Photographing the Second Gold Rush: Dorothea Lange and the East Bay at War, 1941-1945 by Dorothea Lange and Charles Wollenberg

Dorothea Lange's photographs, which often made social statements of the lives of everyday people, helped create the field of documentary photography. The East Bay area during World War II (specifically 1941-1945) is the subject of the sixty photographs included in this book. Focusing on the cities of Oakland and Richmond and especially the shipyards therein, these photographs look at the lives of the people that made up the rapidly changing demographics of the time -- women entering the labor force, Japanese Americans being forced into internment camps, African Americans coming from different parts of the country, Mexican laborers brought in by the United States, and migrant agricultural workers displaced in the Dust Bowl era. The essay is helpful and interesting, but it is Lange's photographs that are truly powerful representations of this period in California history.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: TR820.5 .L36 1995
3rd Floor Science & Technology Library
Review submitted by: Andrew Tessandori, Cataloging Assistant, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

Go Your Own Way: Women Travel the World Solo edited by Faith Conlon, Ingrid Emerick, and Christina Henry de Tessan

This book is a collection of short stories by women who travel alone to various locations: Argentina, Paris, Greece, Iceland, Mexico, Nigeria, Turkey, Arizona, and many more. Two of the stories are not about truly solo trips, so I'm not sure why there were included. This is my only criticism though. The stories are entertaining and well-written, especially Alice Carey's trip to Egypt her 50th year, Alison Culliford's journey to the remote Labrador, and Susan Richardson's fulfilled desire to walk in the footsteps of a tenth-century woman Viking named Gudrid.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: G465 .G63 2007
2nd Floor Social Science Library
Review submitted by: Stacy Russo, Chair of Public Services, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme

Julia Child has become "trendy" again with the release of the upcoming movie Julie and Julia, which was partially based on this book. It is an interesting first-hand account of how Julia found her life passion in food in 1950s Paris, reconstructed from her letters and supplemented with personal photos. She was certainly a Renaissance woman before her time, and continues to serve as an example of a strong woman even today.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: TX649.C47 A3 2007
3rd Floor Science & Technology Library
Review submitted by: Jennifer Bevan, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Road to Middle Earth: How JRR Tolkien Created a New Mythology by Tom Shippey

I'll preface this by saying that I bit off more than I could chew with this book. I was hoping for some biographical information on Tolkien and how his life experiences influenced the Lord of the Rings series. This book was, instead, focused on Tolkien's experience as a philologist (linguist) and how that influenced his writing. There are some interesting insights into the word choice and linguistic context for his work, but it was a bit too dense for me to really enjoy it.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR6039.O32 Z824 2003
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Jason Keller, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
Rating: Not Recommended

The Diary by Eileen Goudge

While cleaning out their mother’s attic, two sisters come across her old diary and find that their mother had a secret lover. His name was A.J., while their father’s name was Bob. Had their mother settled for safety over passion? Read the book to find out.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: McNaughton
1st Floor McNaughton Collection
Review submitted by: Cathy Elliott, Business & Financial Technician, Law Library
Rating: Recommended

Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck

Sweet Thursday is the day after Lousy Wednesday and is also the title of this sequel to Cannery Row. Much has changed since World War II, and this novel tells the stories of the unique characters that are an interconnected part of the eccentric daily life on the Row. I would recommend this work only to those already familiar with Steinbeck and who have read Cannery Row (see the review on 6-19-09 by Kirsten Moore), although I do think the book can stand independently of its predecessor. At first, I did not care for this book as much as Steinbeck's other works (it does not come close to The Grapes of Wrath or Travels with Charley), but I eventually found myself laughing out loud in a few places and thought it to be an intriguing and amusing story overall.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3537.T3234 S9 1986
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Andrew Tessandori, Cataloging Assistant, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

Good to Great: Why Some companies Make the Leap and Others Don't by Jim Collins

Our team read this book for discussion at a vp/directors' retreat. The book is an organizational leadership/change management/strategic planning manual, written by a guru in the field. And from that point of view, for people interested in those fields, the information and presentation are thought-provoking. I found the books thoughts on finding a "job" you can pursue passionately, with the goal of achieving excellence while being economically rewarded for your efforts, to be a good life guide. I recommend it for everyone who likes to shoot for the stars, in everything they pursue.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: HD57.7 .C645 2001
3rd Floor Business Library
Review submitted by: Kathy Wright, Executive Assistant, Office of the Executive VP & COO
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Zebra-Striped Hearse by Ross Macdonald

If you like detective fiction with a California locale, try Ross Macdonald. He weaves a complex but tight plot, his hero (Lew Archer) is likable, and his settings are '60s California. He is easier to digest than Ellroy, who spirals into emotional analyses of his investigators, or Hammett, who loves strange characters.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3525.I486Z4
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Isa Lang, Head of Information Services, Law Library
Rating: Highly Recommended

When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris

I've read David Sedaris' Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim and he comes highly recommended by everyone from 30 to 60. I just don't enjoy his writing. He sees the humor in life's situations, from a very sophisticated but very dark and humorless place that I try to stay away from. He has a tremendous eye for detail, though, and because he hits on those life situations we have all experienced, I'm sure readers have that "oh, yeah, that's happened to me, too" moment. Overall, I would encourage you to give Mr. Sedaris a try and decide for yourself.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3569.E314 W48 2008
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kathy Wright, Executive Assistant, Office of the Executive VP & COO
Rating: Somewhat Recommended

The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck

Set in New Baytown in 1960, this is a story of Ethan Allen Hawley and the relationships he has with family, friends, and antagonists. Ethan, a grocery clerk, working at a store that his once prominent New England family formerly owned, rides the highs and lows that life offers, all with a dry wit and a "silly" sense of humor that belies his innermost feelings. Written to expose the moral abyss that was slowly evolving in the 1960s, this is Steinbeck's last novel, where he makes every effort to highlight the moral dilemmas that Americans often faced as they moved into and through this turbulent and tumultuous decade. An excellent read that kept my attention throughout.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3537.T3234 W5 2008
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kevin Ross, Associate Dean, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

La perdida by Jessica Abel

La Perdida is a graphic novel about a young woman named Carla Olivares who decides to move to Mexico City from the United States to explore her Mexican heritage. Carla is forced to negotiate two groups of friends: the one group consisting of fellow American expatriates while the other are Mexico City natives. Her use of Spanish with English subtitles in the first couple chapters brings much life to the story, along with her sketchy drawings of the people and places she encounters. The glossary is a must read, especially if you are brushing up on your Spanish and would like to gain more cultural insight into the language.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PN6727.A25 P47 2006
1st Floor Graphic Novels Collection
Review submitted by: Annie Knight, Coordinator of CUC Library Services, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

Ours by Cole Swensen

Ours is a thematic collection of poems about gardens, particularly those designed by Andre Le Notre. My favorite sections are "The Medicis" and "Orangeries." I admire Cole Swenson's collection a great deal, but the book may appeal to a narrower taste and may feel a bit long or overdone (it's 101 pages). That said, I recommend it to all readers and highly recommend it to avid poetry readers, fellow poets, and those who appreciate gardening or European history.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3569.W384 O97 2008
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Anna Leahy, Assistant Professor, Department of English
Rating: Recommended

The Purple Culture by Stephen Boehrer

Three bishops are on trial, charged with conspiracy for protecting abusive priests and covering up their crimes. While a work of fiction, this book offers plausible answers to the question so often asked: “Why does the church cover up, instead of protecting it’s children?”

