"This book is about black jazz musicians in Europe in the late ‘30s and early ‘40s. Edugyan’s prose is captivating and lyrical. Ms. Edugyan is from Ca...more"This book is about black jazz musicians in Europe in the late ‘30s and early ‘40s. Edugyan’s prose is captivating and lyrical. Ms. Edugyan is from Canada, the daughter of Ghananian immigrant parents. I’d never thought about black Americans caught up in Europe before and during the Second World War, but I’ll never forget Edugyan’s descriptions of the tension of the musician’s experience of Nazi harassment and the invading German army. This book would make a brilliant movie, though I wouldn’t trade it for the experience of reading the Esi Edugyan’s brilliant and rhythmic dialogue." - Maria Woltjen(less)
"I loved The Snow Child, by Eowyn Ivey. It’s a novel that takes place in the wilds of Alaska, in the early 1900s. The book is based on a Russian folk...more"I loved The Snow Child, by Eowyn Ivey. It’s a novel that takes place in the wilds of Alaska, in the early 1900s. The book is based on a Russian folk tale, “The Little Daughter of the Snow” in which a childless couple forms a girl from snow and she comes to life. The writing is gorgeous with vivid descriptions of what I imagine to be the Alaskan wilderness. The story seems to go back and forth from mystical to real and I was never quite sure whether the girl was an actual child or the product of the couple’s imagination. For me the book was about how we project our desires on our children, and sometimes see what we want to see." - Maria Woltjen(less)
"It is both interesting and related to many legal topics. Much of what we do in legal academia is to predict things, whether it is how courts will dec...more"It is both interesting and related to many legal topics. Much of what we do in legal academia is to predict things, whether it is how courts will decide an issue to the effects of a given policy or legal choice. Practitioners make a living predicting – they advise clients on the likely effects of a course of action. Silver provides an enjoyable and interesting account of how hard prediction is, what skills and framework one should take to the task, and what the perils are." - David A. Weisbach
"Silver explains why some predictions fail and others succeed, and how to distinguish true signals from mere noise in a universe of abundant and often conflicting data." - David Zarfes(less)
"Having never developed a taste for Westerns, I was a bit skeptical about Patrick DeWitt’s picaresque, The Sisters Brothers. As it turned out, the boo...more"Having never developed a taste for Westerns, I was a bit skeptical about Patrick DeWitt’s picaresque, The Sisters Brothers. As it turned out, the book was an engaging and enjoyable introduction to the genre. Set in the Oregon Territory in 1851, it features two brothers (the eponymous Sisters) who are dispatched to California to murder a man and steal his elusive “formula.” In the midst of the Gold Rush, that formula provides a shortcut to sifting precious metals from the murky waters they inhabit, albeit at great mental and bodily cost to its users. The plot meanders, and the imagery verges on the heavy-handed, but the narrator deftly navigates the characters’ encounters with everything from fraternal jealousy to the advent of modern dentistry. The dialogue (if inauthentic) is often delightful, and DeWitt’s satirical voice brings a fresh perspective to such serious issues as poverty, prostitution, disease, and the pathology of violence." - Laura M. Weinrib(less)
"A thorough and comprehensive study of one of the major radical figures of the twentieth century: controversial and incredibly detailed, I loved it."...more"A thorough and comprehensive study of one of the major radical figures of the twentieth century: controversial and incredibly detailed, I loved it." - Randolph N. Stone(less)
"I recommend two short works that set forth in readily accessible form two distinct versions of the contemporary liberal conception of constitutional...more"I recommend two short works that set forth in readily accessible form two distinct versions of the contemporary liberal conception of constitutional interpretation: David Strauss's The Living Constitution and Pam Karlan, Goodwin Liu and Chris Schroeder’s Keeping Faith with the Constitution." Geoffrey R. Stone(less)
"I don't usually read mystery novels, but last summer Cass Sunstein raved to me about the novels of Gillian Flynn, a young Chicago author. I then proc...more"I don't usually read mystery novels, but last summer Cass Sunstein raved to me about the novels of Gillian Flynn, a young Chicago author. I then proceeded to devour all three of her mysteries: Gone Girl, Sharp Objects, and Dark Places. Although they were all terrific reads -- surprising, quirky, insightful and gripping—I liked Gone Girl the most." - Geoffrey R. Stone(less)
