7.0235 Unrequired Reading List -- Univ at Buffalo (1/396)

Elaine Brennan (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Mon, 18 Oct 1993 09:39:40 EDT

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 7, No. 0235. Monday, 18 Oct 1993.

Date: Fri, 08 Oct 1993 16:50:31 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Peter S. Gold" <PROPETER@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu>
Subject: UNIV BUFFALO LIST OF UNREQUIRED READING - as requested

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UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE,
LIST OF UNREQUIRED READING

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The Undergraduate College of the State University of New York at
Buffalo created the List of Unrequired Reading by asking
professors, librarians, advisers, and administrators from the
University at Buffalo an unusual question. Instead of asking
"What are The Great Books that all students should read?" we
asked for a more personal recommendation: "What have you enjoyed
reading? What books have been important to you, as a scholar and
as a person?"

Their answers may surprise you. Plato, Dante, and Emerson did
not make the final list--but a cookbook, a science fiction novel,
an account of a famous scientific expedition, and a history of
Coney Island did. Some of the books on the list were published a
year or two ago, while a few have been around for over a century.

Out of nearly two hundred nominations, the Selection Committee
chose 48 books for this list--enough to keep students reading for
pleasure, at a rate of one book per month, for four years of
their college careers. We hope you'll enjoy reading these books
as much as we enjoyed reading them and building this list.
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Please send your comments or requests for a poster to the
Undergraduate College, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
14260-1607, or PROPETER@UBVMS.CC.BUFFALO.EDU.

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The List of Unrequired Reading is brought to you by the
Undergraduate College, the Office of Student Life, the Oscar A.
Silverman Undergraduate Library (UGL), Lockwood Memorial Library
(LML), the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, and the Vice
President for Student Affairs. This is a 1993 "September
Welcome" gift to new and returning undergraduates.

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"One good book a month for four years [of college]" is the theme
*********************************************************

--Each title on the list also includes the name and affiliation
of the recommender and the Library of Congress call number.
--Also included are comments about many of the books from the
recommenders.
--A list of the Selection Committee is provided.

**********LIST OF UNREQUIRED READING***********


*******Fiction*******

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart.
Claude Welch, Political Science
UGL & LML: PR 6051 C5 T4

Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale.
Barbara Bono, English
UGL & LML: PR 6051 T9 H3

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451.
Jeanette Ludwig, Modern Languages
UGL & LML: PS 3503 R167 F2

Dunn, Katherine. Geek Love.
Stephen Bradley, Music
UGL & LML: PS 3554 U47 G4

Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man.
James Bono, History
UGL & LML: PS 3555 L625 I5

Fowles, John. The French Lieutenant's Woman.
Jeannette Ludwig, Modern Languages
UGL & LML: PR 6056 O85 F7

Heller, Joseph. Catch 22.
Charles Fourtner, Biology, and Mark Kristal, Psychology
UGL & LML: PS 3558 E476 C3

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird.
Gerald Rising, Learning and Instruction
UGL & LML: PS 3562 E4 T6

Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon.
Judith Adams, Lockwood Library, and William Fischer,
English
UGL & LML: PS 3563 O8749 S6

Paton, Alan. Cry the Beloved Country.
Barbara Bono, English
UGL & LML: PR 6031 A757 C7

Rolvaag, O.E. Giants in the Earth.
Jeannette Ludwig, Modern Languages
UGL & LML: PT 9150 R55 I213

Silko, Leslie Marmon. Ceremony.
James Bono, History
LML: PS 3569 I44 C4

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Gerald Rising, Learning and Instruction
UGL & LML: PS 1305 A1

Vonnegut, Kurt. Cat's Cradle.
Stephen Bradley, Music
UGL & LML: PS 3572 O5 C3


*******History*******

Boorstin, Daniel. The Discoverers.
Charles Ebert, Geography
UGL & LML: CB 69 B66

Baraka, Imamu Amiri (LeRoi Jones). Blues People.
William Fischer, English
UGL: ML 3556 J73

Brown, Dee Alexander. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.
Charles Fourtner, Biology
UGL & LML: E 81 B75

