book in grass with the text summer reading overlaid

Summer Reading, No.1: Armin Siedlecki

Pitts’ Head of Cataloging and Rare Book Cataloger, Armin Siedlecki, has seen thousands of books pass through his office and into the collection. What in particular has grabbed his attention this summer? 

The first winner is The Dawn of Everything: a New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow (Penguin Books 2022). Published after Graeber’s unexpected death in 2020, this book offers new insights about the origins of human society, the beginnings of inequality and social organization. Graeber and Wengrow argue that the traditional social evolutionary model does not match the material evidence and that the two most common theories of the relationship between individual and community—Rousseau’s idea of the innocent individual corrupted by culture and society and Hume’s suggestion that the society is the results of attempts by individuals to protect themselves in a life that is nasty, brutish and short—are an overly simplified dichotomy of a much more complex anthropological history. The book is iconoclastic as it questions several sacrosanct assumptions of contemporary scholarship and should be read critically, but its challenges are convincingly argued and well supported. It is a stimulating read that compels the reader to reevaluate commonly held ideas and to develop new perspectives on the beginnings of human societies. Find this book at Emory or your local library! 

Armin also recommends Hillary Mantel’s The Mirror and the Light (London: 4th Estate, 2021) which concludes her trilogy about the life of Thomas Cromwell. After describing Cromwell’s rise in Wolf Hall which ended with the beheading of Thomas Moore and his consolidation of power in Bring up the Bodies which ended with the beheading of Anne Boleyn, The Mirror and the Light concludes with Cromwell’s fall from royal favor and his own beheading. Mantel’s ability to describe historical figures as complex, life-like literary characters is undiminished in this third novel, which is meticulously researched and very entertaining to read. Find this book at Emory or your local library

Like what you see? Tune in next week for more suggestions from Pitts and Candler staff and faculty!

Summer Reading, vol. 9: Abigail Chewning

If you’re a student employee at Candler School of Theology, you’ll probably recognize this week’s contributor to the summer reading recommendation series! Abigail Chewning not only coordinates student employment at Candler, but also performs admissions data analysis and CRM system management among other duties. Abigail gives us a great mix of suggestions that that appeal a variety of interests.

Abigail’s first recommendation is “a quick and easy read that will honestly make you laugh and cry with every page turn.” Born a Crime by South African comedian, political commentator, and television host Trevor Noah is a New York Times bestseller. This collection of stories follows Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show that began with a criminal act: his birth. Emory users can access this audiobook through Overdrive or purchase in another format online

Another book Abigail “couldn’t put down” this summer is Susannah Cahalan’s Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness. Also a New York Times bestseller, this book reads like a nonfiction thriller and is written by the victim of a rare and terrifying disease who miraculously survives. Read or listen to her harrowing story online through Emory or through your local public library.

Abigail’s third suggestion, A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki, was “hailed by critics and academics everywhere as a dramatic new retelling of our nation’s past.” This book engages the voice of non-Anglo peoples of the United States, and consequently Abigail deems it a “mandatory reading for all Americans.” Find this book on the shelves at Emory at your local library, or online for purchase.

Among all her suggestions, Abigail’s “all-time favorite book” is the acclaimed The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls. Remaining on the New York Times bestseller list for over seven years, this memoir documents a fight by the children of Rex and Rose Mary Walls to carve out a successful life on their own terms. Find this book at Emory, or watch the story unfold in the 2017 major motion picture.

For those who like to laugh and learn about new and unique topics, Abigail concludes her suggestions on a lighter note with the podcast Getting Curious by Jonathan Van News. This American hairdresser, podcaster, and television personality invites the listeners to ask those questions they’ve always wondered about in a variety of fields, from political theory to amphibiology. Jonathan engages with experts weekly to explore all things under the sun, and you can too through Apple Podcasts and other audio platforms!

Stay tuned for next week’s recommendations from Director of the Library, Richard (Bo) Manly Adams, Jr! 

Summer Reading, vol. 6: Brady Beard

Reading recommendations this week come from the shelves and playlists of Pitts’ Reference & Instruction Librarian, Brady Alan Beard! Brady not only manages Pitts’ reference services for the Candler and Emory communities, but is also finishing his dissertation as a candidate in Emory’s Graduate Division of Religion Hebrew Bible program. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him leading instructional sessions, conducting research consultations, or searching for access to remote resources for Emory faculty, students, and staff. 

Brady’s first recommendation falls in line with his doctoral discipline, Dress and Clothing in the Hebrew Bible: For All Her Household are Clothed in Crimson, edited by Antonios Finitsis (T&T Clark, 2019). This book explores one of the most basic and fundamental aspects of human life in the Bible, clothing. Brady explains that until he read this book, he “hadn’t fully realized the importance of clothing in the Bible.” The essays in this collection bring together “dress studies” and biblical studies to help readers understand how dress and clothing impact biblical narrative. This book represents a growing area of biblical studies, and Brady recommends it to anyone interested in a fresh scholarly conversation. Readers can find this book at Emory, other academic libraries, or for purchase online.

Take a break from the books with Bradys next suggestion, I Am Not Your Negro (Madmen Entertainment, 2016), an Oscar-nominated film based on a 1979 letter that James Baldwin, the eminent Black writer, sent to his book agent. The letter describes what would have been his next project, “Remember This House,” which would have explored the assassinations of  Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr., all three, close friends of Baldwin. The film, narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, places Baldwin’s letter alongside video clips and images from Baldwin’s life and time, juxtaposed against contemporary images and clips. Brady remarks that the result is a “compelling and insightful essay-like film that depicts Baldwin’s piercing cultural and historical analysis at its best.” Emory users can view this film online, and others can stream it for free at pbs.org.

Brady’s last recommendation is Dolly Parton’s America. This podcast, hosted by Jad Abumrad and produced by Shima Oliaee at WNYC Studies, is a nine-part series documenting the life of Dolly Parton and her lasting impact on American culture and music. The podcast opens a window not just into Dolly’s life, music, and enormous personality, but also into Southern culture, religion, and politics. Each episode includes interviews with friends, relatives, “Dolly scholars,” and the woman herself. As you might expect, Brady calls this podcast “as fun as it is insightful!” Listen for free online at www.wnycstudios.org or on Apple Podcasts.

Next week we look forward to highlighting suggestions from Director of the Library, Richard (Bo) Manly Adams, Jr. Catch up on all suggestions from this summer at pitts.emory.edu/blog!