5. 11/22/63
Ambitious. Forty seven years after publishing his first novel, King unleashed 11/22/63 on the world in 2011. Calling the novel ambitious doesnt even seem quite enough. For everything King has done and written about, adding time traveling was a bit of a new wrinkle. A time traveling teacher on a mission to stop the assassination of JFK. That is seriously what the plot of the novel is. Of course, this being a King novel, that is not exactly what the book is about. History, our own history, our past -- this is what King wants to talk about in the novel. The idea that we can change the past, change what weve done wrong and bring about a better future is a beautiful thought. In reality, it cannot be accomplished yet weve all thought about it before. King proposes a scenario that allows his main character the chance to change something significant and what he finds out is surprising. First, the past doesnt want to be changed and then, the mark we leave is indelible. For good or bad, were the difference. No matter what we change, we take ourselves and our own problems with us. The real change is within.