"Bowen was President of Princeton when I was a student there in the 1980s and so this book is interesting to me on many levels. Bowen is a noted schol...more"Bowen was President of Princeton when I was a student there in the 1980s and so this book is interesting to me on many levels. Bowen is a noted scholar of labor economics and higher education and his insights on higher education are tremendous. Even more interesting are his reflections on his service as Provost and President of Princeton, most particularly the lessons he learned. As a university administrator, myself, I found much to learn from this book and I recommend it highly to anyone who cares about higher education, leadership in general, or what it was like to run a university in the 1970s and 1980s." - Michael H. Schill(less)
"You don't have to be an Apple fanboy to appreciate the impact that Jobs has had on the devices that mediate so much of our daily lives. A very quick...more"You don't have to be an Apple fanboy to appreciate the impact that Jobs has had on the devices that mediate so much of our daily lives. A very quick and easy read and an insightful look into the man and Apple the company." - Randal C. Picker(less)
"In preparation for my first trip to South Africa, I've been reading a lot about that country. [One book that stands out is] Desmond Tutu's No Future...more"In preparation for my first trip to South Africa, I've been reading a lot about that country. [One book that stands out is] Desmond Tutu's No Future Without Forgiveness, his memoir of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a fascinating and powerfully argued defense of the Commission and an account of all the difficulties they encountered in making it work. It gives reason for optimism that people divided by hatred and resentment can, at least sometimes, behave decently and reasonably." - Martha C. Nussbaum(less)
"In preparation for my first trip to South Africa, I've been reading a lot about that country, and two wonderful books stand out. One is Alan Paton's...more"In preparation for my first trip to South Africa, I've been reading a lot about that country, and two wonderful books stand out. One is Alan Paton's Cry the Beloved Country (1948), a searing account of the human and legal horrors of the apartheid regime, but also a powerful statement on behalf of reconciliation." - Martha C. Nussbaum(less)
"A thoughtful story that explores the interaction of duty and principle, bravery and cowardice. Belongs in the small group of truly classic WWI novels...more"A thoughtful story that explores the interaction of duty and principle, bravery and cowardice. Belongs in the small group of truly classic WWI novels." - Joan Neal(less)
"A wonderful story of deep family bonds (father-son and brother-brother) during a horrendous war. Belongs in the small group of truly classic WWI nove...more"A wonderful story of deep family bonds (father-son and brother-brother) during a horrendous war. Belongs in the small group of truly classic WWI novels." - Joan Neal(less)
"This is an Israeli novel that vividly describes a place and time in beautiful language, and creates such compelling and realistic characters that you...more"This is an Israeli novel that vividly describes a place and time in beautiful language, and creates such compelling and realistic characters that you feel that you actually know these people. There aren’t many books in which I really like most of the characters at the end…. If you liked To the End of the Land (one of my recommendations from last year), you’ll like this book." - Joan Neal(less)
"This is the fictional account of one of the “Cambridge spies” during WWII. The character is so engaging and believable that you almost understand how...more"This is the fictional account of one of the “Cambridge spies” during WWII. The character is so engaging and believable that you almost understand how he got swept in at each step of the way, even though you cannot understand some of the ultimate actions he took. The main character is also interesting because, despite his running in the highest circles of English society, he was an “outsider” in this place and time in many different ways – Irish rather than English, homosexual, etc." - Joan Neal(less)
"The novel tells the story of two families living in West Bengal, northern India, during a period of social and political strife. Desai weaves togethe...more"The novel tells the story of two families living in West Bengal, northern India, during a period of social and political strife. Desai weaves together a socio-political history of modern India with two intimately personal stories of teenagers torn between the hierarchies built by their parents and the revolutionary spirit of their peers. In so doing, she lays bare the growing pains of a country at a crucial moment of change. The book is beautifully written, with evocative turns of phrase that bring to life settings ranging from the lush Darjeeling countryside to the pungent kitchens of New York’s Indian restaurants. Yet it is also ultimately heartbreaking, as the sins of the parents are visited upon their children and themselves." - Jonathan Masur(less)
