2025 Promotion and Tenure Bookplate Selections

Rachel Adler

School of Information Sciences

The Design of Everyday Things

Donald A. Norman

This book was foundational in shaping my passion for design. It captured exactly why user-centered design matters. I still share its timeless examples and quotes with my students.

Susie Aguinaga

Department of Health & Kinesiology

Parable of the Sower

Octavia E. Butler

This book confronts several pressing social issues such as climate change and racism and inspires me to imagine and actively pursue a more equitable and sustainable future.

Jacob Allen

Department of Health & Kinesiology

Transformer- The Deep Chemistry of Life and Death

Nick Lane

An incredible book on the origins of the Krebs cycle. I think it should be required reading for students who want to grasp the evolutionary roots of metabolism and biology. It has profoundly shaped my thinking on our lab’s science and how we frame new directions.

Osama Alsara

Department of Clinical Sciences

The Color Atlas of Internal Medicine

Richard P. Usatine, Heidi Chumley, Mindy A. Smith, Gary Ferenchick, and E. J. Mayeaux

I selected this book because I had the honor of contributing to it early in my medical career. This authorship experience deepened my commitment to advancing medical knowledge, education, and patient care.

Juan Alvarez

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Random Processes for Engineers

Bruce Hajek

The topic is persistent in my area and the author was my PhD thesis advisor.

Jose Atiles

Department of Sociology

Ethics of Liberation in the Age of Globalization and Exclusion

Enrique Dussel

I selected The Ethics of Liberation because it has profoundly shaped my intellectual journey. Dussel’s rethinking of ethics, grounded in Latin American and Caribbean experiences, offers a framework that resonates deeply with my own work. His emphasis on knowledge from the margins challenges Western modernity and has been a model for my scholarship.

Marsha Barrett

Department of History

Eyes Off the Prize : The United Nations and the African American Struggle for Human Rights, 1944-1955

Carol Anderson

I read this book my first year of graduate school and it exposed me to a new way of looking at the civil rights movement. It shifted my world view and modeled the type of work I hoped to produce at the intersection of activism, politics, and policy generation.

Allen Barton

Department of Human Development & Family Studies

The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism

Timothy Keller

I read this around the time I started my PhD program. To this day, few books have had such a profound effect on my mind and my heart. This book winsomely demonstrated how everyone lives a life based on reason and faith and thoughtfully articulated the Christian message in ways I had never considered before.

Can Bayram

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

To Set Them Free: The Early Years of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

Barbara K. Walker and Sema G. Kormali

This book’s parallel Turkish and English text reflects my own story. By focusing on Atatürk’s formative years, it celebrates the journey of every student. Its title, ‘To Set Them Free,’ captures the ideal that connects Turkey’s founder to this university: the promise of liberation through knowledge and reason.

Mohamed Ali Belabbas

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Les Fleurs du Mal

Charles Baudelaire

Les Fleurs du Mal stands as a masterpiece of poetry; musical, rich in imagery, and profoundly original. Radically iconoclastic, it shattered the conventions of its time. Condemned and banned in 1857, this single major work of Baudelaire was enough to secure his immortality and redefine the course of modern poetry.

Nigel Bosch

School of Information Sciences and Department of Educational Psychology

A Voyage to Arcturus

David Lindsay

I appreciate this book as a reminder that things are always in flux and seem super important, but tomorrow can bring new experiences, new people, and a chance to learn what really was important.

Joe Bradley

Department of Bioengineering and Department of Biomedical & Translational Sciences

George Washington Carver: A Life

Christina Vella

As a young child I have always admired George Washington Carver. He was a great inventor, scientist, and citizen. He also had a reverence to God that he often stated inspired his inventions and discoveries.

James Brennan

Department of History

The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5

Christopher Andrew

This book offers an unrivaled and highly entertaining history of an intelligence agency through a combination of archival diligence and imagination.

