Chaparral 2024-2025: What Are You Reading?

Joanna Parypinski, ENGL says: Nathan Ballingrud’s The Strange is a love letter to the space western. In a retrofuture 1930s, Mars is colonized. Earth has gone silent. And thanks to the bizarre substance they’ve been mining called the Strange, the people are, themselves, becoming different—another haunted creature in a land of ghosts and machines gone mad. The beautiful way he plays with genre in this book is a treat. I've read Ballingrud's horror fiction and find his writing excellent. I was intrigued by the description of this one, as I love when writers play with and blend genres, especially elements of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. He recently published another genre-blending book called Crypt of the Moon Spider that I'm looking forward to reading!

Book Summary: 1931, New Galveston, Mars: Fourteen-year-old Anabelle Crisp sets off through the wastelands of the Strange to find Silas Mundt’s gang who have stolen her mother’s voice, destroyed her father, and left her solely with a need for vengeance.

Nick Sahakyan, Foreign Languages says: [Masks of God is] A systematic and fascinating comparison of the themes that underlie the art, worship, and literature of the Western world. I wanted to know more about mythology. I teach ancient Armenian literature which includes mythology.

Abby Sider, NCESL says: This book delves into how to communicate across ideological difference, which is a pressing issue to say the least. The short answer is to first ask questions and listen. The long answer involves being in community with people who think and live differently, so that we know each other as people to begin with. I often think that information alone will save the day, and books like this remind me again and again that we can't process information when our nervous system is hijacked by strong emotions. It's hard to navigate big gulfs in belief systems, but the author shows that it can be done.

Book Summary:
When you think you have the answers, you need to be asking a lot more questions--and embracing fearless curiosity. In this timely, personal guide, journalist Mónica Guzmán shows why curiosity is our best policy and how you can put it to work for you immediately, sharing practical tips from the trenches of the social, political, and cultural divides.

Andrea Zollman, Library says: The Main Street Vegan Podcast features more than 500 interviews with various voices from the vegan world. Bestselling author Victoria Moran engages guests that include authors, medical experts, activists, artists, and others in conversations about spirituality, health and fitness, activism, art, and entertainment. Whether you've been vegan for years or are just "vegan curious," this podcast will inform and educate you and provide an entertaining way to pass the time while commuting to work. I discovered this podcast last month and enjoy hearing Victoria Moran interview guests from across the vegan world. Even though I've followed a vegan diet and lifestyle for 23 years, I learn something new every time I listen. With episodes dating back to 2012, I doubt I'll run out of topics that interest and teach me something new about animal activism, veganism, health, fitness, spirituality, and more.

Mark Maier, Emeritus says: [Language City is a] Fascinating study of six disappearing languages, maintained by small groups in New York City and in homelands, both visited by the author.

Book Summary: Ross Perlin, a linguist and co-director of the Manhattan-based non-profit Endangered Language Alliance, is racing against time to map little-known languages across the most linguistically diverse city in history: contemporary New York. In Language City, Perlin recounts the unique history of immigration that shaped the city, and follows six remarkable yet ordinary speakers of endangered languages deep into their communities to learn how they are maintaining and reviving their languages against overwhelming odds. Perlin also dives deep into their languages, taking us on a fascinating tour of unusual grammars, rare sounds, and powerful cultural histories from all around the world.

Becka Cooling, Library says: This podcast is an interview with Richard Reeves who discusses his book Of Boys and Men, about how men and boys are falling behind in education, work, and social life. From the description: "We’re used to thinking about gender inequality as a story of insufficient progress for women and girls. There’s a good reason for that: Men have dominated human societies for centuries, and myriad inequalities — from the gender pay gap to the dearth of female politicians and chief executives — persist to this day. But Reeves’s core argument is that there’s no way to fully understand inequality in America today without understanding the ways that men and boys — particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds — are falling behind.I found this podcast and book while doing some research to prepare me for how to be a supportive aunt to my wonderful nephew, who is approaching teenagerhood. In an age when we still desperately need feminism, it's tempting to ignore boys' struggles. But that's how odious figures like Andrew Tate gain traction with young men; they offer (harmful) answers to their problems that are being ignored elsewhere. I also recommend Peggy Orenstein's Boys & Sex: Young Men on Hookups, Love, Porn, Consent, and Navigating the New Masculinity. We have both Orenstein and Reeves' books at the GCC Library.

