Goucher Reads

Kathryn Dehler

1. Who are you and what are you interested in?

My name is Kathryn Dehler and I’m a junior American Studies major. I’m interested primarily in people—so I’m interested in history, philosophy, art, politics, language, literature, sociology, psychology, food, and most other things. Right now, I’m organizing my academic interests specifically around the criminal justice system, race, and capitalism. I work as an office assistant at the library and as a tutor at the Writing Center. I’m also interested in trees and the ocean and being around both as much as possible. 

I’m currently reading various texts for various classes and research: assorted essays by Martin Heidegger, The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison by Jeffrey Reiman, The Illusion of Free Markets: Punishment and the Myth of Natural Order by Bernard E. Harcourt. 

I’m taking a seminar on Heidegger right now, so reading his works throughout the class has been intellectually invigorating, and I recommend him to anyone grappling with the question of what it means to be (which is everyone, I would say, on some level). 
Reiman’s book is fascinating. He argues that the criminal justice system functions better today as a vehicle for perpetuating crime rather than for stopping it, and that it does this largely by creating an image of crime as the work of the poor. Very compelling, and very well-articulated.   

Harcourt’s book, which I’m about half-way through, discusses relationships between the economy, punishment and government intervention; he basically argues that “free markets” don’t really exist, and that free market ideology, in trying to be independent of government involvement, assigns the sphere of punishment as the legitimate place for exercising government power. It opens with this cool and fairly detailed history of market regulation in early France, which he then compares to current views of US market regulation, which is pretty interesting, especially if you’re interested in French history as I am.    

Levi Jones

1. Who are you and what are you interested in?

Levi A. Jones, a junior-ish Anthropology major. I’m interested in political science, history, trivia, Judaic studies, philosophy, death (as Woody Allen said in Annie Hall, “It is a very important subject!”), comic books, mixology, music and films that nobody cares about (but I ramble about them anyway), pet rodents, dog breeds, and absurdity.

2. What are you reading now?

A couple of things, actually.  Another Country by James Baldwin, Time Must Have a Stop by Aldous Huxley, and I’m finishing up Mourning and Celebration: Jewish, Orthodox and Gay Past and Present by K. David Brody. None of these are things that I have to read for classes, so I don’t have as much time to devote to them as I would like. Then there are all the essays, articles, and comic books (decided to re-read Vol.1 of Alan Moore’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen last night) that I go through…

3. What was the most important book you have ever read?

I’d say the combination of having read The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, The Complete Frank Miller Batman, and Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes all before I hit 5th grade probably ruined me for life (my father gave me these books). Aspects of those three books are pretty ingrained into my personality and thinking…So my family really wasn’t surprised when in early high school I became that weirdo who would read Arthur Rimbaud and William S. Burroughs. 

4. If you could suggest one book, what would it be and why?

Well, I read How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden over Spring Break.  It is a brilliantly written and drawn memoir of a politically-conscious young woman’s experience on a Birthright trip as she tried to deal with all the social and political grey areas, different accounts, and her own feelings.  I’m a big fan of autobiographical comics (and find it fantastic that more women are making them; I love Alison Bechdel’s and Ariel Schrag’s works) and think they should get more notice in the public eye.

Sam Rapine

1. Who are you and what are you interested in?

My name is Sam Rapine. I’m a sophomore at Goucher College, majoring in Political Science and eventually double majoring/minoring/something-ing in Russian. I’m interested in fencing, combat sports, history, policy, chess, reading (duh); anything that offers a challenge, mental or physical.In terms of reading, I tend to go about 1/4 fantasy/sci-fi, 1/4 historical/current events, 1/4 travel experiences, and 1/4 classics/mythologies/philosophical writings. As long as I learn something, I’ll be happy that I’d read a book.

2. What are you reading now?

Currently I’m enjoying Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher, a shamelessly satisfying sword-and-sandal pleasure read. I’m also switching off with The Main Enemy by Milt Beard and James Risen, a nonfiction narrative of the CIA’s role in the final days/curtain call of the Soviet Union. Also, The Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan, rest his soul. 