Jorden Brotherton

Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

John Green

This book applies a five-star rating to eclectic pieces of the human experience ranging from Halley’s Comet to teddy bears. Green’s essay on the song, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” holds a special place in my heart. The multifaceted song invokes feelings of support and optimism whether celebrating a great achievement or facing life’s many obstacles.

Anita Chan

School of Information Sciences

Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History

Michel-Rolph Trouillot

Originally released in 1995, post-colonial and feminist Haitian scholar Michel Trouillot’s work on the power of archives, fact-making, and whose voices come to be selectively elevated in the authorization of “official” history has been foundational in my approach to critical data and AI studies.

Jessie Chin

School of Information Sciences

Ghost in the Shell

Masamune Shirow

This masterpiece has enlightened my imagination in the realms of augmented intelligence and distributed cognition. While it was published three decades ago, it continues to challenge the boundaries of mind, machine psychology, and ethical implications of human-machine coupling — resonating with many critical research questions in human-computer interaction, cognitive sciences, and artificial intelligence nowadays.

Eric Chitambar

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

The Resurrection of God Incarnate

Richard Swinburne

Science and religion offer two complementary paths up the same mountain of truth, both requiring rigorous scrutiny, reflection, and determination to navigate.  This book and its companions have been deeply influential in forming the intellectual foundation for how I approach the world as a Christian, a scientist, and a father.

Hee Jung Chung

Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology

Time, Love, Memory: A Great Biologist and His Quest for the Origins of Behavior

Jonathan Weiner

This biography of Dr. Seymour Benzer was first introduced to me by my postdoctoral mentor, Dr. Lily Jan, a brilliant female scientist who cloned the first potassium channel, Shaker, from Dr. Benzer’s Drosophila mutant collections. This book fueled my love for neurobiology and scientific discovery.

Amy Clay

Department of French & Italian

A Wrinkle in Time

Madeleine L’Engle

A Wrinkle in Time is one of the books from my childhood that helped me become an avid reader, a creative thinker, and someone ready to learn about how others experience the world.

Claudius Conrad

Carle Illinois College of Medicine

Norwegian Wood

Haruki Murakami

I chose this novel for its lyrical beauty and its exploration of memory, identity, and the interplay between loss and renewal—motifs that mirror academic life. Murakami’s work reveals how transformation arises from challenge, echoing the intellectual journeys we guide in higher education. It’s a poignant parallel to the discovery and growth we foster.

Jessica Conroy

Department of Earth Science &Environmental Change

Michael Strevens

I found this book very impactful, as it exposes the fallacy of the tidy but misleading version of the scientific method most students are taught, contrasting it with the more complex and messy way science is actually practiced. In clear, elegant prose, Strevens shows how science works and why it succeeds.

Courtney Cuthbertson

Department of Human Development & Family Studies

Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender

Kit Heyam

For trans, genderqueer, gender non-conforming, non-binary folks, this book offers hope through connection to history.  We have existed, persisted, and thrived for centuries – we belong here.

Cynthia D’Angelo

Department of Educational Psychology

A Wrinkle in Time

Madeleine L’Engle

This book was likely my first exposure to physics. It also cemented my love for learning and thinking about innovative ways to share that love with others. It encouraged me to be myself and to follow my particular passions and interests, even if that set me apart from other people.

Kristen DiFilippo

Department of Health & Kinesiology

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt

Michael Rosen

As one of my favorite children’s books, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt reminds me of the joy that comes through doing difficult things. The line “We can’t go over it. We can’t go under it. Oh no! we’ve got to go through it!” comes to my mind often in the journey of life.

Katherine Driggs-Campbell

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Decision-Making Under Uncertainty

Mykel J. Kochenderfer

My research explores decision-making in human-robot interaction. But how do we make optimal decisions in the face of unpredictable humans? This textbook is an excellent introduction to the foundations of decision-making, and has been cornerstone for my group. This book was written by my mentor, Mykel Kochenderfer, who is thoughtful guide through this broad field.

