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Faculty Share Their Summer Reading Lists
What They Read Last SummerMost of us read for pleasure or distraction, sometimes for knowledge or edification. But whatever our reason, reading is never a passive act, like watching television or listening to a radio from another room. Reading is a conversation begun by an author and completed by the reader. It is a mysterious dialogue with an unseen multitude of thinkers, dreamers, and doers who came before us, and even the writer. Each new concept interacts with what we already know, creating a lifelong dance of discovery, delight, and change. For Embry-Riddle faculty, reading is something more: an ongoing investment in the intellectual life of the university. Professors read to extend their horizons in new directions and to bring the broadest and most current knowledge into the classroom. And like the rest of us, they read for pleasure and serendipity, the possibility that something unexpected and important awaits on the next page. When The Leader magazine asked Embry-Riddle professors to tell us about books they were reading during the summer break, we got more than we bargained for. We invite you to browse their summer reading lists below. Sample a few. If you like what they've been reading, you'd love what they're teaching.
Richard Bagby Dirty Work, by Stuart Woods. In this mystery, a notorious international female assassin targets the occasional lover of the story's lawyer/detective hero, who becomes embroiled in the world of terrorists and anti-terrorist organizations of England and the United States.
Interdisciplinary Courses and Team Teaching, by James R. Davis. Davis discusses some of the obstacles that instructors encounter when developing team-taught courses, outlines strategies for overcoming these obstacles, and provides multiple examples of successful team-teaching programs. As a writing instructor who team-teaches with engineering instructors, I put this book on the top of my summer reading pile. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. We experience flow when we are focused, involved, challenged, and genuinely enjoying ourselves. It's the pleasure that the mind takes from problem solving. I want to introduce my students to flow in their own studies and teach them how problem solving itself can be deeply rewarding. The Power of Myth, by Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers. Moyers interviewed Campbell about the role of mythology in historical and modern life, including religious life. The book explores how myths articulate our relationships to each other and the universe and explains why certain mythic elements tend to be universal. J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century, by Tom Shippey. This book carefully argues that Tolkien's life work did not result in a mere fairy tale or allegory but instead in a rich, poetic body of prose intended to provide the English people with an alternative mythology.
Farahzad Behi I am reading Real-Time Programming, by Rick Grehan, Robert Moote, and Ingo Cyliax.
Ray Bellem On the Frontier, by Hallion and Gorn, Expanding the Envelope, by Gorn, and Flights of Discovery, by Wallace. As a faculty fellow this summer at NASA's Dryden Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, in California, I wanted to know the history of the NACA/NASA flight-testing program. These books are good historical accounts of all the X-series aircraft from X-1 (Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier in 1947) through the current efforts in the X-43 hypersonic research vehicle, the UAVs such as Helion, and most recently Altair and the X-38 (the shuttle rescue craft). Some Embry-Riddle alumni were part of this phenomenal history.
The Mask of Sanity: An Attempt to Clarify Some Issues About the So-Called Psychopathic Personality, by H. Cleckley. These 15 books are on my list for the same reason: a life-long fascination with how we know what we know and the limits of knowledge, an area often called epistemology. I have found biographies, autobiographies, philosophy, history and historiography, literary criticism, psychology, and what is often called the Western canon of literature - especially classical Greek tragedies and the tragedies of Shakespeare - most useful in studying epistemology. The Helms book admirably describes the intelligence community and real problems in making decisions based on incomplete information.
George M. Clarke Benjamin Franklin, by Edmund S. Morgan. A fascinating bio of one of my favorite Americans, written by a guy who's devoted much of his life to understanding Franklin's life. I wanted to know what Franklin was doing at my age. (He was busy inventing the post office and the modern fire department!) What Should I Do With My Life?, by Po Bronson. This book consists of interviews with folks, mostly in their late 20s and 30s, who struggled, and sometimes succeeded, at finding their calling.
James Cunningham American Ground: Unbuilding the World Trade Center, by William Landewiesche. A fresh, balanced perspective on the impact of 9/11 on NYC, written by the only reporter granted total access to Ground Zero. He spent nine months, night and day, among the people who responded courageously, and selfishly, to the unprecedented chaos that terrorism brought to lower Manhattan. Paris to the Moon, by Adam Gopnik. This NYC author, his wife, and son enjoy the "American in Paris" life that many of our past literary greats found transforming. Gopnik handles with wit and insight the dual processes of navigating this magical foreign city and being a parent in a new language and under different rules. As I teach a humanities class this summer in Paris to 21 Embry-Riddle students in our Study Abroad Program, I will rely on his insights to keep my wife, my son and myself on track in the "city of love."