3. What was the most important book you have ever read?

Oh boy. For me, this most naturally breaks down by stages in my life. I have trouble refuting Green Eggs and Ham, in all honesty. It got the ball rolling, and that’s something whose importance can’t be overstated (It also helped me remember my name, so hey). I feel the Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman comes next, destroying so many notions that a 13-year-old accumulates—the books introduced the idea of an unhappy/bittersweet ending, the presence of morally ambiguous characters, and the idea that oftentimes the story only ends because the storyteller stopped writing. In my mid-teens I picked up The Gunslinger by Stephen King, and read the rest of the Dark Tower series in short order. Say what you’d like about the sensationalism around King’s writing, but that series asked some wonderfully captivating, relevant questions and didn’t bother sugarcoating them. This coincided with A Game of Thrones (and subsequently A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R.R. Martin, whose Tarantino-esque prose basically removed any reservations about gore, sex, and chaos I had in what I read. Finally, the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher helped to remind me that as important, gloomy, or grave as a situation can get, there’s probably something in there to laugh at. So four books/series is the closest I can get to one important book. I realize that all of them are fiction (although Green Eggs and Ham is debatable), so maybe that says something about my approach to reading. 

4. If you could suggest one book, what would it be and why?

That said, I think I would advise Kaboom by Matt Gallagher, the recollections of a soldier/blogger in the Iraq War. To me, it provided a more relevant account of the events playing out in the Middle-East than any media outlet, as well as a crystal-clear picture of why the war dragged on as long as it did. That, or Storm Front by Jim Butcher, because who doesn’t need a good laugh?

Gillian Ziegler

1. Who are you and what are you interested in?

My name is Gillian Ziegler and I am a sophomore history major with a pre law concentration. I am originally from Germany and have lived in the U.S. for almost six years now. The thing that I am most interested in is probably 20th century European, and specifically German history. Having family who fought on both sides of both world wars I have always heard a lot of stories and this has grown into a real academic interest and I love learning about periods of history where I know exactly that my forefathers were directly involved in. I am also really interested in constitutional law and specifically the supreme court. (I recommend Peter Irons’ A People’s History of the Supreme Court for anyone interested in this subject).

2. What are you reading now?

The book I am reading at the moment and one that keeps me enthralled in The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer. It’s essentially about the man Gary Gilmore who, in 1976, became the first person to be executed after the Supreme Court brought the death penalty back that same year. Mailer immerses himself completely in Gilmore’s story and by conducting an immense amount of interviews with family and friends. What I find so fascinating is that after having been given the death sentence, Gary Gilmore wanted to die, and the entire second section of the book, which is 1,200 pages long, deals with his trial and relatively short amount of time in prison. The other book that I’m reading is a biography of Otto von Bismarck titled Bismarck: a Life by UPenn history professor Jonathan Steinberg. It is an extremely new biography and really sets itself apart with the man himself and what kind of person he became.

3. What was the most important book you have ever read?

This is a really tough question to answer, and I don’t think that there is really one book that I could choose because it depends entirely on the context. Some of the great books that I’ve read and consider important are Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk To Freedom, Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels, and last but not least, Erich Maria Remarque’s Nichts Neues Im Westen (All Quiet On The Western Front). I consider them all so important because they illustrate a period of history that I believe everyone should know about. Each book in its own right shows to a certain degree the evils that some people are capable of, but they also partly show how different people have dealt with such situations and in some instances were either to overcome them, or in others be completely washed over by them and left to wither and die in the wake of ultimate destruction.

4. If you could suggest one book, what would it be and why?

If I had to choose one book to recommend, it would probably have to be All Quiet On The Western Front and for the reasons that I mentioned above.

Lawanda Cannon

1. Who are you and what are you interested in?

My name is Lawanda Cannon. I am a student library assistant at the Gocuher College library and I am an office assistant at Community living here on campus as well. I am a second semester junior, majoring in English and am trying to pursue a Sociology major in the fall. I am interested in music, poetry, and food.

2. What are you reading now?

As of right now the only books I read are in relation to my academics. I just finished a The Beggar’s Opera, a play by John Gay and I am currently reading a book of poetry titled Tell Me by Kim Addonizio. 