Augusto Espiritu

Department of History

Culture and Imperialism

Edward Saïd

This book has been a source of inspiration for me since graduate school. It eloquently reminds us that empire is ever-present in our world and that dialogue and understanding, his “contrapuntal” method, not digging into silos, are the tools that will help us get over coloniality’s painful legacies.

Mary Flaherty

Department of Speech & Hearing Science

The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe

As a child in Baltimore, Poe’s rhythms and sounds drew me in and gave me a place to escape. His words opened space for imagination and made me curious about the power of language. That connection to words has carried forward, influencing how I write, think, and live today.

Charles Fogelman

Global Studies Programs

Wayfarers’ Hymns

Zakes Mda

“Bra Zakes” spent his childhood in Lesotho, and this beautiful 2021 novel is a sincere, loving, and clear-eyed exploration of the country, where I have lived and done research for much of the last two decades. Neither sentimental nor cynical, Wayfarers’ Songs is an accurate reflection of the Mountain Kingdom.

Julia Fonseca

Department of Finance

Planejamento E Desenvolvimento Econômico

Manuel Alcino Ribeiro da Fonseca

This book on finance and development was written by my father, who earned a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Illinois before returning to Brazil, where I was born and raised. Though I probably learned less from him than I should have, I’ve explored similar themes as a faculty member at his alma mater.

Liz Freivogel

School of Music

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants

Robin Wall Kimmerer

This is one of the most meaningful books I have read—one that has stayed in my thoughts continually. Dr. Kimmerer’s emphasis on careful listening and observation carries important lessons for all fields, including music. Her radically empathetic approach to all forms of life is eye-opening, and desperately needed in today’s fractured and rapacious world.

Meg Freivogel

School of Music

The Complete Quartets of Bela Bartok

Bela Bartok

My chamber music studies in college started with this score. I was attending the Cleveland Institute of Music where the Cavani Quartet taught me the importance and beauty of score study with these pieces. Their lessons still help me find my way creatively as a performer and teacher.

John Gallagher

Department of English

The Berenstain Bears & Too Much Junk Food

Stan Berenstain and Jan Berenstain

My children got me through a pandemic, making full professor, and life. I dedicate this to Quentin and Landry.

Donna Gallo

School of Music

Colors!  ¡Colores!

Jorge Luján and Piet Grobler

As a novice elementary music teacher, I attended a workshop on children’s literature. I immediately went to Barnes & Noble where I found this beautiful book that inspired an array of musical creations from my elementary students. Empowering children’s musical imaginations continues to be a core teaching value that shapes my practice and scholarship.

Nishant Garg

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

Crime and Punishment

Fyodor Dostoevsky

I read Crime and Punishment during my PhD, and it shaped how I think about responsibility and consequences. Dostoevsky’s probing of conscience constantly reminds me that engineering choices are moral choices. And these choices lead to real world consequences.

George Gasyna

Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures

Being Poland: A New History of Polish Literature and Culture Since 1918

Przemyslaw Czaplinski, Tamara Trojanowska,
and Joanna Nizynska (Editors)

This volume gathers over 65 essays by specialists in Polish literature and culture and represents a significant update – in some cases a thorough reconsideration – of the main narratives of modern Polish cultural identity. The book (in which I have a modest contribution) has been a near-constant companion in my research since publication.

Anthony Ghiotto

College of Law

Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans

Plutarch (Author) and Arthur Hugh Clough (Editor)

As an undergraduate at Illinois, I took a seminar in Plutarch’s Lives with Professor Bruckner. It provided me a moral framework to live a life of character and value. I try to do the same as a professor with my students now.

Grace Giorgio

Department of Communication

Watership Down

Richard Adams

My fifth-grade teacher read Watership Down to us one chapter a day, taking us into a world of adventurous rabbits led by the indefatigable Hazel-rah, whose leadership was based on empathy, delegation, and risk taking, all for the benefit of the warren. Such a model, I believe, is needed today.

