November 18, 2009
Better: "inspires students to be, literally, better"

I am torn between saying “Yes, yes!” to Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance, and saying “NO, NO!” because I design both my English 205 (Business Writing) and 306 (Report Writing) syllabi around this book, and if they read it as freshmen, it’s going to be harder for me to use it, since it’ll be a “repeat.” But it’s AWESOME. Thought-provoking, inspiring, well-written. My students uniformly love it, don’t sell it back, recommend it to friends and family. It not only encourages reading and appreciation of good writing, but is the basis for great discussions and, even more importantly, I feel inspires students to be, literally, better—more ethical, more diligent, more motivated. It’s a winner.

Kathy Leslie

9:49pm  |   URL: http://csunreading.tumblr.com/post/249331665/better-inspires-students-to-be-literally-better
FILED UNDER: Better Gawande 
Curious Incident: "Big thumbs up"

I’ve taught The Curious Incident… several times and students respond enthusiastically to the mystery, the wit, and most significantly, to the insight into the mind of an autistic child. The book has that rare quality of being simultaneously accessible and challenging. Big thumbs up on this one.

Elyce Wakerman

8:18pm  |   URL: http://csunreading.tumblr.com/post/249237322/curious-incident-big-thumbs-up
FILED UNDER: Curious Incident Haddon 
Enrique's Journey: "an incredible story"

The semifinalists are some really exciting choices! I haven’t read them all but Enrique’s Journey is an incredible story that would really allow a lot of conversation around immigration, border issues, migrant workers, and Central American culture. It’s a wonderful read! That’s my personal pick :)

Erica L. Lovano McCann
Special Projects Coordinator
Office of Student Housing

8:16pm  |   URL: http://csunreading.tumblr.com/post/249234575/enriques-journey-an-incredible-story
FILED UNDER: Enrique's Journey Nazario 
October 30, 2009
The Curious Incident Of the Dog In The Night Time

I am confident that all books chosen by committee members are titles which represent some area where we would like our students to learn and grow. In many of the titles nominated, we can accomplish exactly that task.

With that said, The Curious Incident is a book that chronicles the quest of a boy with autism as he seeks to discover who killed his neighbor’s dog. In the process readers are taught about the daily fears and struggles of a person on the autism spectrum. This book fosters sensitivity and understanding and I highly recommend it! I think there is a certain level of maturity necessary to approach this book, but for those looking to gain that level of maturity, I think it is a great teacher!

-Andrew Belinfante

1:51pm  |   URL: http://csunreading.tumblr.com/post/228227923/the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time
October 28, 2009
Picking Cotton

Kitty offers her “two cents” (her phrase):
Here are two obvious sites to look at:

Reasons to choose the book:
  • The wrongful conviction issue is ongoing and pertinent.
  • The book provides both sides of the story and promotes justice (not to mention forgiveness).
  • The book opens the door to discussion (which can lead to papers, projects, etc) about the justice system, outdated policies used by law enforcement, race issues, friendships, the power of people/organizations to fight injustices and to make change, human rights, civil rights and duties, victim rights, etc.
  • It is accessible reading (and not preachy).
  • Author visits are available.
  • Televised interviews (60 Minutes) are available through the Internet.
  • The message of human resilience is strong.
  • The book is nonfiction.

11:22pm  |   URL: http://csunreading.tumblr.com/post/226697616/picking-cotton
October 27, 2009
Banker to the Poor

Banker to the Poor would be a great pick. Here is a bit from the publisher’s website:

“The simple idea of micro-loans is revolutionizing developing economies. Instead of lending large sums of money to often corrupt bureaucracies, economist Muhammad Yunus founded Grameen Bank to offer tiny sums, as little as $5, to individual craftspeople, tenant farmers, and subsistence entrepreneurs so they could keep themselves afloat between buying and selling. That was in 1983. Sixteen years later, with $2.5 billion being dispersed annually to more than two million families in rural Bangladesh and repayment rates close to 100 percent, Yunus is being hailed as the father of a new economic model that is bringing people out of poverty. In Banker to the Poor, Yunus explains why his program works.”

Yunus won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his work. This book delves into poverty and the world of micro-lending and focuses on positive solutions. This topic applies to several areas of discipline (Economics, Social Studies, Urban Studies, Sociology, Women’s Studies, Business, etc).

11:42am  |   URL: http://csunreading.tumblr.com/post/225077953/banker-to-the-poor
October 23, 2009
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

I am positive this book would work very well for us.  I’ve seen other campuses use it.  I liked it a lot.  Did I mention: don’t forget our posted Selection Criteria?  See http://www.csun.edu/afye/Criteria.html

6:45pm  |   URL: http://csunreading.tumblr.com/post/221416529/the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time
How to post your opinion about a title

  1. Go to the list of books nominated for 2010-11 at CSUN
  2. Jot down the title of the book you’re going to talk about.
  3. Write your opinion on the submission page form.
  4. Give me a little time to notice your post is waiting; when I see it, I’ll post it (unless it’s off-topic or otherwise unusable).

5:51pm  |   URL: http://csunreading.tumblr.com/post/222214261/how-to-post-your-opinion-about-a-title