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: McNaughton
1st Floor McNaughton Collection
Review submitted by: Cathy Elliott, Business & Financial Technician, Law Library
Rating: Recommended

To a God Unknown by John Steinbeck

One of Steinbeck's darker novels, this story examines the Wayne family, and more specifically, Joseph Wayne, blessed son of the patriarch, John Wayne. Joseph, feeling a need to own his own land and lead his family, seduces his brothers Thomas, Burton, and Benjy to Northern California ranch country with promises of free ranch land, the reestablishment of a family base, and opportunities to develop a deeper relationship with the land that is both understandable, but at the same time, quite unnatural. Examining the conflict between those who believe in the "old ways", (here meaning the time before Christ) and those who understand what it means to turn away from the old ways and move into the light of a new beginning and a greater understanding, this descriptive and dynamic story encourages one to read this novel on a variety of levels and degrees of understanding that are to be found throughout the myriad relationships that Steinbeck masterfully establishes.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3537.T3234.T6 1986
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kevin Ross, Associate Dean, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

Dillinger: The Untold Story by G. Russell Girardin and William J. Helmer

This is a well researched book about the life of John Dillinger that was written in the 30's and not published until 1994. It gives a clear window in which to view the type of life he led before he was killed.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: HV6248.D5 G57 2005
2nd Floor Social Science Library
Review submitted by: James McCulloch, Carpenter, Facilities
Rating: Highly Recommended

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Moby Dick was required reading in high school. Before rereading it I reflected on what I remembered--the famous first line "Call me Ishmael," Ishmael's introduction to Queequeg and the final chase. What I did not recall was Melville's attention to cetology and the whaling industry (I probably skipped those chapters). With this reading I learned more than I ever wanted to know about whales and whaling, but that aside, Moby Dick is the riveting tale of Captain Ahab's obsession to destroy what he perceives as the embodiment of evil and the crew's inability to mutiny against him.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS 2384.M6 1991
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Diane Gennuso, Student Teaching Advisor, Antelope Valley Campus
Rating: Highly Recommended

What Narcissism Means To Me by Tony Hoagland

I enjoyed the early poems in Hoagland's recent book most, but as I read on and tried to figure out how the title--What Narcissism Means To Me--was panning out, I was more uncomfortable with some of the tone or content. Maybe that's the point of a poem like "Rap Music": to make the reader squirm a little. Part of why I read poetry is to explore different perspectives, so I'm trying to figure out whether the poems here are aware of their narcissisms--and whether they ask us all to consider how limited we all are by our self interests. I'm not quite yet convinced.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3558 .O3355 W42 2003
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Anna Leahy, Assistant Professor, Department of English
Rating: Recommended

A Star is Born: The Making of the 1954 Movie and its 1983 Restoration by Ronald Haver

A Star is Born is a movie with many more stories than just its plot. Its second incarnation in 1954 starred Judy Garland and was heralded as a triumph of moviemaking, until Warner Brothers inexplicably cut the film's length by half an hour after it was released. This book chronicles the making of the film, its undoing, and the fascinating later attempts to restore it (the author spearheaded the restoration effort, which was made more difficult because there was no known original version). Anyone interested in film history, or just simply a good story, should read this book.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PN1997.S65923 H38 1988
3rd Floor Film/TV Library
Review submitted by: Jennifer Bevan, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies
Rating: Highly Recommended

Diving into the Wreck: Poems 1971-1972 by Adrienne Rich

I first read this collection of poems in 1993 when I was an undergraduate taking a women's studies class. Rich explores the layers of gender and relationships beautifully and hauntingly in poems like "Trying to Talk with a Man," "Translations," "Song," and "Incipience." Returning to this collection sixteen years later was a wonderful experience. I felt I was connecting to the young woman I was in 1993, but also relating to the poems differently at this point in my life.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3535.I233 D58 1973
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Stacy Russo, Chair of Public Services, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton

Chock full of history and written in the dialogue of the criminal classes, this story of the Great Train Robbery of 1855 is much more than just that story. The characters are odd and amusing and their shady strategies make you laugh at their dull victims. To read this book is to be a spectator at a Victorian low-life carnival with a great seat.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3553.R48 G73 1975
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Isa Lang, Head of Information Services, Law Library
Rating: Highly Recommended

Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins

This book was amusing and made for good plane reading, but I didn't find it to be Robbins' strongest work. The premise is that a drug dealing free spirit finds the body of Christ, which has been kept from public view by the Church. The characters are all zany enough to make it fun. The pace was a bit slow for me.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3568.O233 A83 1990
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Jason Keller, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
Rating: Somewhat Recommended

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris

David Sedaris is a funny, funny man, and this book is no exception to the rule. Even seemingly mundane events like visiting a sister or trapping a mouse make for great storytelling. I recently listened to a Sedaris book on tape, and found that his reading of his work makes it even better.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS 3569.E314 R47
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Jason Keller, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
Rating: Highly Recommended

Reborn: Journals and Notebooks, 1947-1963 by Susan Sontag

Reading this book makes you feel somewhat like a voyeur. Here you will discover the private thoughts and fragments of Susan Sontag's amazingly creative and scholarly mind from her undergraduate years at UC Berkeley to graduate school and to her involvment in the cultural world of New York City. The journals and notebooks, edited by Sontag's son David Rieff, contain her reflections on her personal life, including her marriage and its decline, her son, and her first sexual relationships with women. I found her lists of books to read and lists of films viewed simply poetic.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3569.O6547 Z477 2008
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Stacy Russo, Chair of Public Services, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao focuses mostly on the “lovesick ghetto nerd” Oscar de Leon, a first-generation Dominican-American living on the East Coast in the U.S., surviving the fukú (the “curse and doom of the New World”) that has plagued his family for generations. One of the best features of this book are the lengthy footnotes Diaz provides, which contain sardonic historical, pop culture, and literary allusions that create an amazing perspective of Dominican Republic history. If you like reading about family histories (especially those effected by political strife) and are a comic book or graphic novel fan, you will thoroughly enjoy this book.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3554.I259 B75 2007
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Annie Knight, Coordinator of CUC Library Services, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Kingdom of Ordinary Time by Marie Howe