Elizabeth Goldschmidt

Department of Physics

Longitude

Dava Sobel

Dava Sobel’s popular accounts of the history of science are among the best, and Longitude stands out as my favorite. It describes a fascinating example of the importance of accurate measurement, and the power of precise clocks for navigation both in the past and today.

Molly Goldstein

Department of Industrial & Enterprise Systems Engineering

The Way Things Work: Newly Revised Edition:
The Ultimate Guide to How Things Work

David Macaulay

The world is such a fascinating place for the curious and observant mind! This book is a written and visual explanation to so many of our “machines” from simple pulleys to 3D printers. As a designer and design educator, this book encourages me to reflect on functionality and aesthetics.

Holly Golecki

Department of Bioengineering

On the Surface of Things: Images of the Extraordinary in Science

Felice C. Frankel and George M. Whitesides

I appreciate On the Surface of Things because it captures two essential aspects of science and its communication. This book guides scientists and engineers in presenting their work with clarity and purpose. The authors also remind us of the wonder and beauty revealed through science and engineering design.

Mónica González Ybarra

Department of Curriculum & Instruction

The Poet X

Elizabeth Acevedo

Despite becoming a professor of Language & Literacy, I hated reading as a child. I never saw myself, my experiences, or bilingualism on the page. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo healed the younger reader in me and became my mirror, window, and sliding glass door.

Danielle Green

Department of Accountancy

The Travels of a T–Shirt in the Global Economy:
An Economist Examines the Markets, Power, and Politics of World Trade

Pietra Rivoli

A reminder that even the simplest things connect us across continents, this book, written by one of my former professors, reflects my love of travel and curiosity about our interconnected world.

Jessica Greenberg

Department of Anthropology

The World and All That It Holds

Aleksander Hemon

True to its title, this book holds the world in its hands. From the most intimate moments to the grand arc of history, it tells the story of humanity: it’s tragic capacity for cruelty and its even greater capacity for generosity, connection and love. As literature, it has fulfilled for me the promise of anthropology.

Jeremy Guest

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

Energetics and Kinetics in Biotechnology

J.A. Roels

This book transformed the way I think about environmental biotechnology. Prof. Roels embraced the complexity of microorganisms and microbial communities, yet distilled them into streamlined mathematical expressions we could use to model their dynamic behavior and interactions. He has helped me see through the fog to find the things that matter most.

Damien Guironnet

Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

The Cruel Victory: The French Resistance, D-Day and the Battle for the Vercors 1944

Paddy Ashdown

This book reminds us of the dangers of political extremism, but also the beauty and complexity of fighting for an idealistic society. It also reminds us that today France and Germany stand united. And finally, it is to remember Aimée, my grandmother, who last saw her brother in the summer of 1944 at La Chapelle-en-Vercors.

Saurabh Gupta

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

Matthew Walker

The book describes the crucial role that sleep plays in so many aspects of our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It has helped me personally and also prompted me to consider whether processes analogous to those during our sleep could improve how we train robots.

Vidya Haran

Department of Business Administration

Becoming

Michele Obama

Becoming’ was my first non-fiction book, and Michelle Obama’s great storytelling skills shine as she narrates her life story with honesty and wit. It is inspiring  to read how she overcame the biggest challenges in her life through hard work, determination, and family support, making her one of the most admired women in the world.

Jessica Hardy

Department of Special Education

Top Secret

John Reynolds Gardiner

This book—about a child who tries to “solve the mystery of human photosynthesis”—was one of my childhood favorites. It included themes related to the importance of family, scientific exploration, and political intrigue. These topics remain relevant for social scientists today!

