That sounds good. It depends so very much on the group you get, not least of all on their economical condition and their social background. Identity matter (including race and gender) should interest most of them. Also sports, (races, maybe as a metaphor for something bigger).Hey guys, so I'm looking for a short, interesting, NON-fiction book to assign to my college freshmen in the Fall. Due to the requirements for this particular class, I cannot assign fiction, which kills me.
I was thinking of Jon Krakauer but his books are a bit on the longer side (I am looking for things within the 200-250 pp. range).
These kids are coming fresh out of high school, are reluctant readers, and probably skip half the reading assignments anyway, which I can't do anything about, ?
So ideally the book should be sufficiently short, focusing on issues that very young people can easily relate to, nothing too complex, and something they can (hopefully) write their final paper about.
Right now I am thinking of assigning Amin Maalouf's In the Name of Identity: Violence and the Need to Belong (at 175 pp.), but I'm worried it might not hold their attention for very long, ?
I wonder if any of John McPhee's books would work. He is particularly easy to read and I've always found him pretty interesting as well. He wrote many relatively smaller books on any number of fascinating subjects.... Even the subjects that are more time-bound are timeless in their way and god knows he wrote on an astonishingly wide variety of topics. Best of all, they all (or at least a very large number of them) still seem to be in print.Hey guys, so I'm looking for a short, interesting, NON-fiction book to assign to my college freshmen in the Fall. Due to the requirements for this particular class, I cannot assign fiction, which kills me.
I was thinking of Jon Krakauer but his books are a bit on the longer side (I am looking for things within the 200-250 pp. range).
These kids are coming fresh out of high school, are reluctant readers, and probably skip half the reading assignments anyway, which I can't do anything about, ?
So ideally the book should be sufficiently short, focusing on issues that very young people can easily relate to, nothing too complex, and something they can (hopefully) write their final paper about.
Right now I am thinking of assigning Amin Maalouf's In the Name of Identity: Violence and the Need to Belong (at 175 pp.), but I'm worried it might not hold their attention for very long, ?
I never realized I could possibly find the citrus industry interesting until I read Oranges by John McPhee. I still recall reading that entire trees are harvested at the same time. The oranges you miss picking while in the tree, but later see clearly from the ground are called "shiners." I also enjoyed his book about the headmaster of a New England prep school that McPhee attended as a high school student. Tommy, a childhood friend of mine, graduated from that school (Deerfield Academy). I used to be so jealous when I visited Tommy because the campus was beautiful and my parents didn't have the means to send me there. You’d think I’d avoid books and films about private boarding schools, but I’m actually drawn to them. Some of my favorites include Old School by Tobias Wolff as well as the films School Ties and The Dead Poet’s Society.I wonder if any of John McPhee's books would work. He is particularly easy to read and I've always found him pretty interesting as well. He wrote many relatively smaller books on any number of fascinating subjects.... Even the subjects that are more time-bound are timeless in their way and god knows he wrote on an astonishingly wide variety of topics. Best of all, they all (or at least a very large number of them) still seem to be in print.
This would be good. I think A Girl's Memory, about adolescent sexual initiation and consent, is likely to be interesting to a lot of students.with Ernaux, maybe her abortion chronicle(s)?
Based on what Liam has said, The Argonauts is probably a good bet. As a grad student, I sat in on an LGBT lit course for undergrads, and they all loved that book.I've now realised the synopses I've found don't necessarily cover the main topics of the books. In The Argonauts, for instance, Harry Dodge is a trans person; In In the Dream House the said, toxic, relationship is a lesbian one.
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut is the first example that comes to mind for me. Chilean Poet by Alejandro Zambra also fits this description from memory. Both highly recommended.I was looking for recommendations of books in which there are constant, abrupt jumps forwards in time; it can be a family saga, or something else, as long as it keeps its attention focused on some character(s) while, from chapter to chapter, a long amount of time has passed. I'm thinking of something like Primeval and Other Times (Tokarczuk) or One Hundred Years of Solitude (García Márquez). The tone being compassionate, warm, and poignant. Seemingly obvious examples are welcome, for, as much as I may have heard of a given book, classic or otherwise, I may be unfamiliar with its structure.
As another, more popular, example, I can point the House of the Dragon series, in which from one episode to the next dozens of years have passed, characters have aged, others died, and so on and so forth.
Thanks
Edit: I accept short stories recommendations as well. I've just thought of some of Munro's pieces that fit the description, following a whole life in a few dozens of pages.
Love the Vonnegut and the Faulkner, both of which I've read kind of a long time ago...Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut is the first example that comes to mind for me. Chilean Poet by Alejandro Zambra also fits this description from memory. Both highly recommended.
I'll keep thinking
Edit: The Green House by Vargas Llosa and The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner have big leaps, but I wouldn't really describe either as warm or compassionate. Virginia Woolf's Orlando traverses centuries, but I haven't read it so I don't know what the tone is like.
You're welcome!I've been meaning to read more Vargas Llosa, so that could be an incentive to finally doing it.
Mircea Cărtărescu, SolenoidI was looking for recommendations of books in which there are constant, abrupt jumps forwards in time; it can be a family saga, or something else, as long as it keeps its attention focused on some character(s) while, from chapter to chapter, a long amount of time has passed. I'm thinking of something like Primeval and Other Times (Tokarczuk) or One Hundred Years of Solitude (García Márquez). The tone being compassionate, warm, and poignant. Seemingly obvious examples are welcome, for, as much as I may have heard of a given book, classic or otherwise, I may be unfamiliar with its structure.
As another, more popular, example, I can point the House of the Dragon series, in which from one episode to the next dozens of years have passed, characters have aged, others died, and so on and so forth.
Shishkin's Maidenhair is also a good example, covering basically the entire 20th century in Russia's history.Mikhail Shishkin - The Light and the Dark
The film looks promising, and it has motivated me to move the novel to the top of my to-be-read pile.Maybe "A Whole Life" by Austrian author Robert Seethaler. I loved it and it is only about 150 pages.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Seethaler
Just found out that there is also a movie out of the story, Here is the trailer , spoken in German, but with cc in English;
TRAILER - A Whole Life (2023)
At the turn of the 20th century, a young orphan named Andreas Egger is sent to a valley where he will spend most of his life. Over eight decades, his life will be marked by poverty, war and violence, but also moments of bliss and love.mubi.com
Thank you for introducing me to this writer. His books seem very introspective, which is a quality I prize. Looking at his novel The Field though, it struck me as being eerily similar to the Irish book Cré na Cille, though the tone is apparently very different. The Irish novel is more of a satire and a biting take-down of small village politics and the Austrian one is more introspective and tinged with nostalgia. An interesting parallel though!Maybe "A Whole Life" by Austrian author Robert Seethaler.
Yes. Short interesting novel..Maybe "A Whole Life" by Austrian author Robert Seethaler. I loved it and it is only about 150 pages.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Seethaler
Just found out that there is also a movie out of the story, Here is the trailer , spoken in German, but with cc in English;
TRAILER - A Whole Life (2023)
At the turn of the 20th century, a young orphan named Andreas Egger is sent to a valley where he will spend most of his life. Over eight decades, his life will be marked by poverty, war and violence, but also moments of bliss and love.mubi.com