Marie Howe doesn't just churn out a poetry book every year or two, and her patience with her work shows in this collection. The book includes a lovely series called "Poems from the Life of Mary," and the collection uses a variety of forms, including paragraph poems (or prose poems). The voice is very engaging (you want to listen to it), and it varies from poem to poem (if you read one poem, you have not read them all). "What We Would Give Up" is a poem you can read and then come up with your own list.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3558 .O8925 K56 2008
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Anna Leahy, Assistant Professor, Department of English
Rating: Highly Recommended

Special Orders by Edward Hirsh

Special Orders is not my favorite Hirsh, as it lacks some energy and insight of earlier work. The poems in this collection that grab me are the less straightforwardly autobiographical, the less reality based: "A Few Encounters with My Face," "Man Without a Face," and "To My Shadow." Still, I admire the quietness of the book and the willingness to talk about things like joy.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3558 .I64 S64 2008
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Anna Leahy, Assistant Professor, Department of English
Rating: Recommended

Foiled Again by J. Allyn Rosser

Rosser's third poetry collection, Foiled Again, won the New Criterion Poetry Prize and is her best book yet. The opening poem is a sonnet of "Fourteen Final Lines," which introduces the kinds of fun she has with forms, phrasing, and turning our assumptions on their heads. For those not used to reading poetry, this collection is a good one, because the poems are steeped in everyday objects and situations. For instance, there's "Letter to a Young Squirrel," which begins with "It's never about how many nuts, / though I'm not one to say it hurts / to have a trunkful, and a few / stashed underground."

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3568 .O8466 F65 2007
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Anna Leahy, Assistant Professor, Department of English
Rating: Highly Recommended

After by Jane Hirshfield

Jane Hirshfield's poetry asks the reader to slow down and be patient, something I appreciate poetry being able to do in these hectic days. Especially interesting are the "assay" poems scattered throughout this collection; in these, she examines the characteristics of everything from the sky to Edgar Allan Poe to the words "of" and "to."

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3558 .I694 A69 2006
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Anna Leahy, Assistant Professor, Department of English
Rating: Highly Recommended

Buyology: Truth and Lies about Why We Buy by Martin Lindstrom

A very interesting book about the "why" we buy. It gives some great examples of it and how in the future the science of marketing and buying might change what we buy.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: HF5415.12615 .L56 2008
3rd Floor Business Library
Review submitted by: James McCulloch, Carpenter, Facilities
Rating: Recommended

Bel Canto by Ann Pachett

Bel Canto has been recommended to me by everyone from my mother to my students to my novelist friends. Read this book-- you'll get to know a variety of characters trapped together in the residence of the Vice President of a small, unnamed country, and you won't want it to end. It's a beautifully written novel, and the Leatherby Libraries copy is a signed first edition.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3566 .A7756 B4 2001
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Anna Leahy, Assistant Professor, Department of English
Rating: Highly Recommended

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

This is the story of two sisters from Shanghai and the strength that enables them to survive despite the hardship of war, betrayal by their father, and the bigotry they find in their new country. Despite battles and jealousy, they remain sisters, and in the end, this, and their heritage, are what sustains them.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: McNaughton
1st Floor McNaughton Collection
Review submitted by: Cathy Elliott, Business & Financial Technician, Law Library
Rating: Highly Recommended

Strange Fits of Passion by Anita Shreve

This was an incredible story that was both thought provoking and very creatively written. Readers will most likely connect to the characters in this emotionally driven story. This will definitely raise awareness surrounding the issues of domestic violence (the basis of this novel).

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3569.H7385 S7 1999
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Alli Segal, Program Coordinator for Greek Life
Rating: Highly Recommended

Warmly Inscribed by Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone

I have a lot of books, and I read a lot of books, but I'm not a book collector, so I wasn't sure if I'd find a book about book collecting by book collectors all that interesting. Well, the Goldstones have a clear conversational style that makes this book easy to read, and the adventures they have are not just about book collecting, but are about following one's passions. I may look for the Goldstone's other books.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: Z 989 .G65 2002
2nd Floor Social Science Library
Review submitted by: Nancy Stenerson Gonzales, Cataloger, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

Ex-Libris by Ross King

Enter the world of Pirates of the Caribbean meets the Fall of the House of Usher. This book has pirates, book-sellers, obsessions, passion, crumbling houses, wars, intrigue, a man with a limp--yep, just about anything anyone could want in a story is here. Don't worry about keeping track of everything; just go along for the ride, because it's a good one.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR 6061 .I475 E9 2002
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Nancy Stenerson Gonzales, Cataloger, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Pastures of Heaven by John Steinbeck

A wonderfully written compilation of stories depicting families and their often tragic circumstances. The development of the characters that compose a slice of Northern California known as Las Pasturas Del Cielo (Pastures of Heaven) again showcases Steinbeck's immense talent. A great read and once you start, you feel obligated to simply sit down and finish it in one sitting...it is that good! This book again demonstrates to me why I have become such a big fan of John Steinbeck's writing.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3537.T3234.P3 1986
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kevin Ross, Associate Dean, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

This novel, first published in 1905, tells the tragic story of Lily Bart, a beautiful and single woman approaching age 30. Wharton uses Ms. Bart's decline to make the point that a woman without wealth or family support in early 20th Century America had few options. Unless she can marry a man with a good income, she will struggle to avoid a life of poverty. For Ms. Bart, the options provided are constricting and she holds out on marrying until it may be too late. The film adaptation starring Gillian Anderson is also highly recommended.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3545.H16 H68 1994
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Stacy Russo, Chair of Public Services, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

Personal History by Katharine Graham

In this Pulitzer winning autobiography, Katharine Graham gives the reader an inside view of not only Watergate and the Pentagon Papers, but the more personal and tragic events that led her to assuming the reins of the Washington Post. While a little on the long side, it is, nevertheless, an interesting read, especially for those who want an inside look at Washington during this turbulent period.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: Z 473.G7A3 1997
2nd Floor Social Science Library
Review submitted by: Cathy Elliott, Business & Financial Technician, Law Library
Rating: Highly Recommended

Swimsuit by James Patterson

A swimsuit model disappears while on a shoot in Hawaii. Ben Hawkins, an ex-cop turned reporter, is sent to cover the story. What he discovers is a serial killer who threatens all Ben holds dear. As with all of Patterson’s books, this is a quick and entertaining read.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: McNaughton
1st Floor McNaughton Collection
Review submitted by: Cathy Elliott, Business & Financial Technician, Law Library
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Mountain Lion by Jean Stafford

The Mountain Lion is a coming-of-age story that uses the rural Midwest to symbolize young Ralph's maturation. Stafford explores the tense sibling relationship between Ralph and his pretentious sister Molly, two outcasts who can only seem to count on each other. The cast of characters and writing style is reminiscent of Bronte's Jane Eyre, making the Mountain Lion an entertaining tale. However, towards the end Molly becomes so unlikable that the tragic twist comes almost as a blessing. But if you feel like getting in touch with your primal side, this book will definitely foot the bill.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3569.T2 I4 1953
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kirsten Moore, History & Screenwriting Student
Rating: Recommended

