

Wow. This is a really tough question. Do you pick a book that attempts to teach the world at large something important? Or do you try and pick something entertaining? Or do you pick something that will have the phrase “That Jeff is a very cool guy” on the world’s lips?

I decided to pick Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs which is similar in nature to Studs Terkels’ (RIP) book Working. Both books are about Americans and their jobs, but Gig has a couple differences. #1 it is a contemporary book that is easier to relate to and #2 the people speak in their own words. As much as I love Terkels’ style, I really value reading what people actually sound like and getting a feel for who they are.

The people in Gig range from Wal-Mart greeter to supermodel. From a transvestite prostitute to a congressmen.

Besides being really entertaining I like Gig because it revealed how diverse this country can be. I feel like a lot of people would benefit from getting this kind of perspective.

Click here to read the Wal-Mart greeter’s section from Gig

I read lots of books each year, but very few are brand new, so these are my favorites that I read this year regardless of when they came out.

Best Books
5. John Updike – Rabbit, Run (1960)
4. Joshua Ferris – Then We Came to the End (2007)
3. Tom Vanderbilt – Traffic (2008 )
2. Richard Adams – Watership Down (1972)
1. Herman Melville – Moby Dick (1851)

Best Comic Book
Michel Rabagliati – Paul Goes Fishing (2008 )