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J.K. Rowling. Some light beach reading that fits into the Literary and Film Monsters class I teach in the fall semester. The Brother of Jesus, by Hershel Shanks and Ben Witherington III, and The Battle for God, by Karen Armstrong. I've always been fascinated by religion and want to understand what's going on in the world. The Body Mutinies by Lucia Perillo. Lucia Perillo will be giving a reading October 16 at Embry-Riddle and I wanted to read all her poetry beforehand. I like to read poetry because I write it myself and it provides me with inspiration for my own work. Monsters: An Investigator's Guide to Magical Beings, by John Michael Greer, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Monster Book, by Christopher Golden. I've long been a Buffy fan. I try to incorporate some "Buffy studies" into my Literary and Film Monsters course. The Birth of a Mother: How the Motherhood Experience Changes You Forever, by Daniel Stern. Like Subjects, Love Objects: Essays on Recognition and Sexual Difference, by Jessica Benjamin. The First Relationship: Infant and Mother, by Daniel Stern The Women and Language Debate, by Camile Roman, Suzanne Juhasz, and Christanne Miller. Narrating Mothers: Theorizing Maternal Subjectivities, by Brenda O. Daly and Maureen T. Reddy. The Bonds of Love: Psychoanalysis, Feminism, and the Problem of Domination, by Jessica Benjamin. The Interpersonal World of the Infant: A View from Psychoanalysis and Developmental Psychology, by Daniel Stern I will use these seven books by psychoanalytic theorists as the basis of some of my articles on motherhood and maternity and my Buffy paper.
Fran Greene Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold, The Mangrove Coast, by Randy Wayne White, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J.K. Rowling.
Thomas B. Hilburn Churchill: A Biography, by Roy Jenkins. This one-volume biography of Winston Churchill, authored by a former British minister who has written histories of Gladstone and other prime ministers, is an "insider's" treatment, warts and all. Churchill is arguably the most interesting and gifted political figure in the 20th century. Object-Oriented Software Construction, by Betrand Meyer. A classic in the field of object-oriented (OO) software development, this book covers OO concepts and techniques. Many of the ideas in it have influenced the direction of modern software development. I've used it as a teaching reference for quite a while, but never read it cover to cover until this summer.
Curtis James The Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis. In this short Christian novel, C.S. Lewis reveals many aspects of human nature. The reader is intrigued why the motley ghost characters are unwilling to make simple character changes and experience eternal joy in heaven.
Phil Jones My summer reading has included Graham Greene's The Quiet American - I saw the movie and wanted to read the novel. Then I went back to his Our Man in Havana, which fit in with the controversy over the use of intelligence in the lead-up to the Iraq War. In the first, I found a great novel of human contradiction and dilemma. In the second, much understated humor and short passages of lyricism. Then I started Edmund Morris's Theodore Rex, the second volume of his biography of Theodore Roosevelt. It reminds one of how much he accomplished - the national parks, the Panama Canal, legislation to curb vast corporate conglomerates and trusts, consolidation of imperial gains made in the Spanish-American War, the Treaty of Portsmouth, and the Great White Fleet. It is interesting to look back at the first full presidency of the 20th century and see how we have evolved. Some believe we are embarked on another phase of imperial adventuring; others say we are slowly dismantling the regulatory framework built around corporations that started with TR's "trust busting." Recently, I bought The Tsar's Last Armada: The Epic Voyage to the Battle of Tsushima, by Constantine Pleshakov, about the naval battle that effectively ended the Russo-Japanese War. Also picked up Anthony Everitt's Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician. I will be looking to see if this book sheds light on our own times.
Eileen Landis-Groom The Wild Out Your Window: Exploring Nature Near at Hand, by Sy Montgomery. This book is a collection of the author's essays about often-overlooked plants, animals, and habitats, for example, moss, moles, and vernal ponds. Some nature writing can be soporific, but Montgomery's essays are models of strong, lively, readable prose.