Double Indemnity by James M. Cain

This book has a great 1930s Los Angeles “feel” to it – both in description and in language. It’s an intriguing crime drama. The author has the habit of pushing the plot forward by hitting you over the head with a shovel (so to speak) at the beginning of each chapter. It’s a fast-paced read, but the main character is slow and deliberate in his explanation – much like many a detective in movies of the time.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3505.A3113 D6 1992
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Brett Fisher, Chair of Library Systems & Technology Division, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

Hard Times by Charles Dickens

Set in "Coketown" in 19th century England, this is yet another exemplar of Dickens' literary genius. Delving into such social issues as education, class differences, morality, and relationships, Hard Times demonstrates Dickens' ability to not only develop characters that leave his readers fully engaged, but allows the reader to be exposed to his expertise in the use of the English language to articulate the difficulties of the human condition. For those truly interested in fine literature, this should be required reading. It is one of those rare novels that one must read several times to fully understand the depth of meaning often subtly hidden within.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR4561.A1 1997
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kevin Ross, Associate Dean, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

It was very well written and engaged the reader from the beginning. There was a great moral to the story and the ending was great!

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PQ9698.13.O3546 A4513 1998
2nd Floor Humanities Library (also available for limited check-out from the Reserves Desk under call number MAM 003)
Review submitted by: Alli Segal, Program Coordinator for Greek Life
Rating: Recommended

Nineteen Eighty-four: A Novel by George Orwell

Although I had first read 1984 in the 7th grade, rereading it again was an eye-opening experience. As a communication studies professor, I found myself noting the many instances where multiple forms of communication (e.g., interpersonal, group, nonverbal, and propaganda) forcibly shaped the world of the characters while also allowing them to exercise some free will in the totalitarian society that they inhabit. This book should serve as a warning to us all about how transitory our freedom could be.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR6029.R8 N49 1984
2nd Floor Fine Arts Library
Review submitted by: Jennifer Bevan, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies
Rating: Highly Recommended

Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King

This book describes the process by which Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel in a way that is both informative and entertaining. I selected this book to learn about the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican before an upcoming trip to Rome and I am glad that I did. The context that it provided substantially increased my enjoyment of Vatican City and I recommend it to anyone about to visit Rome or one who is simply interested in the humanistic aspect of art history.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: ND623.B9 K55 2003
2nd Floor Fine Arts Library
Review submitted by: Jennifer Bevan, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies
Rating: Highly Recommended

Home by Marilynne Robinson

Home by Marilynne Robinson makes you glad you can read and grateful you found such a book. This is a unique book in that the basic story and characters are the same as in her previous work, Gilead (2004). Both works are completely independent stories of the return of Jack, the prodigal son of the Reverend Robert Boughton in Gilead, Iowa, but each is told from a different character's point of view and you feel as if you're reading a different book. The author gives an impressive performance of what a REALLY good writer can do. I can also picture her giving such an assignment to one of her classes at the Iowa Writer's Workshop.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: McNaughton
1st Floor McNaughton Collection
Review submitted by: Ann Ryan, Reference Librarian, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen

I don't know how to express how this book has affected me. Every educator, every politician, everyone should read this book. Education (a balanced education) is arguably the key to peace. To quote the coauthor, "Mortenson goes to war with the root causes of terror every time he offers a student a chance to receive a balanced education, rather than attend an extremist madrassa." I think Greg Mortensen deserves to be nominated for a Noble Peace Prize. Chapman University should start a Pennies for Peace drive to support his efforts.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: LC2330 .M67 2006
3rd Floor Education Library
Review submitted by: Diane Gennuso, Student Teaching Advisor, Antelope Valley Campus
Rating: Highly Recommended

Coraline by Neal Gaiman

This is the graphic-novel version of Gaiman's classic creepy tale, with art done to perfection by P. Craig Russell. I knocked this one off sitting in the library one evening while waiting for an event to start over in Memorial Hall -- it's a fast read, and if you've read the original or seen the rather excellent Tim Burton movie, it's very familiar. Precocious pre-teen Coraline, frustrated with her parents, explores and finds a door to a secret, alternate reality, where her Other Parents -- the same, yet different, with black buttons for eyes -- live. In sort of a twist on the Persephone myth, Coraline loves the attention her Other Mother lavishes upon her - until the veil lifts, as it is wont to do, and our gal sees her Other Mom and the previously cool Other World for what it really is. With the help of one cool black cat (my fave character), our plucky heroine endeavors to escape! Russell renders Gaiman's fantasy world with gorgeously eerie art.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PN6727.R85 C67
1st Floor Graphic Novels Collection
Review submitted by: Mary Platt, Director of Communications
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

I was lucky enough to get my own copy of The Satanic Verses autographed by Salman Rushdie when he visited Chapman last year (that copy is sealed safely now in a ziplock bag!), and I finally got around to reading it this summer. What all the horrific fuss was about (that drove Rushdie into hiding with death threats howling after him, that led to riots and even deaths in Islamic countries) will probably escape a Western reader (the book was declared blasphemous, and a fatwa against Rushdie was issued in 1989 by the Ayatollah Khomeini) -- it has something to do with three pagan goddesses in Mecca that are part of the novel's subplot. As a whole, though, this is a complex, entertaining novel, packed with intricately interwoven language and fantastical, magical-realist scenes and sequences. The adventures and misadventures of the two Indian actors, Gibreel and Saladin, illuminate the varied experiences of Indian immigrants to the West, questioning/mocking conformity, alienation and identity itself. It's been called "the greatest novel never read," but it is actually very readable and enjoyable.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR6068.U757 S27 1992
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Mary Platt, Director of Communications
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan

The Bonesetter’s Daughter is a novel that uncovers the history and secrets of a family of Chinese ink makers who live in a village outside Peking, near a mountain called the Monkey’s Jaw, where Peking Man was discovered in the 1920s. The story is narrated by Ruth Young, a ghostwriter, who discovers the diary of her mother, LuLing. Consisting of two parts titled "Things I Know Are True" and "Things I Must Not Forget," the diary is LuLing’s account of pivotal life experiences stemming from her secret family heritage, being raised to learn the art of ink making, spending the latter portion of her adolescence as an orphan, living through the Japanese invasion of China, and her eventual immigration to the United States. For me, the strength of this novel comes from the rich stories told through LuLing’s diary.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3570.A48 B6 2001
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Annie Knight, Coordinator of CUC Library Services, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

Why Evolution is True by Jerry A. Coyne

President Doti's recommended reading is well worth it in this case. Coyne does a nice job of combining geological, molecular and biological evidence to show why evolution is as true as any other accepted scientific theory. My only complaint was a consistent use of arguments in the vein of "Would an all knowing creator have done...?" The scientific facts do a much better job than this line of logic which seems impossible to argue.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: QH 366.2.C74
3rd Floor Science & Technology Library
Review submitted by: Jason Keller, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
Rating: Recommended

