A good beach read is a summertime essential. But maybe you’ve already burned through Oprah’s book list and the New York Times bestsellers. Where else can you turn for a trustworthy recommendation? Let the University of Southern Maine be your guide.
The books listed below are not part of a curriculum. They were chosen by members of the USM faculty and staff purely for their own enjoyment during the long break between the spring and fall semesters. Each contributor also shared a few thoughts about their choice.
When We Were the Kennedys: A Memoir from Mexico, Maine by Monica Wood
“My sister recommended Wood’s books several years ago, and, after participating in USM Reads book discussion with ‘How to Read a Book,’ I decided to read her other books. Wood’s memoir about how her father’s unexpected death affected her family is poignant and beautifully crafted.”
— Dr. Melinda Butler
Assistant Professor of Literacy Education
Chair of the Department of Literacy, Language, and Culture
Poetry Is Not a Luxury by Audre Lorde
“Starting the month of April, I have been reevaluating the things I have been doing and realized that I need to try out poetry. I must say ChatGPT suggested me trying out poetry since I liked sonnets as a teenager. I bought two poetry books, and this one talked to me at the Longfellow bookstore. Every morning, I flip to random pages and read about three poems — one resonates more than the others.”
— Dr. Ashanthi Maxworth
Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman
“The story re-awakened my youthful love of medieval folklore, and ‘The Bright Sword’ was the answer to my heart’s yearning. Lev Grossman puts Arthurian England in its multicultural context, with ordinary human characters who aren’t sure what to do when the order of the round table is threatened by chaos.”
— Jill Piekut Roy
Special Collections Librarian
Living on Earth: Forests, Corals, Consciousness, and the Making of the World by Peter Godfrey-Smith
“I’ve been particularly interested in unpacking ideas of deep geological time. Tying the notion of consciousness to the emergence and subsequent evolution of life on Earth is intriguing to me. The question ‘What is consciousness?’ is fundamental to any reasonable notion of purposeful action. And one of the defining characteristics of life is purposeful action. I’m an Earth scientist, so I’m intrigued to learn what a philosopher and historian makes of this.”
— Dr. Matthew Bampton
Professor and Chair of Geography-Anthropology
Three Horizons: The Patterning of Hope by Bill Sharpe
“In a world that’s growing more complex and constantly shifting, it’s getting harder to plan with purpose. Sharpe’s model helps us understand change as non-linear, showing how the short term, long term, and the transitional space in between each have distinct, and sometimes competing, characteristics. By mapping these out, we can become more adaptable and better navigate those tensions. Highly recommended for anyone diving into strategic planning this summer!”
— Dr. Andy Osheroff
Director of the Career and Employment Hub
Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert by Bob the Drag Queen
“This book brings together some of my favorite things: Harriet Tubman (I’m a 19th-century historian, and Harriet Tubman is one of my heroes) and reality TV (Bob the Drag Queen was one of the best players on ‘Traitors’). I won’t be able to do the book justice, but the premise is that Harriet Tubman and four people she helped lead to freedom from slavery travel through time to create a hip-hop album about her life. Harriet enlists the help of a gay hip-hop producer to tell her story. The book weaves together themes of racial equality, LGBTQ+, and liberation in thought-provoking ways to address the issues we face today.”
— Dr. Ashley Towle
Assistant Professor of History
Director of Women and Gender Studies
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
“A friend recommended ‘Let Them,’ saying it would help me better navigate my personal and professional life. That message resonated deeply with me at this stage in my life and career, where I’ve often found myself trying to manage the expectations, reactions, or opinions of others. Challenging me to ask the question, ‘Why does it matter or bother you?’ was empowering and allowed me to reflect on my past actions and work on improving what I can control…me and my emotions. It’s a book I’ll return to again and again, and I gave a copy to my spouse. We are having fun talking about the book and using the theory together.”
— Rodney Mondor
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
Dean of Students
Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson / A Different Kind of Power by Jacinda Ardern / Mark Twain by Ron Chernow
“I think I have a biography/memoir theme going this summer!”
— Dr. Jacqueline Edmondson
University President
Aflame: Learning from Silence by Pico Iyer
“Iyer’s latest book is about the power and importance of periods of silence and retreat, and what we can learn about ourselves and deeper mysteries of life in these practices. As I enter into a summer where I am taking extended periods of time off, I’m eager to read and practice being in silence.”
— Dr. Libby Bischof
Professor of History
University Historian
Executive Director of the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education
I Leoni di Sicilia by Stefania Auci
“I’m reading…an Italian novel about the Florio family who became huge wine and spice merchants in Palermo. It was turned into a series that is (streaming) on Disney+, and it is all of the rage in Italy to read.”
— Dr. Malinda Haslett
Associate Professor and Director of Vocal Studies
Artistic Director of the Osher Opera Theater
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
“Like its predecessor (‘David Copperfield’ by Charles Dickens), this novel is the fictional autobiography of an orphan boy scraping by on the edges of society, in his case, rural West Virginia from the 1990s to early 2020s, i.e., straight through the opioid epidemic, which hovers around the margins of his childhood before dominating the lives of his extended family and friends in the region. Demon’s other literary forebear is ‘Huckleberry Finn’ and shares with Huck an authentic voice. It’s just a great portrait of a funny, smart, and interesting person and a region too easily reduced to caricature.”
–Dr. Jane Kuenz
Professor of English
Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
How to Research Like a Dog: Kafka’s New Science by Aaron Schuster
“This book combines three of my favorite things: dogs, philosophy, and Kafka. Starting with Kafka’s little story, ‘Investigations of a Dog,’ this book looks into the figure of dogs from Plato to Kafka and what our representations of animals tell us about ourselves and our relationship to the world. In doing so it explores the intersections between literature, philosophy, and science.”
— Dr. Jason Read
Professor of Philosophy
Chair of Liberal Studies-Humanities and the Philosophy Department