Samar Hegazy

Department of Biomedical & Translational Sciences

Leadership for Health Professionals: Theory, Skills, and Applications

Gerald R. Ledlow, Michele Bosworth, and Thomas Maryon

This book embodies my passion for medical education and leadership. During my MEHP with a leadership specialization at Johns Hopkins, it profoundly shaped my growth, translating theory into transformative practice. Leadership is not innate; it requires training, reflection, and intentional growth to cultivate skills essential for guiding, influencing, and inspiring others in medicine and beyond.

Deanna Hence

Department of Climate, Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences

A Psalm for the Wild-Built

Becky Chambers

This book came to me at a time when I needed a little infusion of hope, and to take time to value the small things in life. For me, this book is somewhere between a moment of rest and quiet reflection, as well as a reminder that both worthy ventures.

Nikki Herndon

Animal Care Program

Travels with Charley: In Search of America

John Steinbeck

This story taught me that there is beauty to be found in all people and places, and across all walks of life. Plus, there’s a dog – the ultimate travel companion!

Hannah Holscher

Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition

I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life

Ed Yong

This book artfully conveys the invisible microbial world that fascinates me. Beginning my microbiome research, I was struck by the complexity of host–microbe interactions and the need to make this science accessible. It reflects my work on diet–microbe interactions and my commitment to sharing discoveries beyond academia.

Barry Houser

School of Music

The 5AM Club

Robin Sharma

The 5AM Club focuses on discipline, intentional routines, and maximizing mornings to reflect the values I incorporate in my job at Illinois—commitment, growth, and leading by example for students and colleagues. It symbolizes success through structure, balance, and purposeful daily choices. GO ILLINI!

Greg Howard

Department of Economics

First Responders: Inside the U.S. Strategy for Fighting
the 2007-2009 Global Financial Crisis

Ben S. Bernanke, Timothy F. Geithner, Henry M. Paulson, & J. Nellie Liang

The financial crisis helped shape my appreciation for economics, both by demonstrating the importance of economic events in people’s lives and by illustrating the power of economic policy. Some of the editors of this book are key reasons I am the economist I am today.

Pinshane Huang

Department of Materials Science & Engineering

Advanced Transmission Electron Microscopy

Jian-Min Zuo and John Spence

This selection honors its co-author, Professor Emeritus Jian-Min Zuo, a friend, mentor, and titan of electron microscopy and diffraction who served the Materials Science and Engineering department at the University of Illinois for 25 years.

Michelle Hutchens

Department of Accountancy

Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You

Nancy Tillman

While pursuing my PhD and a career in academia, I was blessed with two daughters. The children’s books I read to them were often also an inspiration and calming influence on me. This book was a favorite, reminding me that I am never alone in this journey.

Daniel Hyde

Department of Psychology

What Babies Know: Core Knowledge and Composition Volume 1

Elizabeth Spelke

The work synthesized in this book has inspired me throughout my career.

Rustom Irani

Department of Finance

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family,
and Defiance During the Blitz

Erik Larson

I always end up coming back to Winston Churchill.

Joseph Janzen

Department of Agricultural & Consumer Economics

The World for Sale: Money, Power, and the Traders Who Barter the Earth’s Resources

Javier Blas and Jack Farchy

Commodity markets have connected the world for hundreds, if not thousands of years. This book provides many colorful stories of the traders who make those connections. These stories are helpful in generating research ideas and inspiring curiosity in students about these markets.

McKenzie Johnson

Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences

The Idea of Justice

Amartya Sen

The Idea of Justice contains profound insights for our understanding of justice. My research draws on Sen to contemplate how vulnerable communities realize environmental justice and security. Sen celebrates the complexity inherent in the struggle for justice, reminding us to safeguard the capability of individual beings to live a life they have reason to value.

Dimitrios Katselis

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Stochastic Approximation: A Dynamical Systems Viewpoint

Vivek S. Borkar

This book is a valuable reference on stochastic approximation. It inspired me and expanded my research horizon.