Flush by Carl Hiaasen

While intended for young readers, this work has the same humor and unique cast of characters as Carl Hiaasen's adult novels. Also present is a strong respect for the environment seen in much of Hiaasen's work. The story is quick and easy to read, and it is good fun.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3558.I217 F58 2005
3rd Floor Education Muth Library
Review submitted by: Jason Keller, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
Rating: Recommended

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency chronicles the exploits of Mma Ramotswe, the only female private detective in Botswana. This book entertains while providing the reader a glimpse of the lighter side of life in Africa.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR6063.C326 N6 2002
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Cathy Elliott, Business & Financial Technician, Law Library
Rating: Recommended

The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith (writing as Claire Morgan)

This novel, originally published in 1952, was ahead of its time. The main character Therese Belivet is a 19-year-old set designer struggling to make her way in New York City. While working a temporary job at a department store to make ends meet she encounters Carol, an older and wealthier woman. Their acquaintance turns into a romantic relationship. I recommend the novel for its groundbreaking treatment of a lesbian relationship, but I could never warm up to any of the characters and did not find it as satisfying a read as I'd hoped.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3558.I366 P7 1991
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Stacy Russo, Chair of Public Services, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

Scarlatti Inheritance by Robert Ludlum

This is a tight international thriller with historical significance. It deals with the original financing of the Nazi party, before it had access to government treasuries. This fictional account is relevant to private financing of terrorist activities in the present era.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3562.U26 S32 1972
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Isa Lang, Head of Information Services, Law Library
Rating: Highly Recommended

Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker

Possessing the Secret of Joy is an unflinching examination of the psychologically and physically debilitating practice of female circumcision in Africa. The novel follows Tashi, an African woman who decides to undergo female circumcision as an adult even though she is haunted by the memories of her sister's death as a result of a botched circumcision. It may appear at first blush that Tashi has a choice in the matter; however, we soon realize that in order to be an accepted member of society she must subject herself to the mutilation or risk becoming a social pariah. Although a work of fiction, Walker does an outstanding job in portraying the life altering implications of such a gruesome practice.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3573.A425 P67 1997
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Ashley Bloomfield, Program Assistant, Rodgers Center
Rating: Highly Recommended

Pol Pot's Little Red Book by Henri Locard

This book clearly reveals the relationship between the fundamentals espoused in the concept of communism and socialism in Chairman Mao's Little Red Book and those of Pol Pot's regime in Kampuchea. Using slogans as a tool to control and threaten the people of Kampuchea (Cambodia) Pol Pot and the infamous Angkar (Organization) were able to starve and dehumanize an entire population, while at the same time, eliminating almost two thousand years of Cambodian history. Locard does analyze each slogan and categorizes them so that the reader clearly sees how these slogans and bits of advice were used in all aspects of society to totally control the minds and bodies of the people. Here are but two examples: "He who protests is an enemy; he who opposes is a corpse" and "If you are free, it would have been better that you had died young." Definitely a book to read if you want to gain a better understanding of mob psychology and indoctrination in the harshest sense.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: DS554.8.L6313 2004
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kevin Ross, Associate Dean, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Vonnegut successfully blends reality with the absurd to craft a tragic, yet somewhat humorous anti-war tale in Slaughterhouse-Five. The science fiction elements blend in beautifully to the semi-autobiographical account, and work to illustrate Vonnegut's ideas on ethics on the nature of time. Though Slaughterhouse-Five is a fast read, you will constantly be pausing to meditate on the book's insights, as pertinent today as they were when the book was written.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3572.O5 S6 1969
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kirsten Moore, History & Screenwriting Student
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel

I really really wanted to like this book. The title is certainly provocative, but I found the writing off-putting, too much in the style of the Latin American magical writers I loathe. However, the opinions that Manguel expresses invite the reader to respond, and I found myself wishing I could be actually conversing with him. Many will find this book intriguing, so I do recommend it, just not for me.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: Z721 .M25 2008
2nd Floor Social Science Library
Review submitted by: Nancy Stenerson Gonzales, Cataloger, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom by Suzan-Lori Parks

Cool title. Not so cool book. It sounds like every angry high school drama student that has something to say and feels entitled to force you to listen by presenting it as a play. Language and slang is dated (1980s) and I am left with the sorrow that I will not get that time back again.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3556.A736 I57 1995
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Brett Fisher, Chair of Library Systems & Technology Division, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Not Recommended

Sailing: A Course of My Life by Edward Heath

A thoroughly engaging book: Sir Edward Heath regales us with a moving account of winning the Sydney-Hobart race before escorting us through the evolution of his sailing avocation. Anxious for relief from the stresses of political life, his “Skipper” persona was conceived at the age of 49 when he began sailing lessons (1966), and soon after purchased a sixteen foot Foreland. Counterbalanced by an interlacing of scientific boat design strategies; Sir Edward Heath’s recounting of crew camaraderie, competitions, and conditions on river tides and sea—from becalmed to raging, are spellbinding. With a final chapter that at times waxes poetic, Sir Heath best embodies the general mood of this book with the exclamation that we sail, “because it intensifies life!”

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: DA591.H4 A36 1976
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Tracie Hall, Librarian, Law Library
Rating: Recommended

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

All other piratey goodness must flow from this book. This is a well-written adventure that is hard to put down. A fascinating plot, great characters, and rum may be found throughout. The author tells the story from the point of view of one of the characters and then, to explain some things that this character has no knowledge of (at that time), switches to another character for the same purpose. Several surprises push the plot forward as the reader lives each moment through the character being used for the narrative. I don’t know why I have waited this long in my life to read this book. If you are in the same situation, make remedy says I!

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR5486 .A6 1949
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Brett Fisher, Chair of Library Systems & Technology Division, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

Reading this novel became a "dessert-like" activity for me. I wanted it to last and last, so I read it very slowly and deliberately, enjoying every sentence. I knew that Toni Morrison had earned a Nobel Prize in literature for later published works and after reading this book I completely understand how. She assembled words in her sentences that painted a picture and drew out emotion like none I’ve ever read before. This story is about 3 Negro girls (Pecola, Claudia and Frieda; told mostly through the eyes of Claudia) who all believed they were ugly (particularly Pecola) because they didn’t have blue eyes and blond hair. These ideas were well-fed and distributed by the adults in all three of these girl's environments. But this book is, of course, much more than this, but it is the driving force. The story also takes a look at the other individuals in Pecola’s life; Cholly who is Pecola’s father and father of her child and Pauline – Pecola’s mother and how they came to be so disengaged.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3563.O8749 B55 1994
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Linda Greeley, Research Assistant, Anderson Center for Economic Research
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Arguably Hawthorne's finest work, The Scarlet Letter set in Puritan New England, tells the story of Hester Prynne (rhymes with sin) who commits adultery with the town's minister and is sentenced forever to wear a scarlet "A" upon her clothing. Hester is another strong female character demonstrated by her quiet dignity and forbearance as she raises her daughter in a town where she is shunned. The minister is wracked with guilt, but not able to admit his part and the "wronged" husband is evil personified as he becomes filled with the need for revenge. Is it better to put your sins out on the table for all to see or keep them hidden within where they can slowly consume you bit by bit?

