Last year he named a best books list for The Week. One title on the list:
Moby-Dick by Herman MelvilleRead about another book on Dodd's list.
Every time I read this endlessly fascinating novel it’s a completely new book. Today, I see Melville’s classic as a warning against obsessive pursuit of a personal and subjectively defined notion of “evil.”
Moby-Dick also appears among Jane Yolen's five most important books, Augusten Burroughs' five most important books, Norman Mailer's top ten works of literature, David Wroblewski's five most important books, Russell Banks' five most important books, and Philip Hoare's top ten books about whales.
--Marshal Zeringue