The
Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
Chinoiserie
by Dawn Jacobson
“I’ve always been fascinated by evidence of how the mind works.
Most especially, I’m interested in how artists and designers tap real
and imaginary worlds for their creations. Jacobson’s book gives readers
a look at the history of a European stylistic tradition, called “chinoiserie”.
This Western style has its roots in the Far East. Dating back to before the
17th c., European contact with Cathay (what we now call China) resulted in
a huge import industry of oriental goods, such as lacquer, ivory, silk, and
porcelains. Europeans involved in creative industries were very much inspired
by the visual aesthetic of oriental goods. Their imaginations were fueled
by tales of these distant lands and Eastern cultural practices. It should
come as no surprise that such fascination led Europeans to create new visual
expressions in the 17th century. Perhaps what is surprising is that the impact
of the East on Western visual culture continues to this day.”
Dean Judith Smith Koroscik, College of Design, Architecture, Art &
Planning
Good
to Great by Jim Collins
“I was interested in reading Good to Great because I had read a review
of it that detailed the in-depth research that Collins had undertaken to determine
why some companies become such outstanding performers. The book is very insightful
and causes one to question some of our basic assumptions about why some organizations
become super successful while others continue to be just ‘good’.”
Dean David H. Devier, Clermont College
Salt,
A World History by Mark Kurlansky
“This is a history book with a unique perspective. Its thesis is that
salt - its discovery, refinement, transportation and use in preserving food
- was one of the dominant themes in human history. It traces the impact of
salt on the development of culture, trade, economics, and politics from the
earliest of human civilizations. This is a fascinating story because technology
has made salt so accessible that it is difficult to comprehend how critical
was this commodity in past eons. I have also gained a new appreciation for
anchovies.”
Dean Stephen T. Kowel, College of Engineering
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
“I have heard much about this book and have read about its impact on
American society and culture. I have always wanted to read it because of its
literary and social importance, so I decided to read it this summer and just
recently finished it. It is a unique book that should be read by all Americans.”
Dean Daniel Acosta, Jr., College of Pharmacy
Finders
Keepers: Selected Prose 1971-2001 by Seamus Heaney
“Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney has published a series of essays spanning
30 years of his career. I enjoy reading a poet’s prose. The language
itself is rich and I believe that reading a poet’s prose frequently
helps the reader understand the poet’s poetry.
Finders Keepers delivers on both counts. The book also discusses
Heaney’s life as a teacher. Heaney regularly teaches at Harvard and
in Ireland and his essays reflect not only his childhood, his upbringing,
and themes of his poetry, but also the nature of poet as professor. His insights
on teaching are valuable for all of us regardless of academic discipline.”
Dean Joseph P. Tomain, College of Law
Roosevelt’s
Secret War by Joseph Persico
“History is an avocation of mine and this is one of many history books
I’ve read over the summer.
It has given me a better perspective on the President’s Office, on Roosevelt’s
character, and on espionage and inter-service rivalries during WWII.”
Dean Richard S. Newrock, College of Applied Science
The
Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
“The subtitle of the book says is all - Managing Energy, Not Time, is
the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal. Even after participating
in management training programs, I enjoy reading about different perspectives
on achieving one’s personal best. This particular volume provides a
description of the Corporate Athlete Training System, which seems to be a
metaphor for high-performing people and organizations. As I begin my new position,
in a new city and new academic culture with few familiar support systems,
I thought this book would be a meaningful contribution to my mental and emotional
preparation for the transition.”
Dean Dolores Y. Straker, Raymond Walters College
Savage
Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol
“This book provides insights for faculty in higher education that the
current decade promises the most diverse, and possibly, the least prepared
entering student population.”
Dean Elizabeth C. King, College of Allied Health Sciences
City
of Glass by Paul Auster
“Essayist, screenwriter, novelist, and translator Paul Auster’s
City of Glass, like his The Book of Illusions, has characters who
become the subjects of their own pursuits. In City of Glass (part of Auster’s
“New York Trilogy”), a man who writes detective stories tracks
down suspects who use his own name and appear to be...himself. I have always
found Auster’s writing to be at once tight and ethereal. His essays
are probingly revealing. City of Glass is what Raymond Chandler would
have written had he been Franz Kafka.”
Dean Douglas A. Lowry, College-Conservatory of Music
The
Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson
“Most of Robinson’s novels, including his highly acclaimed Mars
trilogy, raise provocative environmental issues. The Years of Rice and
Salt goes in a different direction. It’s an alternative history
of the last seven centuries that explores how the world might have developed
differently if the Black Plague had wiped out the Judeo-Christian world, leaving
Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism as the dominant religions. In the process, the
book raises interesting questions about the similarities and differences in
the world’s great religions.”
Dean Frederick A. Russ, College of Business
Hotel
du Lac by Anita Brookner
“I recently re-read Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner, my favorite contemporary
novelist. Brookner creates compelling and sometimes maddening characters who
linger in your mind. Happily this modern-day writer in the tradition of Henry
James and Edith Wharton has many novels to be savored, especially Hotel
du Lac.”
Dean Victoria A. Montavon, University Libraries
Harry
Potter and The Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (5th book
in the series)
“For me, you don’t have to be a kid or a wizard to appreciate
Harry Potter and all his friends. I find this book filled with wonderful,
sly humor. The characters are impressively three dimensional and move along
seamlessly through the narrative. I would recommend the entire series to gain
full appreciation of Harry Potter and an understanding of new terminology.
Start with the first book, The Sorcerer’s Stone.”
Dean Andrea R. Lindell, College of Nursing
What
Einstein Told His Cook by Robert Wolke
As my skills as a cook have grown, my interest in cookbooks has changed. I
have grown tired of books that are just a collection of recipes. I now look
for books that focus on cooking techniques and approaches. By understanding
the foundations and mechanics of cooking, I am able to combine approaches
to create dishes without recipes. I understand the “theory of the dish”
and am able to play with the parameters to create a unique taste. What
Einstein Told His Cook is a book on the physical properties of cooking.
It explains the physical reasons why cooking practices work or don’t
work, for example, why yeast makes bread rise, the difference between baking
soda and baking powder, why buttering the pan works, how non-stick pans work,
and more.
Dean Lawrence J. Johnson, College of Education, Criminal Justice,
and Human Services
The
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
“This is the perfect fantasy book where the absurd is presented in a
deadpan reading style about the destruction of the Earth and its relative
unimportance to the rest of the galaxy. It is a classic from the 70s and needs
to be savored for those moments when you wish to put stress behind you and
immerse yourself in the absurd.”
Dean William J. Martin II, College of Medicine