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS 1868.A2 1994
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Diane Gennuso, Student Teaching Advisor, Antelope Valley Campus
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Stations of Solitude by Alice Koller

"I collect fierce beauty, and I am curator of my own collection" (p. 355) is one of my favorite lines from this second book by the author of The Unknown Woman. According to Koller, you do not need to be wealthy to have beautiful things, because beauty can be found in memories, in nature, and at museums. In this book, Koller describes her life, which is a life lived with her beloved dogs in remote, wild locations. Something about this woman's writing has really struck me and I cannot believe how fortunate I am to have discovered her.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3561.O398 Z477 1990
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Stacy Russo, Chair of Public Services, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

Classic tale of leaving your father's death in the past and not listening to your mother. Rebellion leads to the loss of material things, leaving Peter as God created him and fighting for survival in a land that promised much but provided nothing but bitter feelings and several near death experiences. Note to the reader: the story itself is good, but hold out for a book that supplies the original illustrations. It is not the same without them.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR6031.O72 T377 1996
3rd Floor Education Muth Library
Review submitted by: Brett Fisher, Chair of Library Systems & Technology Division, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

Lamb, The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore

My daughter Sarah introduced me to Christopher Moore 3 months ago. I haven't stopped reading and laughing since. In Lamb, Biff (Levi) has been brought back to life in order to fulfill a "holy mission:" to write his story and help fill us in on the very human side of Josh's life that we would have had no way to know (until now). Josh, aware of and accepting his ultimate task, works through the challenges of human adolescence and adulthood with Biff at his side, through thick and thin, even as he was also fully aware of his friend's destiny. Biff tells a funny, sweet, and very human story...be ready to think outside the box!

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3563.O594 L36 2003
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kathy Wright, Executive Assistant, Office of the Executive VP & COO
Rating: Highly Recommended

A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick

A Scanner Darkly is a brilliant psychological and philosophical journey dealing with the nature of identity in the backdrop of drug culture. Philip K. Dick intersperses his philosophical musings into an intriguing chase story about users and abusers of the fatal drug Substance D. This richly layered novel will get you thinking not only about human nature, but the function of humans in the larger realm of time and space as well. This is one trip definitely worth taking.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3554.I3 S3 1984
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kirsten Moore, History & Screenwriting Student
Rating: Highly Recommended

What is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng by Dave Eggers

One of President Doti’s recommendations is What is the What (President Obama also recommends it). Dave Eggers wrote astutely about the very difficult world of the Lost Boys of Sudan and particularly about Valentino Achak Deng. I knew some of the history of Sudan, but I learned many additional facts about the people and their struggles, i.e. along with many others, Achak spent 13 years in refugee camps. That information about dislocated people and refugee camps will be in my consciousness as I now read about the conditions of the camps in Kenya and Pakistan.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3605.G48 W43 2007
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Nancy Gregory, Secretary, Office of the Dean, Argyros School of Business and Economics
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Correspondence of Henry James and Henry Adams, 1877-1914 edited by George Monteiro

Henry Brooks Adams is considered the more educated of this pair, his family more affluent and prominent (yes, *the* (political) Adams family)…and his letters are certainly not dull, but it is Henry James who endears himself to the reader with his ebullient enthusiasm for this friendship and those of their shared acquaintances . His touching sentiments are conveyed with the same flare, style and care he poured into his published works. Nicely compiled; the book commences with a chronological outline of both men’s lives, followed by an introduction familiarizing us with relations and 36 letters, predominantly written by James. Illustrations, a list of letters thought to have once existed due to references in the extant, a bibliography and an index complete the package.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS2123 .A42 1992
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Tracie Hall, Librarian, Law Library
Rating: Recommended

Antigone by Sophocles

As a great dramatist, Sophocles is unparalleled, and Antigone is one of his most notable tragic plays. As the daughter of Oedipus stands firm in her beliefs about what is right and proper regarding the burial of one of her brothers, she rebels against what she feels is an unjust ruling by the current ruler of the Theban family, Creon. As the tragedy unfolds, Creon is left mourning not only Antigone's two brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, and his future daughter-in-law Antigone, but also his son, Haemon and his wife, Eurydice.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PA4414.A7.W66 2001
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kevin Ross, Associate Dean, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

The History of Mr. Polly by H. G. Wells

Traces a character through much of his life, with increasingly interesting plot lines changing at the turning points in the character’s life. From losing friends, marrying poorly, becoming bitter at doing nothing through life but a lower-middle class business, and a battle with himself and some others around him leads to some choices which pull himself out of his ordinary existence by righting a few wrongs along the way. Very well written “arguments.”

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR 5774 W6 H3 1941
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Brett Fisher, Chair of Library Systems & Technology Division, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian

She has terminal cancer and he has Alzheimer’s. They have been together for over 50 years, and now against medical advice they are taking a cross country trip and going to Disneyland. This delightful book reminds us that life is meant to be enjoyed, not just endured.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: McNaughton
1st Floor McNaughton Collection
Review submitted by: Cathy Elliott, Business & Financial Technician, Law Library
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Ipcress File by Len Deighton

If you are old enough, you may remember the "very-British" spy movie by that name with Michael Caine. If not, try to read this book, on which the movie was based. The dialogue is funny and there is an appendix that explains the military/spy terminology.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR6054.E37 I63 1988
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Isa Lang, Head of Information Services, Law Library
Rating: Recommended

Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck

With his dog Charley at his side, and a new truck with customized cabin nicknamed the Rocinante, John Steinbeck sets out on a journey to rediscover America. From New England to the Midwest, from the Northwest to the West, and from Texas to the South, Steinbeck writes about the beauty of nature, the people he meets, and the sights he sees as he travels across this great country of ours seeking understanding of our America and the people within. A relaxing and enjoyable read quite different from his many other written works.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: E169.02 .S83 1986
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kevin Ross, Associate Dean, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

When I selected Jane Eyre, I knew I would be revisiting "an old friend" from my teen years. Much to my surprise, not only did I spend a week with a favorite character, the book itself was a gift to Chapman University from a very dear friend of my family! Through a child's eyes I loved Jane for her rebellious spirit and outspokenness. With this read I appreciated Bronte's addressing the inequities of society. It is still at the top of the list of romantic novels with mystery and suspense to keep you turning pages.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR 4167.J3 1942
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Diane Gennuso, Student Teaching Advisor, Antelope Valley Campus
Rating: Highly Recommended

The End of the West by Michael Dickman

I'd seen an article in Poets & Writers about Michael Dickman's and his brother's forthcoming first books and, based on that, ordered both for Leatherby Libraries. I enjoyed The End of the West because of its sounds and pacing. Because it's not overtly narrative or logical, it may not resonate with every reader, but anyone who reads the poems aloud should enjoy them and hear not only their darkness, but also twists of humor. One of the late stanzas captures some of this sound: "Listen to those stitches / splitting open / in the air / above me."