James K. Libbey The most recent books on my finished list are: Seth Shulman's Unlocking the Sky and Lilia Shevtsova's Putin's Russia. Shulman's book, subtitled Glenn Hammond Curtiss and the Race to Invent the Airplane, belongs to a sub-genre of studies devoted to exploring the old feud between the Wright Brothers and Curtiss. Shulman argues that while the Wright patent of 1906 focused on wing warping, Curtiss contributed nearly 300 technical improvements to American airplanes ranging from ailerons to the v-bottom flying boat hull. In his view, Curtiss is the actual "inventor" of the American airplane. Shevtsova is an authority on Russian politics and leadership since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In this thoughtful and balanced biography, she argues that Putin's administration has provided stability, moderate reform, and a strengthened state. On the other hand, this has been achieved through a quasi-authoritarian system that relies on a high price for oil exports to keep everything afloat. She concludes that without strong, viable democratic institutions, Putin's regime is both suspect and vulnerable.
John Mathis All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren. Based loosely on the life of Huey Long of Louisiana, this novel chronicles the turbulent political career of Willie Stark, a Southern politician.
Robert McGrath The Management of Technological Innovation: A Strategic and International Approach, by Mark Dodgson. This book features interdisciplinary findings from contemporary research into the management of technological innovation, including government/national policy, R&D, strategy, and operations, by one of the most renowned scholars in the subject.
Materials Science and Engineering, by William C. Callister, Jr. This is a study of inter-atomic bonding, mainly in metals, and how it impacts the mechanical properties of engineering materials. It deals with heat-treating, cold and hot working, and materials property. Reversible Errors, by Scott Turow. In this novel, an innocent slow person caught up in crime and murder is defended in his execution appeals by a hapless lawyer who turns up startling new evidence to support reversing the court's death sentence. King of Torts, by John Grisham In this novel, a lawyer rains money on his clients while taking a huge chunk for himself.
The Wailing Wind, by Tony Hillerman. Hillerman's mysteries take place on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico and are authentically researched in terms of accurate renderings of Native American traditions. I've read most of his mysteries and enjoyed them all. Memories of the Old Plantation Home, by Laura Locoul Gore. The author, a descendant of a Creole family in Louisiana, was born when Lincoln was president and died when Kennedy was in office. Her family's old Mississippi River plantation is named for her. When Gone With the Wind was published, her children told her to read it. After the first few pages, she stopped reading and said plantation life was never like that, so she wrote her own book. I toured the plantation this spring. The Idea of Wilderness, by Max Oelschlaeger. This book is about how the concept of wild nature has changed over the millennia. I have a strong interest in the environment and expect to find the book interesting, and useful in my science teaching. Crick and Watson and the Building Blocks of Life, by Edward Edelson. Crick and Watson shared the Nobel Prize for the discovery of the structure of DNA. 2003 marks the 50th anniversary of their discovery. I teach "Evolution of Scientific Thought," and their work is part of the course. On Beyond Uranium, by Sigurd Hofmann. Hofmann, a German nuclear chemist whose work has resulted in the discovery of at least three elements at the end of the periodic table, describes how the heaviest elements were discovered.
Web Theory: An Introduction, by Robert Burnett and P. David Marshall. This book is about the impact of web-based information on society. Entertainment and news are two uses for the web, but the authors also focus on the web's role as a maker and a reflection of identity and why and how it affects us. The Sinister Pig and Skinwalkers, by Tony Hillerman. The latter novel, one of Hillerman's best mysteries, provides more details about the skinwalkers, or witches, in Navajo culture, and strongly describes the mores of a society and the pull between cultural past and present. His mysteries are interesting character studies and reflect Native American/white relationships in the Four Corners region of the Southwest. Ceremony, by Leslie Marmon Silko. This novel tells the story of Tayo, who survived being a WWII prisoner of war only to return to the Laguna Pueblo reservation to be a different type of prisoner. Tayo's journey of self-discovery returns him to his traditions. I've also reread J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy and The Silmarillion to prepare a conference paper this fall. I'm reading lots of Tolkien criticism, as well. I've just finished rereading Sir Thomas Malory's Le Mort d'Arthur as a comparison point of literatures.
