Recommended Reading

Jump to Comments

 

STAFF & STUDENT PICKS 

Karl Trautman (Faculty) recommends…

• Local People: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Missippi by John Dittmer
• I’ve Got the Light of Freedom: The Organizing Tradition and the Mississippi Freedom Struggle by Charles Payne
• Going Down Jericho Road: The Memphis Strike, Martin Luther King’s Last Campaign  by Michael Honey

Karl says: “These are excellent books that detail the struggle for equality in the USA. They also describe the challenges of organizing movements for social and political change. They really bring alive the energy of change that was occurring in much of the 1960s in the American South.”

• A Tragic Legacy: How a Good vs. Evil Mentality Destroyed the Bush Presidency, by Glenn Greenwald.

Karl says: “This is an excellent book in that it pinpoints how George W. Bush’s worldview created some of the decisions his administration made. Particularly interesting was his writing about how the administration was talking with Iran after 9/11. Thus the present tension with Iran over their nuclear program is given a needed context.”

• Emergence 2, Justice Hawk (cross-posted from my review on amazon.com)

Karl says: “The story was paced well, as researchers attempted to find out about a life form which threatens to annihilate all the humans on earth.

The novel introduces the reader to fascinating scientific theories and applies them to the storyline. The book is full of suspense, as the drama of the emergence of the life form gets is elucidated.

Throughout the book, Justice Hawk skillfully uses dialogue between scientists to educate the reader about topics such as Super String Theory, DNA and other subjects.

The reader is drawn into the intense dialogue between the scientists as they race against time to find out what they are dealing with, and what the entity’s intention is.

The context is the bureacracy of the Japanese government. This context provides a stable structure for the plot to develop.

One can wonder at the end of the novel, what, really, is life?”

Susan Carbone (Faculty) recommends…

• Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen
  Susan says: “It’s about the traveling circus around the 30’s and 40’s, with a love story (including an elephant) as the backdrop. I really like it.”

Sheila Lawlor (Trio) recommends…

• The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd
  Sheila says “This is the wonderful story of how a motherless teenage girl finds acceptance and love in the Boatwright house the the 1960’s.”

Mary Fraser (TRIO) recommends…

• WICKED: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory McQuire
  Mary says, “This book invites the reader to question the nature of resistance, terrorism, and what authority does in the name of security.”
• Persuasion, by Jane Austen
  Mary says: “You will want to clap at the end.”

Judi Moreno (CMCC Library) recommends:

• Possession, by A.S. Byatt
  Judi says: “…combines mystery, literary criticism, the world of academia and romance into one exciting romp around British archives and the French countryside.”

Valerie Frechette (CMCC Library) recommends:

• She’s Come Undone, by Wally Lamb
  Valerie says: “A funny and thoughtful story. Lamb writes so well about the trials of a young woman it’s hard to believe he’s a man!”
• A Widow for One Year, by John Irving
  Valerie says: “Irving’s style is both humorous and fantastical.”
• The Center of Everything, by Laura Moriarty
  Valerie says: “A coming of age story set in Kansas in the 1980s. Moriarty creates well developed characters and an intriguing lot that makes this book hard to put down.”
• A Man in Full, by Tom Wolfe
  Valerie says: “Tom Wolfe is the master of capturing the heart of American culture and the American psyche. Beginning with The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, everything Wolfe has written is worth reading. A Man in Full captures the essence of America in the 1990s.”
• The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold
  Valerie says: “Told from the perspective of a fourteen-year-old girl in heaven looking down at her loved ones as they attempt to move on without her. An emotionally charged, well-written novel.”
• Bridget Jones’ Diary, by Helen Fielding
  Valerie says: “Fun summer reading– light and airy chick-lit.”

Robin Lowell (CMCC Library) recommends:

• The Master and the Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgakov
  Robin says: “This book was the inspiration behind the Rolling Stones song Sympathy for the Devil.”
• The Time Traveller’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
  Robin says: “This book blends time travel and an unusual love story. The main characters, Henry (a librarian!) and Clare, are unforgettable.”
• The Awakening (and other stories), by Kate Chopin
  Robin says: “When it was published in 1899, The Awakening caused quite a stir. Its subject matter was considered shocking, disturbing and at least one library banned it. Kate Chopin’s novels and short stories weren’t well-known until her Complete Works were published in 1969. Many of her stories and The Awakening are set in turn of the century Lousiana and her vivid descriptions and use of language will make you feel like you’ve been transported there.”
• Tales of the City, by Armistead Maupin
  Robin says: “Perfect for people who don’t have lots of time to read and just as good as a beach book. This book was originally serialized in the 1970s in the San Francisco Chronicle. The chapters are short, the plotlines cross over each other, and the characters are fun and beloved. And if you enjoy the book, there are six more books in the series!”
• The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver
  Robin says: “This is the kind of book you’ll read over and over again and recomment to friends. The main character, Taylor, travels from Kentucky to Arizona and ends up becoming an adoptive mother along the way. Wonderful dialog, fantastic characters and a great story that will leave you smiling. And the sequel called Pigs in Heaven is just as good!”

Christine Conte (CMCC student) recommends:

• Dress Your Family in Corduory and Denim, by David Sedaris
  Christine says: “His imagination and humor and truly impressive. Great summer reading, in bite-sized essay chunks.”
• The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
  Christine says: “An unsettling tale of America as a theocratic nation in the future. The anonymous narrator had a wonderful life and dreams for the future, but all that changed when the new regime took over. Thought-provoking, but not too heavy for a summer read.”
• We The Living, by Ayn Rand
  Christine says: “I could barely read more than about twelve pages of Atlas Shrugged myself, so I understand why you would say you don’t care for Ayn Rand. This one is different. Loosely based on Rand’s own early experiences in Russia, this novel gives a fascinating look into what life was like  after the Revolution. It’s pretty heavy on Rand’s personal opinions and politics, but not enough to spoil a good story about love and sacrifice.”
• Spoon River Anthology, by Edgar Lee Masters
  Christine says: “As you move through this book, imagine you’re walking through a country cemetary. One by one, the former residents of the village speak to you from beyond the grave. They tell their stories– their lives, their loves, their regrets, their legacies– and even gossip about each other and those they left behind.”

3 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tags: * summer reading, books, librarian, library