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3604.I299 E53 2009
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Anna Leahy, Assistant Professor, Department of English
Rating: Recommended

This Year You Write Your Novel by Walter Mosley

Walter Mosley, author of Devil in a Blue Dress, offers a short, accessible book about how to get your novel from idea to completed manuscript. I'm not convinced that this guide is realistic for people with full-time jobs or children to raise, but he's probably right that a novel doesn't get finished until you prioritize the writing of it. As a poet, I like that he says, "the discipline in poetry is the most demanding" and recommends that fiction writers take poetry workshops.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PN3355 .M68 2007
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Anna Leahy, Assistant Professor, Department of English
Rating: Recommended

Curious Attractions: Essays on Fiction Writing by Debra Spark

I read this collection because I'm interested in what creative writers say about creativity and the writing process. Spark blends memoir and a personal essay style with excellent close reading that help me understand what a story is for the writer. I especially like the piece on emotion and sentimentality.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PN3355 .S63 2005
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Anna Leahy, Assistant Professor, Department of English
Rating: Highly Recommended

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

There is something about a Murakami book that leaves a resonating impact on my mind, as if multiple layers and meanings lurk behind every word and, if I look hard enough, I will find the key to something beyond the realm of consciousness. Kafka on the Shore is a story about a teenager named Kafka who runs away from home to escape an oedipal prophesy that predicts he will kill his father and sleep with his long lost mother and sister. His life is mysteriously connected to an elderly man who gained the uncanny ability to talk to cats and make it rain fish after he lost consciousness during a school field trip in WWII. What follows is a journey toward human connectedness as the boundaries between the physical and immaterial world blur.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PL856.U673U4813
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Ashley Bloomfield, Program Assistant, Rodgers Center
Rating: Recommended

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale (review #2)

I'm a huge fan of Dean Koontz, James Patterson & John Sandford. I enjoy the mystery-to-be-solved and, even more, I enjoy the author's gradual revelation of a character's motivations and rationale for his actions. The beauty of The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher is that it combines all these elements...and it's a true story, from Victorian England. Ms. Summerscale's detailed descriptions of Detective Whicher's investigative efforts (this was at the time when police forces were being formed in England), including investigation of the crime scene, interviewing people familiar with the members of the household in which the crime took place, as well as her diligence in following the lives of the characters well after the conclusion of the trial created an excellent reading experience. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history, suspense, and well-written books!

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: HV7911.W426 S86 2008
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kathy Wright, Executive Assistant, Office of the Executive VP & COO
Rating: Highly Recommended

After Dark by Haruki Murakami

Murakami grants the reader an almost voyeuristic insight into the world between waking life and dreams, a world that lurks on the edge of consciousness in the hours before dawn breaks in a Tokyo entertainment district. After Dark is a story about two sisters, one a highly acclaimed model and the other a sardonic bookworm who both escape from life in their own unique ways. What follows is a truly mesmerizing look at the way people exist in an almost dream-like state, waiting for the moment that awakens them to their own realities. Beautiful, humorous, insightful-I couldn't put it down and stayed up all night reading it.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PL856.U673A6613
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Ashley Bloomfield, Program Assistant, Rodgers Center
Rating: Highly Recommended

El Pueblo: The Historic Heart of Los Angeles by Jean Bruce Poole and Tevvy Ball

The complex, multiethnic history of the El Pueblo area of Los Angeles is examined from its founding in 1781 to the present day. The text discusses such things as fiestas, barrios, old and new Chinatowns, and the Siqueiros mural, from which much can be learned about the local socio-political history of the 1930s, censorship, and recent efforts in conservation of mural art. Especially useful and interesting are the many photographs and the discussion on historic buildings that can be seen today. This book is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys spending time at the Plaza, Olvera Street, the old church, Union Station, and other areas of El Pueblo.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: F869.L86 E4 2002
4th Floor Special Collections Library (Non-circulating - library use only)
Review submitted by: Andrew Tessandori, Cataloging Assistant, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung

A heart rendering and absolutely chilling firsthand account of the depravity and inhumanity inflicted on the Cambodian people from 1975 - 1979. As Saloth Sar (Pol Pot) turned his Khmer soldiers against the citizenry in an attempt to create a Communist agrarian society that would be able to exist without outside intervention, families were left to starve and were brutally tortured and killed in the most heinous manner. This genocide is an important part of world history and should be read about and understood by future generations in order to prevent this kind of insanity from recurring.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: DS554.8.U54 2000
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kevin Ross, Associate Dean, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

Roger Bannister and the Four-minute Mile by John Bale

This book explores the myths and legends surrounding the accomplishment of the sub four minute mile. The author gives you some thoughts on the subject and lets you make up your own mind on how the sub four minute mile was really run.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: GV1061.15.B37 B35 2004
2nd Floor Social Science Library
Review submitted by: James McCulloch, Facilities
Rating: Recommended

Poems by Sappho

This translation includes lyrical fragments of poems, and one complete poem to Aphrodite, originally written in the Aiolic dialect by Sappho (Psappho) of Lesbos in the late 5th century B.C. Sappho provides us with an understanding of her views on the gods, virginity, beauty and love found in her relationships and envisioned in her perpsectives during that time period. Not understanding poetry in its deepest sense, yet appreciating the use of language that poets use to construct meaning, I found these poems understandable and direct in their use of language to illustrate the innermost passions and sensuality that Sappho exudes in her poetry.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PA4408.E5.B28 1999
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kevin Ross, Associate Dean, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Croquet Player by H.G. Wells

The story of Mr. Frobisher, croquet player and pampered gentleman, and his rather rambling and short-lived conversations with a Dr. Finchatton and his psychotherapist Dr. Norbert. Acting more as an interested listener than a participatory conversationalist, Mr. Frobisher is drawn into a world of strange and primordial fear that consumes the minds of his newly found acquaintances to the point where these dreaded feelings begin to invade the psyche of Mr. Forbisher and create dreaded feelings of the mysterious village of Cainsmarsh and some of its inhabitants. This is a wonderfully devilish short work that invokes images of dark pasts and even darker futures within the minds of men.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR5774.C7 2004
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kevin Ross, Associate Dean, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

Cyclops by Euripides

This is the story of Odysseus and his men, seeking food and supplies, landing near Mt. Etna and trapped in the cave of a Cyclops, a one-eyed being of fearsome strength and ferocity with an appetite for human flesh. With cunning and guile, Odysseus blinds the monster and, with his men, is able to make his escape from the clutches of the drunken Cyclops and flee the island. A satyr play from the early Athenian theatre, and authored by one of the great tragedists of ancient times, this story of Odysseus and the Cyclops has been translated many times over the centuries. However, this particular translation is a poor attempt to translate this play into contemporary American English, and I would encourage those interested in this story to read a more true to form translation, such as the one found in the Loeb Classics (Euripides Volume I) published by Harvard University (available in the 2nd Floor Humanities Library under call number PA3975 .A2 2001).

