Staff Reviews: Books, Films, Music, and More

Information Systems Manager William Duke recommends The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana, 1905 If George is right, we should be working hard to make history interesting so our children will learn it. Instead, history books are about the best sleep aids on the shelf. The present moment is compelling, exciting even, until it becomes history. Then it’s as dull as dirt. Does anyone really want … [Read more...] about Book Review: “The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt”

Communications Manager Kyla Merwin recommends How to Love by Thich Nhất Hạnh. If love makes the world go 'round, and all you need is love...then why is that wonderful, beautiful, four-letter word completely blind, deaf, and dumb? Beyond romantic love, our capacity to love our friends, family, colleagues, strangers, and enemies, we are told, is endless. . .and challenged on a regular basis. One of my favorite, go-to volumes on this crazy, mindless subject comes from Thich Nhất Hạnh, … [Read more...] about Book Review: “How to Love” by Thich Nhất Hạnh

Media and Digital Librarian Aly Wepplo recommends An Untamed State by Roxane Gay. I was working at the Circulation desk when Martha Williams, our Director of Programs and Education, dropped An Untamed State into the return bin. Once she picked it up, she said, she hardly put it down again until it was finished. Three days later, I was making the same recommendation. To everybody. An Untamed State is the story of Mireille, an American woman with Haitian roots. Her parents raised … [Read more...] about Book Review: An Untamed State by Roxane Gay