At The Paris Review, a young reader from the South, "attempting to throw off the shackles of my religious upbringing and become an intelligent well-informed adult," asks the essayist John Jeremiah Sullivan for advice on what to read. From Sullivan's response:
My only piece of advice before recommending some titles would be: don’t fall for the inferiority/superiority racket. We’re not on a ladder here. We’re on a web. Right now you’re experiencing a desire to become more aware of and sensitive to its other strands. That feeling you’re having is culture. Whatever feeds that, go with it. And never forget that well-educated people pretend to know on average at least two-thirds more books than they’ve actually read.
The Dish 