Carter, Howard. The Tomb of Tutankhamen.
Fred See, English
UGL & LML: DT 87.5 C4

Kasson, John F. Amusing the Million: Coney Island at the Turn
of the Century.
Judith Adams, Lockwood Library
UGL: F 129 C75 K37

Mattingly, Garrett. The Armada.
Orville Murphy, History
UGL & LML: DA 360 M3

Mumford, Lewis. The City in History.
Alfred D. Price, Planning and Design
UGL & LML: HT 111 M8

Tuchman, Barbara. The Guns of August.
Charles Ebert, Geography
UGL & LML: D 530 T8


*******Psychology and Social Relations********


Axelrod, Robert. The Evolution of Cooperation.
Newton Garver, Philosophy
UGL & LML: HM 131 A89 1984

Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique.
Ruth Meyerowitz, Women's Studies
UGL & LML: HQ 1420 F7

Goffman, Erving. Stigma.
Ann McElroy, Anthropology
UGL & LML: BF 727 H3 G6

Mayeroff, Milton. On Caring.
Ann Hicks, Student Life
UGL & LML: BV 4639 M36

Rogers, Carl. On Becoming a Person.
Charles Behling, Psychology
UGL & LML: BF 173 R64

Sheehy, Gail. Passages.
Mary Anne Rokitka, Physiology
UGL & LML: HQ 1064 U5 S522

Tannen, Deborah. You Just Don't Understand.
Clyde Herreid, Biology
UGL & LML: HQ 734 T24


*******Science*******

Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring.
Gerald Rising, Learning and Instruction
UGL & LML: SB 959 C3

Darwin, Charles. Voyage of the Beagle.
Charles Fourtner, Biology, and Clyde Herreid, Biology
UGL & LML: QH 11 D2

Dyson, Freeman. Disturbing the Universe.
Warren Barbour, Anthropology
UGL & LML: QC 16 D95 A33

Gould, Stephen J. The Mismeasure of Man.
Clyde Herreid, Biology
UGL & LML: BF 431 G68

Kidder, Tracy. The Soul of a New Machine.
Judith Adams, Lockwood Library
UGL: TK 7885.4 K53

Kuhn, Thomas. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (2nd ed.).

Hugh Petrie, Graduate School of Education, and Roger Des
Forges, History
UGL & LML: Q 175 K95

McPhee, John. Coming Into the Country.
John Dings, English
UGL & LML: F 910 M29

Thomas, Lewis. The Lives of a Cell.
Michael Metzger, Modern Languages, and John Dings, English
UGL & LML: QH 307.2 T4


*******Biography and Autobiography*******

Chesnut, Mary B. A Diary From Dixie.
Karen Noonan, Undergraduate Academic Services
UGL & LML: E 487 C52

Churchill, Winston. My Early Life.
Rowland Richards, Civil Engineering
UGL & LML: DA 566.9 C5 A3

Cousins, Norman. Anatomy of an Illness.
Michael Hudecki, Biology
UGL & LML: RC 924 C65

Feynman, Richard. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!.
Robert Daly, English, and Mary Anne Rokitka, Physiology
UGL & LML: QC 16 F49 A37

Kerouac, Jack. On The Road.
David Gerber, History
UGL & LML: PS 3521 E735 O6

Robinson, Roxana. Georgia O'Keeffe: A Life.
Karen Noonan, Undergraduate Academic Services
UGL: N 6537 O39 R64

Wright, Richard. Black Boy.
Stefan Fleischer, English
UGL & LML: PS 3545 R815 Z5 1950

*******Other*******

Bierce, Ambrose. The Devil's Dictionary.
Warren Barbour, Anthropology, and Mark Kristal,
Psychology
UGL & LML: PS 1097 D4

Leopold, Aldo. Sand County Almanac.
Rowland Richards, Civil Engineering
UGL: QH 81 L56

Pirsig, Robert. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
Margaret Wells, Undergraduate Library
UGL & LML: CT 275 P648 A33

Rombauer and Becker. The Joy of Cooking.
Orville Murphy, History
UGL: TX 715 R67 COMMENTS BY RECOMMENDERS

The Devil's Dictionary is as true today as it was 100 years ago
when it was written.
--Warren Barbour

Stigma is a really focused book whose central themes helped me
(as an undergraduate) integrate what I was learning from a mix of
anthropology, psychology, and sociology courses.
--Ann McElroy

I read The Joy of Cooking as a "how-to" manual that is clear,
explains the vocabulary, and introduces students to the many
cultures that inform our society.
--Orville Murphy

There are maybe 5000 books in my library, but I knew exactly
where to go for The Tomb of Tutankhamen--virtually could have put
my hand on it in the dark.
--Fred See

In my opinion, no one should leave college without reading at
least one Kurt Vonnegut book. He is one of the most keen
observers of the Human Condition in print today (and terribly
funny at the same time).
--Stephen Bradley

I recommend Giants in the Earth because the hard work and the
sense of community of the early settlers give a spectacular
insight into American values today. Per Hansa and his wife Beret
are unforgettable.
--Jeannette Ludwig

I believe that Things Fall Apart is the best novel dealing with
"traditional" Africa.
--Claude Welch

On the Road is the sad, funny, manic, and deeply felt narrative
of Kerouac's own search for an ethical, meaningful way to live.
--David Gerber

I really enjoyed historian John Kasson's lighthearted look at
thepyrotechnic insanitarium of Coney Island: Coney as a
marvelous democratic force, the place that made America "feel
good."
--Judith Adams

Blues People is a book that has profoundly affected my
understanding of personal and national identity.
--William Fischer

Leslie Marmon Silko's and Ralph Ellison's novels are among the
very best of twentieth-century novels; in addition, each forces
the reader to examine the belief-systems and values of Western
society from the perspective of the "Other."
--James Bono

Some authors will help you learn how to live; some will help
youlearn why it matters; and Richard Feynman will help you to
have a happy time doing it.
--Robert Daly

When I first read On Becoming a Person, back in the Sixties, I
was inspired. Even now, I still feel helped by Rogers' vision;
I'm still inspired by his description of a good life. I love
this book!
--Charles Behling

I believe that architects, sociologists, cultural
anthropologists, political scientists, philosophers, historians,
architects and city planners all find Lewis Mumford's
comprehensive "story" of the city to be fascinating.
--Alfred Price

The Handmaid's Tale is a book that makes readers think hard about
individual rights, as we see these rights taken away from the
citizens of a world--defensive, polluted, technologically
sophisticated--that is very much like our own. --Barbara Bono

I remember Boo Radley as one of the great characters of modern
fiction: his appearance in the last few pages of To Kill a
Mockingbird produces a heart-stopping and finally heart-expanding
reading experience.
--Gerald Rising

The Voyage of the Beagle is an exotic trip through and around
South America in the 1830's. Charles Darwin's thorough
descriptions from the perspective of a biologist is a beautiful
entree to the themes of evolution.
--Charles Fourtner

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is a history of the western
American Indians, emphasizing the wars after 1860. Told from a
Native American perspective, we see both the divine right (white)
of conquest and the tragic loss of cultures.
--Charles Fourtner

The Lives of a Cell is a mind-bending collection of short essays,
quick reads, which explain and celebrate the wonders of
contemporary cell biology as a window on the whole,
ecologically-connected natural and human world.
--John Dings

Coming into the Country recounts the adventures of America's best
roving journalist as he explores and celebrates the Alaskan
wilderness and all the creatures it supports - Natives and river
people and crazy prospectors, as well as grizzlies and caribou.
--John Dings

************SELECTION COMMITTEE***********

Judith Adams, Lockwood Memorial Library
Barbara Bono, English
James Bono, History
Stephen Bradley, Music
Leah Doherty, Millard Fillmore College
Stefan Fleischer, English
Ann Hicks, Office of Student Life
Joanne Koszuta, Millard Fillmore College
Jeannette Ludwig, Modern Languages
Michael Metzger, Modern Languages
Carmello Privitera, Biological Sciences
Rowland Richards, Civil Engineering
Gerald Rising, Learning and Instruction
Mary Anne Rokitka, Physiology
Margaret Wells, Undergraduate Library
Dorothy Wynne, Academic Advising

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