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PA3975.C9.M39 2001
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kevin Ross, Associate Dean, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Not Recommended

My Lai: A Brief History with Documents by James S. Olson and Randy Roberts

Written from a historian's point of view, this brief and tragic history, along with primary documents and evidence from trials, memoirs, journals, diaries, and Criminal Investigation Records, provides insight into the moral lapse that occurred which led to several hundred men, women and children being brutally murdered by the enlisted men and officers of a US Army unit in a small hamlet in Viet Nam known as My Lai in March of 1968. This book details the reasoning behind the incident, the cover up that followed, and how the lives of the individuals involved were forever changed. One of the great tragedies of a war full of tragic circumstances and outcomes.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: DS557.8.M9 O45 1998
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kevin Ross, Associate Dean, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

Once There Was A War by John Steinbeck

Steinbeck once again demonstrates his literary genius and wit in this compilation of brief anecdotes taken from his time as a war correspondent during WWII. Covering American troops in both their travels and their stations in England, Africa, Italy and Sicily, Steinbeck provides the reader with intimate glimpses into the daily lives of soldiers, sailors and airmen, in order to expose the often forgotten humanity still to be found during times of war. A must read for Steinbeck fans!

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: D743.S65 1986
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kevin Ross, Associate Dean, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

All My Friends are Going to be Strangers by Larry McMurtry

I’m a fan of Larry McMurtry’s writing and was expecting to enjoy this book. In fact, half way through it I was becoming anxious (and not such a fan), because it was so ridiculous. Maybe people actually behave this way, but I just couldn’t find any reason to continue reading EXCEPT that I love McMurtry and was hoping that he would somehow redeem this book. There was no mystery as to where the title came from. . . this boy in a man’s suit was destined to be friendless and even Larry couldn’t save him.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3563.A319 A79 1981
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Linda Greeley, Research Assistant, Anderson Center for Economic Research
Rating: Not Recommended

Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens

Pride, arrogance, betrayal, and deceit juxtaposed against humility, love, loyalty, and devotion. Paul Dombey is a loathsome, despicable character whose pride and joy is bound up in his son who dies at a young age. Florence, his daughter spends her life trying to win her father's love to no avail...well, there is redemption in the end. The story is like a soap opera with a host of characters and subplots. Dickensian prose does not make for light reading!

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR4559 .A1 1998
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Diane Gennuso, Student Teaching Advisor, Antelope Valley Campus
Rating: Somewhat Recommended

An Unknown Woman: A Journey to Self-Discovery by Alice Koller

This unusual and meditative memoir was written in the 1960s when Alice Koller, who received her doctorate in philosophy from Harvard, was thirty-seven. It follows three months of Koller's life when she began to question her relationships with men, the pressures of trying to secure a teaching position at a university, and the meaning of life in general. To begin an intense introspection, she adopts a German shepherd puppy and temporarily rents a home in Nantucket in the winter for solitude and reflection. This memoir will not appeal to all readers, but I found it an honest journey of the seeker in the truest sense.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3561.O398 U5 1983
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Stacy Russo, Chair of Public Services, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale

Ever wonder about why the English called police “Bobbies,” or about what crimes, criminals, or heroes might have inspired authors…in particular British, 19th century authors, like Charles Dickens or Wilkie Collins? If you’re eager for an evening stroll through an unfamiliar neighborhood, to be captivated by lamp lit windows veiled in lace, to wonder at the lives that play out behind ivied stone walls….this book’s for you!

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: HV7911.W426 S86 2008
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Tracie Hall, Librarian, Law Library
Rating: Recommended

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

Unlike Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, Cannery Row is more like a mural of America in the 1930s, focusing mainly on the quirky characters inhabiting Monterey. It can be compared to a patchwork quilt as Steinbeck jumps from one life to the next and connects them all to Cannery Row in the process. While the book definitely takes you back to a specific place and time, one can relate to the distinct personalities in Cannery Row.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3537.T3234 C2 1946
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kirsten Moore, History & Screenwriting Student
Rating: Recommended

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents is a wonderfully funny and poetic novel about the experiences of a largely female Dominican family during a time of political turmoil. The various stories, told from the points of view of the four Garcia girls, reflect life as immigrants and life as females in two different cultures. Drawing from her own life, Alvarez writes with such authority and good humor that the characters seem to be old friends by the end of your read. Every girl who reads this book can find something to relate to.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3551.L845 H66 1992
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kirsten Moore, History & Screenwriting Student
Rating: Highly Recommended

The 8th Confession by James Patterson

This is the latest addition to James Patterson’s Women’s Mystery Club. A traveling “meth lab” bus explodes in the middle of town. Rich and famous people are dying and the coroner cannot determine the cause. If you want a quick read that will keep you interested from start to finish, I suggest this book.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: McNaughton
1st Floor McNaughton Collection
Review submitted by: Cathy Elliott, Business & Financial Technician, Law Library
Rating: Highly Recommended

Ripley Under Ground by Patricia Highsmith

This is a disappointing sequel to the Talented Mr. Ripley, quite unlike the movie plot and more humdrum too. Tom Ripley has married and is living the life of a country squire in France. There is no longer a reason for him to engage in heinous activities, but he does anyway! The author doesn't tell us why; she is too interested in the gruesome details of his latest cover-up.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3558.I366 R56 2008
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Isa Lang, Head of Information Services, Law Library
Rating: Not Recommended

The Book Nobody Read by Owen Gingerich

This highly entertaining description of Gingerich's thirty-year project to create a census of extant copies of Copernicus's de Revolutionibus reinforced two ideas. First, always be ready when your life's work presents itself. Second, the value of meticulous cataloging cannot be overstated.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: QB41 .G38 2004
3rd Floor Science & Technology Library
Review submitted by: Nancy Stenerson Gonzales, Cataloger, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Messenger by Jan Burke

This is a great summertime read...mystery, action and romance, all rolled into one! Authoress Burke gets us involved with each of her characters with a mix of believable dialogue and an economical use of words to help us understand, particularly, Amanda and Tyler's challenges. There was one part of the book where I did scrunch up my nose and think "eewwww!" And, finally, but not necesssarily predictably, Ms. Burke gives a sweet twist to the fairy tale ending of "living happily ever after!"

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: McNaughton
1st Floor McNaughton Collection
Review submitted by: Kathy Wright, Executive Assistant, Office of the Executive VP & COO
Rating: Recommended

Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith

This is another in the continuing series of Precious Ramotswe, the "Miss Marple" of Botswana. The big case in this book is for an important "Government Man" that takes Mma Ramotswe out of town, leaving Mma Makutsi in charge, so that she has to solve her first case all by herself. These books are engaging books that keep you turning the pages without stressing your brain. A great "summer" book.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR 6063.C326 M67 2002
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Ann Ryan, Reference Librarian, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended