For this week’s summer reading, we’re hearing from Ky Huddleston, Pitts’ Resource Sharing Coordinator. If you’ve accessed course reserves, received an interlibrary loan book or scan, or visited the circulation desk during his shifts, you’ve encountered Ky and his work. Let’s see how Ky entertains himself outside the world of resource sharing:
Ky’s first recommendation is Crush by Richard Siken. Crush was the 2004 winner of the Yale Younger Poets prize and the 2005 winner of the Thom Gunn Award for Gay Poetry, sponsored by The Publishing Triangle. Currents of obsession and panic carry through Siken’s verse as he explores topics of love, pain, and violence. Described as “a powerful, confessional, erotic [poetry] collection,” Crush will leave readers breathless and invigorated.
Crush is available at Emory Libraries and Dekalb County Public Library.
Next up, Ky recommends The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt. Drawing from research in evolutionary biology, psychology, and the social sciences, The Righteous Mind seeks to disentangle moral ideas of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ from political and religious leanings. Rather than focusing on the political and religious opinions themselves, Haidt explains how we come to our beliefs and why we believe them so strongly while others feel just as strongly about their opposing beliefs. Despite the contentious topics and depth of research, reviewers find Haidt’s work accessible and compelling.
The Righteous Mind is available at Emory Libraries and Dekalb County Public Library.
The final book on Ky’s list is Transgender History by Susan Stryker. Stryker chronologically details transgender history through major movements, writings, events, and figures. The book begins at the conclusion of World War II with transsexual and transvestite communities, tracing through each subsequent era to connect to the identity politics and gender issues of today. This second edition, published in 2017, revises, updates, and expands the original 2008 text. Stryker’s history provides a detailed timeline through American transgender history from the middle of the twentieth century to today and provides a solid foundation on which to build and explore further.
Transgender History is available at Emory Libraries and Dekalb County Public Library.
Last, but not least, Ky recommends The Magnus Archives, a fictional horror podcast from The Rusty Quill. The series begins with Jonathan Sims stepping into his new role as head archivist of the Magnus Institute, where he encounters every kind of strange, esoteric, and sometimes downright creepy collection materials. Jonathan and his team work their way through the archives, recording existing files into an audio format and adding their own research. About the archival files, the creators write, “Individually, they are unsettling. Together they begin to form a picture that is truly horrifying because as they look into the depths of the archives, something starts to look back…” This is a scary one, so listen at your own risk.
The Magnus Archives is available on The Rusty Quill’s website and streaming platforms where you find your favorite podcasts.
We hope you’re enjoying this series so far. Stay tuned for more summer reading recommendations from the faculty and staff at Pitts and Candler!
