In this summer of social distancing鈥攄istinguished by, among other things, a lack of live entertainment, such as theater, live music, and movies鈥攖hat perennial pastime, summer reading, has a newly energized appeal. Podcasts, virtual exhibits, music, and streaming films and theater productions are equally in demand. Here, 911爆料 professors share their tips for what to read, listen to, and watch.
鈥� Marybeth Reilly-McGreen
Holly Dunsworth, Associate Professor of Anthropology
READ
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey
Last summer we moved, leaving my garden鈥檚 colony of hundreds of snails behind. I miss 鈥渕y snails鈥� dearly鈥攅specially now, as I鈥檇 have days upon days to stare at them. I discovered so much about them by painting a dot on each snail鈥檚 shell, specific to the year鈥攕ome snails had four different colored dots! The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is a perfect lockdown science read. It鈥檚 the biography of a woman with a mysterious disease that keeps her bedridden; she becomes enthralled with a snail that her caregiver adds to a pot of wildflowers at her bedside.
Travis D. Williams, Associate Professor of English
READ
The Alchemist by Ben Jonson
The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio
For wit, scathing insults, physical comedy, and brilliant plot construction, Ben Jonson鈥檚 play, The Alchemist, is unsurpassed. Amid the humor, it tells a story about social class and how privilege dictates safety in a public health crisis. And The Decameron is a collection of stories about 10 wealthy young Florentines who “self-isolate” in the countryside during a plague outbreak. They entertain themselves by telling 100 short stories鈥攆rom farce to tragedy and from sexual to sublime. Each story is short, so consider enjoying a few each day鈥攁s delicious morsels before bed.
David Howard, Professor of Costume Design
LISTEN
Dressed: The History of Fashion (podcast)
American Duchess (podcast)
READ
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green
Dressed: The History of Fashion explores (mostly) under-discussed elements in the field, including a fascinating episode about the Battle of Versailles and one about Fashion Week. And don鈥檛 miss American Duchess鈥攎y favorite episode is 鈥淓nslaved People鈥檚 Dress in the 18th and 19th Century, with Cheyney McKnight.鈥� And A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is a must-read adventure/mystery sequel to Green鈥檚 last book, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, about the mysterious appearance all over the world of statues that do not “come in peace.鈥�
Rachel Walshe, Assistant Professor of Acting and Playwriting
WATCH
Shakespeare鈥檚 plays from the Globe
Broadway shows on PBS
Greta Gerwig’s Little Women
The Globe Theatre in London is offering many plays free online. My favorites are As You Like It and Measure for Measure. PBS just made several Broadway shows available free online, too, including In the Heights and Buried Child. And Greta Gerwig鈥檚 Little Women inspired me to reread Alcott’s book, which I enjoyed even more as an adult鈥攁nd you can see 911爆料 theater instructor Tony Estrella 鈥�93 as the March family鈥檚 doctor!
鈥淢y all-time favorites are As You Like It and Measure for Measure.鈥�Rachel Walshe
J. Jennifer Jones, Associate Professor of English
WATCH
Koyaanisqatsi
Philip Glass composed the music for this American experimental film in 1982, the same year he composed the New York Metropolitan Opera鈥檚 Akhnaten, and you can feel the connection. You鈥檒l be mesmerized by the dance between Glass鈥檚 musical composition and the images that evoke the relationship among humans, the Earth, and technology.
Sarah Eron, Associate Professor of English
VIRTUAL VISIT
鈥淗arry Potter: A History of Magic鈥�
READ
Books Books Books Books
鈥溾�� from the British Library will delight Harry Potter fanatics. There are even some modern lessons in “muggle magic.” But even though it鈥檚 strangely easy these days to listen to the symphony or “visit” a museum online from home, we’re all getting a bit too much screen time. So, consider reading paper books this summer鈥攐utside.
Emmett Goods, Lecturer, Department of Music
LISTEN
鈥淭he Otherside of America鈥�
Meek Mill
鈥淔罢笔鈥�
YG
鈥淭hey Don鈥檛鈥�
Nasty C featuring T.I.
鈥淚 Can鈥檛 Breathe鈥�
H.E.R
鈥淭he Bigger Picture鈥�
Lil Baby
鈥淲alking in the Snow鈥�
Run the Jewels
Freestyle on Black Lives Matter
(on YouTube)
LL Cool
I鈥檝e been listening to response music to the racial tension in America. LL Cool J was my wife鈥檚 favorite rapper (and crush), so I include him here in her memory. But also because, in the late 1980s, LL wrote a song about being racially profiled and pulled over by the police. Many artists of his generation made the shift from 鈥渞ap artist鈥� to 鈥減op star鈥� and we often forget how political their music was before their stardom. All of these tracks and artists provide unique perspectives on social and political issues, including race and policing. South African rapper Nasty C shows that America isn鈥檛 the only country dealing with racial inequality.
Martha Elena Rojas, Associate Professor of English
READ
White Fragility: Why It鈥檚 So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garc铆a M谩rquez
There There by Tommy Orange
On Earth We鈥檙e Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel Miller
Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz
Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine
White Fragility gave me better conceptual language for how to talk about structural racism and our own complicity with upholding white supremacy. Follow up with Ibram X. Kendi鈥檚 How to Be an Antiracist. Then keep reading.
Justin Wyatt, Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Film/Media
WATCH
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman: The Complete Series
Ingmar Bergman鈥檚 Cinema
The complete Mary Hartman series on DVD offers 135 hours of soap opera satire from the mid-1970s and a skewed world view that is memorable, disturbing, and amusing. Ingmar Bergman鈥檚 Cinema, from the Criterion Collection, includes all 39 of the great Swedish director鈥檚 films. Start with black-and-white classics like The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, and Persona鈥攓uestioning identity, existence, and the meaning of life, then move to the serious version of Mary Hartman, Scenes from a Marriage.
Brian Caccioppoli, Marine Research Specialist, Graduate School of Oceanograpy
READ
Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan
LISTEN
StarTalk (podcast)
Barbarian Days is the ultimate coming-of-age surf adventure/wanderlust story. It鈥檚 a great read while we are confined to our homes. And StarTalk, hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, blends science and pop culture, examining everyday scientific principles in a light, comedic way.
Bryan Dewsbury, Assistant Professor of Biology
READ
Tales of Two Americas: Stories of Inequality in a Divided Nation edited by John Freeman
Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools by Jonathan Kozol
Tales of Two Americas is a collection of nonfiction and poetry from some of America’s best writers reflecting on their experiences of inequality in major U.S. cities. A welcome addition to understanding inequity through personal narrative. Savage Inequalities is a bit dated, but the lesson on how social contexts yield inequitable social outcomes is still powerful. 鈥�
Photos: Larry Philpot, soundstagephotography.com; Creative Commons.
Book recommendations from 911爆料 professors is fantastic. Now is the time I am reading more than ever and catching up on books that have been piling up, column style, in my den waiting to be read. I love recommendations, so I really appreciate this article.