Deb Diehl, FTVM says: This Other Eden is a historical novel about the last days of a tiny, racially integrated community off the coast of Maine, as its inhabitants are noticed, then hated, then evicted by the mainland government. Harding's prose is evocative and elegant, as are his depictions of the interpersonal and intrapersonal dynamics between the island's inhabitants. The last chapters are gorgeous and devastating. I like local color and historical fiction that offer divergent narratives about place and peoples.

Book Summary: This Other Eden is a powerful historical novel about the last days of a tiny, racially integrated community off the coast of Maine, as its inhabitants are noticed, then hated, then evicted by the mainland government. The islanders are poor, hungry, lawless, and incestuous, the children vulnerable to neglect and abuse.

Mike Dulay says:As an anthology, the book traces rap from 1978 to 2010. Each section offers biographical information about the rapper before the lyrics to two or three of their most popular (but not always best) songs. The forward and afterword are thoughtful and should not be missed. To get a good feel for where American Rap is today, put down the book and look up freestyles by Mysonne, Locksmith, or Bambu. This book provides insight for people who want to understand the cultural and poetic significance of rap music. It also offers joy for old hip hop heads who want to see the value in their lived experiences. Most significantly, it offers a doorway into the worlds of some of our students (and their parents!). This is vital, especially since the academy rarely celebrates hip hop and rap in the same way it treats choral or classical music.

Dulce Salcedo Lopez, Garfield Student Services says: If you are a horror nerd, and want to listen to a fantastic podcast that dissects films in the ever misunderstood genre of horror through an academic lens and connecting to scholarly stuff, give it a listen! I just love horror!

Podcast Summary: Tackling all things horror with a slash of analysis and research, horror journalists and occasional academics Andrea Subissati and Alexandra West are your hosts for brain-plumping discussions on all things that go bump in the night. Produced independently in Toronto, Ontario The Faculty of Horror is your best source for classic and contemporary horror film discussions that will haunt the libraries of your mind!

Romy Griepp, Sociology says: What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo is an emotionally challenging read, part autobiography and part scientific examination. But Foo's work is genuinely life altering, especially for those of us who experience(d) trauma. She weaves personal storytelling with empirical research on C-PTSD (complex post traumatic stress disorder). I wanted to learn more about C-PTSD.

Book Summary: In this deeply personal and thoroughly researched account, Stephanie interviews scientists and psychologists and tries a variety of innovative therapies with the determination and curiosity of an award-winning journalist. She returns to her hometown of San Jose, California, to investigate the effects of immigrant trauma on a community, she uncovers family secrets in the country of her birth, Malaysia, and learns how trauma can be inherited through generations. Ultimately, she discovers that you don't move on from trauma-but you can learn to move with it, with grace and joy.

Francien Rohrbacher, ENGL says: Comedian, actor, author, mother, eyewear aficionado and all-around badass Ali Wong wrote this book for her two daughters to provide them with advice and help them understand who they are by knowing their mother, father, grandparents and their Chinese/Vietnamese/American heritage and culture. Wong moves between memoir (sharing stories of her youth, college days, meeting her husband, traveling to Vietnam) and wisdom (bring your own disposable undergarments to the hospital when you're giving birth because the hospital undergarments are basically useless; if you've traveled with someone and you both have experienced intense diarrhea from eating bad food, you'll be friends for life). I found myself laughing, cringing, and nodding in agreement sometimes all at once) when I read this book. My BFF basically forced me to read it.

Romy Griepp, Sociology says: Deeply personal and pull-a-stomach-muscle hilarious, Leslie Jones' autobiography gives us insight into her raucous life. I recommend listening to the audiobook version, as its read by Jones and it contains hours of additional content not in the print version. This is one of the best autobiographies I've had the pleasure of consuming, so I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about sketch comedy, stand-up, and the whole of Jones' truly awesome life. I love Leslie Jones!

Deb Diehl, FTVM says: North Woods follows the inhabitants of a single house in New England over the course of several centuries, from the earliest American colonies to the present day. The home's inhabitants include a set of Puritan lovers, twin sisters, a crime reporter, a cougar, and a pair of mating beetles. Ideas about the power of place drew me to this book and the story, which explores themes of belonging and of being haunted, were a delightful surprise. The structure is also fun, as the tales for the different characters inventively wove together the story eras. One of my favorite books of 2024...so far.