Find out what your professors are reading!

This winter, take a break from those job and internship applications and settle down with a few good books. In case you’re in need of fresh suggestions, are at a loss for gift ideas or are simply curious about what some of your professors will be reading during the holiday season, look no further. Happy reading!

“‘Devil in a Blue Dress,’ by Walter Moseley. First in the ‘Easy Rawlins’ mystery series. This is Noir with a tart, jazzy tongue combined with the kind of insights into racial politics you get in Richard Wright. Also, ‘Atonement’ by Ian McEwan—a magnificent, elegiac novel that deals with error, loss and atonement.”

— Yu Jin Ko

   Professor of English

“I [have] just finished two books that I would recommend: ‘The Yellow Birds’ a novel by Kevin Powers, and ‘The Scientists: A Family Romance’ by Marco Roth. Both were published in the past few months, and although one is fiction and one is memoir, both are compelling stories, narrated by young men in a fresh and authentic voice. Both describe the very real challenges of confronting the absurdities of war and family life in 21st century America, while offering lyrical and insightful descriptions of the experiences and intimacies that make growing up worthwhile.”

—  Alice Friedman

   Grace Slack McNeil Professor of American Art

“Seamus Deane’s ‘Reading in the Dark.’ ‘Angela’s Ashes’ got a lot of fanfare but I think this book is better. I also really like Bill Bryson’s ‘A Walk in the Woods.’ I still giggle thinking about a man hiking with a Snickers bar.”

—  Mary Kate McGowan

   Professor of Philosophy

“Leslie Marmon Silko, ‘Gardens in the Dunes.’ I like books that describe complicated cultural encounters, and, through its main character of Indigo, this novel wrestles with conflicting white and Native American (Laguna Pueblo) traditions in the 19th century; it’s a world adventure set in Europe and Brazil as well as in the American Southwest. Shyam Selvadurai, ‘Funny Boy.’ This is an autobiographical novel about alternative formations of gender and sexuality in South Asia and the complex interfaces of Western and Asian cultures, set against the backdrop of the Sri Lankan civil war in the 1970s and 1980s. It’s gripping, funny and accessible.”

—  Paul Fisher

   Assistant Professor of American Studies

“I would recommend books by the Chinese writer Mo Yan, the 2012 Nobel Literature Prize Laureate. I would suggest that readers begin with Mo Yan’s short story collection ‘Shifu, You Will Do Anything for a Laugh’ and his most recent novel ‘Frog.’ Both books depict a changing China, interweaving satire, fantasy, social criticism and realism into hilarious narratives. I enjoy his humorous language, extravagantly rich metaphors, breathtaking storytelling and profound respect for humanity. For my winter break, I plan to read ‘Woes of the True Policeman,’ a posthumous novel of the talented Chilean writer Roberto Bolaño, ‘Cain,’ the last novel by the late Portuguese novelist Jose Saramago, and ‘The Prague Cemetery,’ the most recent novel of the Italian writer and philosopher Umberto Eco. Bolaño, Saramago and Eco, together with Mo Yan, are my favorite authors; they share a similar style of magic realism or hallucinatory realism.”

—  Mingwei Song

   Assistant Professor of Chinese

“For anyone who has been following the 2012 presidential election closely and may be suffering from withdrawal after Nov. 6, I would recommend ‘Game Change’ by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. This book provides a behind-the-scenes look at the 2008 election, including the battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, the rise and fall of John Edwards and the tale of how Sarah Palin came to be John McCain’s running mate. Anyone who loves statistics, baseball or both must read ‘Moneyball’ by Michael Lewis. This book explains how the Oakland A’s, baseball’s poorest team, used statistics to reveal which skills were undervalued in the market and built a team that could challenge the mighty, free-spending New York Yankees. If football is more your game, then read another book by Michael Lewis, ‘The Blind Side,’ which offers not only a great human interest story but also an insightful look at how the left tackle came to be one of the most important players on the football field.”