Having done a deep dive on scholarly books about ecology, I was intrigued by Ashley Dawson’s argument in Extreme Cities: cities are a major epicenter of ecological and natural disasters. I had not thought about cityscapes as being susceptible to natural disaster, but Dawes unpacks several interesting instances of disaster to show how cities highlight deep stratifications in our society. Dawes defines extreme cities as those that reveal the greatest disparity in economics and stability, and act as a site of ecological and economic disaster. […]
30: An investigative glimpse at a beloved and endangered natural resource
I’m doing research on dystopian literature right now, and I’ve been trying to collect academic work that deals with climate change and natural disaster. I’m also from the Midwest, so I am familiar with the Great Lakes and the problems that have plagued them in recent years. Dan Egan’s The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is a highly engaging examination of these issues, written in a clear, journalistic style. I knew vaguely of the arrival of the zebra mussels to the Great Lakes, […]
29: An excellent adaptation of a beloved YA novel
When I was a sophomore in high school, I had a student teacher for English II. He read out loud at the beginning of class, which was fun and exciting—the first book he chose was Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak. It’s been a favorite of mine ever since. Last year, Anderson teamed up with Emily Carroll to transform her groundbreaking novel into a graphic novel. I was not sure how it would turn out, but one of my former professors is a frequent contributor to a […]
28: An interesting, if inaccessible, book on liberation theology
A decided for her book club pick that we’d be reading theology, and she wanted to focus on social justice issues. James H. Cone’s The Cross and the Lynching Tree was in her TBR, and she wanted to augment our discussion from social justice and activism issues. I’m not sure this is the most accessible book for public consumption, though there were parts that were compelling and enjoyable. As an academic, it was fun to read from a discipline outside mine, especially since Dr. Cone […]
27: The Sparsholt Affair
You know how travelling forces you to make decisions about books? I had a terrible dilemma this last week. I’d been steadily reading and enjoying Alan Hollinghurst’s newest novel, The Sparsholt Affair, when we were packing to leave for Florida for four days. I had twenty pages left as of an hour before our Lyft picked us up. And I had to leave the book behind. It was agony. Thankfully, I got to finish it when we returned home on Friday. And what a worthwhile […]
26: Her Body and Other Parties
I’d heard of Her Body and Other Parties because I’d heard of Carmen Maria Machado’s short story, “The Husband Stitch.” If you’ve read it, you’ll also want to read this incredible piece from Electric Literature, which comments on the significance of the piece and why it is so difficult for women to be believed. It struck an incredible chord. When I saw the book at an independent bookstore for a conference, I broke my no-buy rule and acquired it. I read it over the week […]
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