3. What is the most important book you have ever read?

The most important book I have ever read was called Strunk and White (also known as The Elements of Style). This book goes into great detail about the many grammer aspects of English. 

4. If you could suggest one book to read, what would it be and why?

I would suggest The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares. I know this is a recreational read and also a movie, but I feel that a lot can be learned about everyday human connections. 

Christy Dentler

1. Who are you and what are you interested in?

My name is Christy Dentler, and I’m a senior atGoucherCollege. I am an English and French major. I’m interested in literature, film, poetry, fashion, and photography. I don’t really have a particular favorite genre of literature. I love everything. 

2. What are you reading now?

I am currently reading Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth. It’s one of my favorites by her, and I am also reading a collection of short stories by Jean Stafford. Stafford is one of my favorite writers. An underrated author, she is not someone that I hear about too often. My favorite short story by her is called In the Zoo. She also wrote a great book called The Mountain Lion that I liked very much. 

3. What is the most important book you have ever read?

The most important book I have read would be Charlotte Bronte’s Villette. I identified deeply with the main character, Lucy Snowe. On the exterior, she appears to be very cold and quiet, but she is extremely intelligent, courageous, and passionate. She surprises not only those around her but also herself with her strength and boldness. The book reveals her inner life. Another book that was important to me was Journals of Sylvia Plath. While she remains to be controversial figure for many, reading about her experiences in college and her time abroad, and her work ethic as a writer inspired me to go college after taking a few years off after high school to pursue my own passions. 

4. If you could suggest one book, what would it be and why?

There are so many books I want to recommend, but I would say J.D. Salinger’s Franny and Zooey is a great read. The characters are so alive, and Salinger has such a distinct and familiar voice. When I read him I feel stability and comfort, and I believe that everything will turn out for the best and be okay. I don’t think I will ever outgrow J.D. Salinger. 

Ben Mueser

1. Who are you and what are you interested in?

My name is Ben Mueser, from Henniker, NH. I am a senior history major, with a minor in social and political theory. My interests are in political theory and philosophy. In political theory I am particularly interested in the concept and critique of sovereignty, and in philosophy I am especially interested in how the self and identity is created. 

2. What are you reading now?

Right now I am reading Invitation to a Beheading by Vladimir Nabokov. Its a novel about an absurd world and the protagonist’s (Cincinnatus C.) struggle to transcend the ludicrous prison he sits in while he waits to be executed for a nonexistent crime. It is both funny and interesting, but Nabokov’s style isn’t easy to get through sometimes, and I have not been exactly speeding through it. 

I am also reading a lot of social/political theory for a few different classes. At the moment, it includes: Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism; Michel Foucault, Society Must Be Defended, Power/Knowledge, The Birth of Biopolitics; Judith Butler, Gender Trouble. I am enjoying all of these texts, but the enormity of my reading load means that, unfortunately, I just can’t spend the time on each one that I would like to. 

 I can’t identify one book that is most important to me, but here are a few. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon is just the most wonderful and interesting story I have ever read, and is written in beautiful prose. The Great Gatsby has always been important to me, mostly because it was the first book that I read in high school that I got truly excited about and just loved to read more than once. The Fall by Albert Camus is important to me because the conclusion truly unsettled me, and made me feel personally uncomfortable, and affected me in an actual visceral way. The Master and Margarita by Mikhael Bulgakov is a hilarious and provocative story about the devil and his entourage coming to Moscow in the 1930s to perform a black magic show. I could list more, but lets leave it at that for now. 

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera is one of my favorite books. I have given away two copies already, and I always recommend another book by him as well, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting. I like Kundera for two reasons. First, because he addresses an anxiety of hedonism that is relevant for all of us whether we want to talk about it or not. Second, because I think he recognizes that as an author, he has the right to inject himself into his writing, but he does it elegantly and smoothly, so that throughout his writing you feel like you are learning an interesting story, but through a conversation with him. 

I also recommend The Lord of The Rings because its just straight up badass, beautiful, and brilliant. Also, Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy is an incredibly dark and foreboding tale of a band of indian scalp hunters on the Texas-Mexico border in the 1850s. Finally, I recommend The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway because its a book that, in my opinion, is impossible to read and not enjoy.