Three Books... Why three? We live in a three-dimensional world, colored with hues that break down into a trio of primary colors. Our souls (according to Plato) and our psyches (according to Freud) are trilithic. Three is a number that allows for conversation, completion, understanding. And so "Three Books..." invites writers to recommend three great reads on a single theme.
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Three Books...

One theme, three great reads

The Krasnaya Polyana mountain range, viewed from the Olympic host city of Sochi, shows off the stunning landscape of southern Russia. Richard Heathcote/Getty Images hide caption

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Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

The original paperback cover for Joanna Russ' 1975 novel The Female Man (detail above) called the book "startling." hide caption

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On both sides of the Atlantic, the 1920s saw strict gender roles bend — and break — as new kinds of relationships were tested in life and literature. Here, British actor Leslie Henson and his wife Madge Saunders show off the spirit of subversion in November 1920. Brooke/Getty Images hide caption

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Brooke/Getty Images

The view from a Finnish sauna shows the short-lived beauty of summers near the Arctic circle. wili_hybrid/Flickr hide caption

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wili_hybrid/Flickr

Nelson Mandela, with his wife, Winnie, walks to freedom after 27 years in prison on Feb. 11, 1990, in Cape Town. AP hide caption

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AP

The Man, The Myth, The Reading List: Nelson Mandela

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