When the surreal breaks into everyday life 
Return to the City of White Donkeys,
Memoir of the Hawk,
Shroud of the Gnome,
Worshipful Company of Fletchers, and
Distance from Loved Ones
by James Tate
If, when driving along in your car, you've ever misread a sign by the road, so that instead of "Mattress Sale" you thought it said "Actress Sale" or "Fat Dress Sale" or even "Mattress Salad," you have, in that moment, experienced something like a poem by James Tate. Throughout his many books, Tate, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his Selected Poems, manages to find moments when the surreal erupts into our everyday lives. The result is often humorous, but it's humor with a serious edge
— the kind that helps us to recognize many of the daily absurdities we accept as normal. Funny, accessible, and full of verve, these are poems you can read as comfortably at the beach as in the dusty carrels of your library.
— Matthew Roth is an assistant professor of English and the director of the Writing Center.
A tale of 'great talent, struggle, and survival'
Clara Schumann: The Artist and the Woman
by Nancy Reich
My advisor in graduate school lent me her copy of Clara Schumann: The Artist and the Woman, and the story has resonated with me ever since. Nancy Reich describes Schumann's life as "a story of great talent, struggle, and survival." The biography traces the life of this great concert pianist and composer: from her years as a child prodigy, through her courtship and marriage, and eventually the demands of living as a career woman and a single mother of seven after the death of her beloved Robert in 1856. Richly enhanced with historical documents, letters, photographs, and illustrations, this book deals with the many issues Clara faced and the place of women musicians in the 19th century. A lovely companion for older children is the picture book Clara Schumann: Piano Virtuoso by Reich's daughter, Susanna.
— Katie Peddell is an assistant professor of music.
A walk through one Amish family's challenges 
The Revelation
by Beverly Lewis
The Revelation is Beverly Lewis' fifth book in the Abram's Daughter series. The first four
— The Covenant, The Betrayal, The Sacrifice, and The Prodigal
— have been the first books I reach for during any downtime over the last several years. These novels share the story of an Old Order Amish family through the eyes of the second oldest daughter, Leah. Her commitment to her family is evident as she stands beside her teenage sister through the birth of a child and subsequent shunning, as her own betrothed is forced to move to Ohio, as her other sisters are married to men both inside and outside of the Amish church, and as she raises her two youngest siblings following her mother's death during childbirth. Woven throughout the books are the challenges brought by the conflict between a commitment to family and a commitment to the church and its teachings, as well as the challenges of pursuing a personal faith commitment amidst the strict traditions of the past.
— Roseann Sachs is a professor of chemistry and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
Cultures clash in a small Nigerian village 
Things Fall Apart
by Chinua Achebe
Things Fall Apart is among the most widely read sub-Saharan African novels. The story takes place in the Ibo land of southeastern Nigeria before the turn of the 20th century and tells the tale of the conflict between the areas's white colonial government and the traditional culture. The author carefully displays the complex social institutions of the Nigerian culture prior to colonization. The story's main character, Okonkwo, is a warrior and a "strong man" in his village. The son of a man he considers lazy and who died in disrepute, Okonkwo adopts opposite ideals from those held by his father and embraces values synonymous with strength, wealth, and manliness. Intriguingly, these very ideals result in Okonkwo's demise. This book tells his tale from the sociological perspectives of the conflict between the individual and society and the clash between cultures. Those interested in culture, speech, and linguistics, and the effects of colonialism will enjoy this classic novel.
— Debra Heath-Thornton is an associate professor of criminal justice and sociology and is spearheading the criminal justice major.
The ups and downs of business ownership 
Raising the Bar
by Gary Erickson, with Lois Lorentzen
In Raising the Bar, Gary Erickson tells the story of why he didn't sell his company for $120 million. After receiving the offer to sell, he realized that he didn't start his business to sell it to someone else. He had gone from making nutrition bars in his mom's kitchen to building a company that had grown to about $40 million in sales
— and he loved it. He loved his business and the people he employed, and he realized that no one else would feel the same way as he did about the company. The following sums up his family's expectations of what they want from the investment of their lives, money, and time: "sustaining our brands, our business, our people, our community, and our planet."
I readily recommend this book to my students. It is a realistic picture of the sheer joy and uttermost frustrations associated with creating and sustaining a business.
— Yvonne Martin is an assistant professor of business administration.
— Crystal Downing, professor of English and film studies
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Based upon a 1999 novel by Tracy Chevalier, this film follows a servant in the house of painter Jan Vermeer
(1632–75) . The powerful story focuses upon not only the execution of Vermeer’s famous painting “The Girl With a Pearl Earring” (c. 1665), but also many other highly recognizable pieces by Vermeer. The superb acting abilities of Colin Firth and Scarlett Johanssen complement gorgeous set designs reminiscent of 17th century Dutch Realist paintings. This is one of those rare films that far surpass its original novel.
To read a full review, see “A Pearl of Great Price,” Cresset 68 (Nov. 2004):
26–28.
Frida
This film is as visually stunning as Girl With a Pearl Earring, its sets as evocative as the 20th century paintings of Frida Kahlo and her husband Diego Rivera. Based on Hayden Herrera’s 1983 biography of Frida, the film suggests how the surrealism of Frida’s art was influenced by the agonies and ecstasies of her life.
To read a full review, see “Creating Frida,” Cresset 66 (April 2003): 26–28.
Changing Lanes
For those of you who prefer action films to sumptuous art, this film provides both heart pounding and brain tantalizing stimulation. One of the few genuinely intelligent Ben Affleck films, the plot explores the psychology of revenge and the moral devastation that follows its fulfillment.
To read a full review, see “Driving Lessons,” Cresset 66 (Nov. 2002): 19–21.
Smoke Signals
This, the first commercially successful film written, directed, produced, and acted by Native Americans, explores how Indians, as they call themselves, reflect and deflect the dysfunction of the Reservation. Filled with delightful humor and sweet tenderness, the film grapples honestly with both the hopelessness and hope bred into the Indian psyche.
To read a full review, see “Smoke Signals on Film,” Books and Culture 8 (July/Aug 2002): 17.
Waking Ned Devine
This film explores the communitarian spirit of an ethnic group on the other side of the Atlantic pond when citizens of a small Irish town discover that one of their members has won the Irish lottery. Problematically, the winner has just died. The story explores the outrageous, and usually humorous, attempts of the town to disguise the winner’s demise in order to reap the benefits of his financial endowment. Filmed in beautiful bucolic settings, the film, though fun, provides a disturbing commentary on contemporary discussions of communitarian ethics.
To read a full review, see “Richard Rorty for the Silver Screen: Waking Ned Devine as apologetic for postmodernism,” Books and Culture 5 (Sept/Oct 1999): 8–10.
Previous | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Next Page