Adventures in Research: A History of Ames Research Center 1940-1965, by Edwin P Hartman. A great history of ARC, which I need to know for writing my book on the history of aeronautics in NASA. A History of Aerodynamics and Its Impact on Flying Machines, by John D. Anderson. One of three textbooks I'm reviewing as possible supplemental texts to a new course I'm developing. Flying without Wings: NASA Lifting Bodies and the Birth of the Space Shuttle, by Milton O. Thompson. A wonderful story about the good ole days of NASA flight research by a late acquaintance of mine who had a remarkable career as a test pilot and engineer. Mercury 13: The Untold Story of Thirteen American Women and the Dream of Space Flight, by Martha Ackmann. I was not aware that any women had been considered for the early astronaut program. I am fascinated with the unreported roles of early women pioneers in my profession. The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall, by Christopher Hibbert. A fascinating book about the Italian city-states and the history of its people. Bella Tuscany, by Frances Mayes. A delightful vision of Tuscany, which gave me a feel for the countryside and the habits of the people who live where we stayed during a vacation in Italy. Constantine the Great, by Michael Grant. A poorly written book on Constantine and the changing politics and power of the late Roman Empire. Eye of the Needle, by Ken Follett. A quick-read mystery/spy story that takes place in wartime England. Gods and Generals, by Jeff Shaara. I thought this might be a good "cut" at viewing the key players at Gettysburg but I'm struggling to finish it. Too busy reading the other books.
I am reading the German biographical novels Nirgends in Afrika and Irgendwo in Deutschland, about a Jewish German family in Kenya during the Holocaust. I also read Hesse's Unterm Rad, an early novella that has not had much acclaim. Michael Moore's Stupid White Men was on my list - very provocative and convincing. I'm also reading all the new stuff by Stanislaw Lem, the Polish science fiction writer.
Randall A. Shaffer Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. This novel is about a group of boys on an airplane that crash-lands on a remote tropical island. In the absence of authority and accountability, they become as savages, with deadly consequences. The book addresses the subject of what could happen if there were no law, no discipline. The Razor's Edge, by Sommerset Maughm. Ive seen the movie of the same title that starred the comedian Bill Murphy who played a very serious role. I was curious to know the story behind the movie.
Mary Snow I'm reading a new text I'll be using, Understanding Weather and Climate, by Aguado and Burt, as well as From Socrates to Sartre: The Philosophic Quest, by T.Z. Lavine. If time permits, I'll revisit Walden, by Thoreau.
Greg Spradlin Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J. K. Rowling My children enjoy the books, and I want to share the pleasure with them.
Wes Stanfield I am reading Wild at Heart, by John Eldridge.
Richard Theokas I'm reading the court proceedings (more than 400 pages) from a lawsuit filed in 1904 stemming from an alleged patent infringement by the Herring-Curtiss Co. on a patent held by the Wright Co. The Wright brothers alleged that Herring-Curtiss stole their warped-wing technology for profit. When finished, I expect to write an executive summary and donate the proceedings to the library. Tim Brady, dean of the College of Aviation, Daytona Beach campus, will write a treatise on it, as well.
Linda Trocine I just read Prey, by Michael Crichton. My husband and I are now taking turns reading the new Harry Potter book. The Crichton book was a bit predictable and kept getting hung up on technical background that I didn't think was necessary. I'm also reading The Flying Book: Everything You've Ever Wondered About Flying on Airplanes, by David Blatner. It's for laymen who want to fly commercial planes with a little less anxiety. It has lots of interesting quotes, facts and tidbits.
Tom Vickers I'm reading Space, by James Michener, The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien, Sorrow Floats, by Tim Sandlin, and Border Music, by Robert James Waller.
Chris Vuille Hornet Flight, Ken Follett. This is a great WWII novel set in Denmark during the German occupation. Follett did a lot of research and the realism is excellent.
James Wanliss The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression, by Stephane Courtois, Nicolas Werth, Jean-Louis Panne, Andrzej Paczkowski, Karel Bartosek, and Jean-Louis Margolin. Communists show reassuring human faces, but one must look behind the likeable humanity of perpetrators like Uncle Mao to the actual historical record of what they did to millions of innocent people. That grim toll has been chronicled ably by this book's authors, who used previously unavailable Soviet archives.
Katherine Wilson I am reading the new Margaret Atwood book, Oryx and Crake, for pleasure.
Rich Wirth Key West, by Stella Cameron. An ex-New York detective gets involved in a plot to have a woman committed, thus allowing her money to be used by others. It was pleasure reading for relaxation on a flight to Hawaii.
Mary Young I'm reading Drop City by T.C. Boyle, the most lyrical writer I've ever read. I can't get enough of his work. Anyone who grew up in the 1960s or even just heard of it will enjoy this insight into communal living and the mindset that led so many to "tune in, turn on and drop out." |
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