Recommended reading: Summer reads from UWO faculty

The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing

“I read it the summer before my senior year of high school and it changed the way I thought about language, writing and women's lives.”

Jodi Eichler-Levine, Assistant Professor, Religious Studies

 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

"The Kite Runner is an engaging story about a young boy's friendship with a servant and relationship with his father. Forced to abandon his life of privilege during the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan for a life of hard-work and poverty in the United States, he struggles with cultural conflict, identity and ultimately redemption. The Kite Runner finds hope in a story of a people struggling against violence.”

 Eric Brunsell, Assistant Professor, Curriculum and Instruction

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
“This book is wacky, weird, intelligent, interesting and fun all at the same time. It follows a very amorous couple on their adventures from the eighth century to the 20th century, as they use a beet-derived elixir to maintain their immortality.”

 Paul Van Auken, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (translated by Alison Anderson)
“This book tells a wonderful story about friendship and the importance of not judging people by how they look. Full of fascinating characters, this book is written so well you’ll want to read and re-read it.”

  Susan McFadden, Professor, Psychology

Wench: A Novel by Dolen Perkins-Valdez“
Wench is about a group of black women in the pre-Civil War days. It is one of the best books I have read in a long time.”   

 Jane Wypiszynski, Senior Lecturer, Communications