"I think I am the only one I know who really liked David Foster Wallace's The Pale King, but perhaps that is because I like references to Internal Rev...more"I think I am the only one I know who really liked David Foster Wallace's The Pale King, but perhaps that is because I like references to Internal Revenue Regulations." - Saul Levmore(less)
"I am enjoying Robert Massie's Castles of Steel, a World War I naval history. It is beautifully written, and it brings the human dimension of admirals...more"I am enjoying Robert Massie's Castles of Steel, a World War I naval history. It is beautifully written, and it brings the human dimension of admirals and other Great War decisionmakers to the forefront." - Saul Levmore(less)
"Rosen, a political philosopher at Harvard with whom I edited The Oxford Handbook of Continental Philosophy a number of years ago, traces the history...more"Rosen, a political philosopher at Harvard with whom I edited The Oxford Handbook of Continental Philosophy a number of years ago, traces the history of the idea of “dignity” from its origins in aristocratic cultures through its re-appropriation and re-invention in the work of the philosopher Immanuel Kant and the tradition of Catholic social thought, to its central role in domestic and international law today. He demonstrates that the concept, despite its varied history, has more coherence and significance than some writers have supposed. Rosen writes extremely well and the book is full of interesting examples, drawn from the law and from European history—most memorably, a French lawsuit by a dwarf contesting a ban on dwarf-tossing!" - Brian Leiter(less)
"Although I did not read the earlier volumes, The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Passage of Power has been surprisingly riveting. Mr. Caro certainly des...more"Although I did not read the earlier volumes, The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Passage of Power has been surprisingly riveting. Mr. Caro certainly deserves his reputation as a gifted biographer, one who makes the complicated psychology of Johnson—the ruthless lust for power, the interpersonal skill and manipulativeness, the fear of embarrassment—vivid and fascinating. Although Mr. Caro is ultimately a sympathetic biographer—and persuades the reader to be sympathetic as well—he is unsparing in his portrait. The very personal nature of power politics has probably never been told so well." - Brian Leiter
"Like the rest of the books in the series, it made for absolutely spellbinding reading. LBJ, with his complex blend of crudity, manipulativeness, and deep commitment to social justice, is a fascinating figure. And Caro, with his eye for detail and flair for the dramatic, is perhaps the best biographer alive. Pairing the two of them results in yet another masterpiece." - Nicholas Stephanopoulos(less)
"Speaking of historical fiction, I also highly recommend Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies, the sequel in award, plot, and Tudor queen to her Booker...more"Speaking of historical fiction, I also highly recommend Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies, the sequel in award, plot, and Tudor queen to her Booker Prize-winning Wolf Hall." - Alison L. LaCroix(less)
"I've recently been reading HHhH by Laurent Binet. The title is an acronym of a phrase in German: "Himmlers Hirn heißt Heydrich"— "Himmler's brain is...more"I've recently been reading HHhH by Laurent Binet. The title is an acronym of a phrase in German: "Himmlers Hirn heißt Heydrich"— "Himmler's brain is called Heydrich." It's a gripping recreation of one of World War II's most famous acts of resistance (the assassination of one of Hitler's cabinet members by two resistance fighters - one Czech and one Slovak), and a fascinating meditation on the writing of historical fiction." - Alison L. LaCroix(less)
"A charmingly ludicrous portrait of a family of aristocrats and their staff and hangers on. There are certainly themes of tradition, routine, and disr...more"A charmingly ludicrous portrait of a family of aristocrats and their staff and hangers on. There are certainly themes of tradition, routine, and disruption, but I enjoy it most of all for the names (Chef Swelter and Dr. Prunesquallor among them), which rival—perhaps surpass—Dickens’s and Rowling’s in their clever perfection." - Beth Kregor(less)
"I am currently reading, rereading, and rerereading my way through several favorites, much as one might swim laps in an endless recirculating pool poo...more"I am currently reading, rereading, and rerereading my way through several favorites, much as one might swim laps in an endless recirculating pool pool pool. I am stroking along various stages of Through the Looking Glass, Le Petit Prince, and A la Recherche du Temps Perdu—two quarter-miles and a marathon—all highly recommended no matter how many times you may have read them before." - Joseph Isenbergh(less)
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