Daniel Katz

NCSA, Siebel School of Computer & Data Science, and School of Information Sciences

Teaching Tech Together: How to Make Your Lessons Work and Build a Teaching Community around Them

Greg Wilson

Teaching technical skills outside traditional classrooms is essential today, as these skills have the potential to change people’s work and lives. This book, by the co-founder of Software Carpentry and based on lessons learned by many instructors over many years, can help build skills and can also help develop communities.

Brett Kaufman

Department of the Classics

Egil’s Saga

Bernard Scudder (Translator)

This book carries great meaning for me both personally and professionally.

Justin Kern

Department of Educational Psychology

Rivethead: Tales from the Assembly Line

Ben Hamper

Growing up where I grew up, you either worked on the line at General Motors, or you got out of town. While happy about the accomplishments I’ve had, I’m also proud of my working-class heritage. To me, this book best captures the culture, struggle, and pride of blue-collar shoprats from Flint, Michigan.

M. Lydia Khuri

Department of Educational Psychology

Psychological Perspectives on Lesbian and Gay Male Experiences

Linda Garnets and Douglas Kimmel (Editors)

In the mid-90s, psychological theories of normalcy centered heteronormativity and whiteness. Garnets and Kimmel’s book profoundly countered them. Carmen De Monteflores’ paper especially touched me deeply as it brought together two core areas of my work: Self Psychology and the centering of experiences of queer people of color.

Michael Kustanovich

Department of Accountancy

My System

Aron Nimzowitsch

When I was a kid studying chess, my chess coach recommended this book to me. Thanks to this book I was able to improve my positional play, and it helped me achieve the master level in chess.

Kate Lambaria

University Library

Sister Pie : The Recipes & Stories of a Big-Hearted Bakery in Detroit

Lisa Ludwinski

I put this cookbook through heavy use during my tenure process since baking a pie is an excellent way to procrastinate. Most things are made better by a slice of pie.

Eduardo Ledesma

Department of Spanish & Portuguese

The Hobbit

J.R.R Tolkien

Growing up this book opened up my interest in fantasy literature and later, science fiction. Those are still among my favorite genres.

Justin Leiby

Department of Accountancy

The Trial

Franz Kafka

“Ahead of its time” is an understatement. This book explores the irony and impossibility of privacy, truth, and accountability in the modern world where social, financial, political, cultural, and technological ties are complex and arbitrary. We are all Joseph K.

Xin Liu

Department of Astronomy

Empire of AI Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI

Karen Hao

I selected Empire of AI because it captures the complexities, promises, and tensions behind today’s AI revolution. As my own research explores AI for advancing astronomy, I value this book’s candid exploration of innovation and responsibility. It reflects both the transformative potential and societal challenges of this era.

Zeynep Madak-Erdogan

Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition

Poems of Nazim Hikmet, Revised and Expanded Edition

Nazim Hikmet, Randy Blasing, Mutlu Konuk Blasing, and Carolyn Forché

Nazim Hikmet’s poems inspire me even in the darkest hours. From one of my favorite poems of his, It’s this way: “being captured is beside the point, the point is not to surrender.”

Jenny Maddox Abbott

University Library

Why, Charlie Brown, Why?: A Story About
What Happens When a Friend Is Very Ill

Charles M. Schulz

Months after starting this position, my 2yo daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. Her simultaneous journey put my tenure challenges in perspective, and her strength, courage, and smile kept me always moving forward. We found great comfort in rewatching the DVD version of this tale on repeat over the years.

Fahad Mahmood

Department of Physics

Bilal Cooks Daal

Aisha Saeed

One of my favorite books to read to my daughter and son, both born as I navigated the tenure process, tells a simple yet profound story: tiny, tough uncooked daal transformed by patience, spices, and shared effort into something delicious. It reminds me of the importance of passing on knowledge, and the joy of cooking.

Roman Makhnenko

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

Мониторинг космических аппаратов на основе применения
корреляционно-фазовых пеленгаторов/
Monitoring of space aircrafts based on the use of phase correlation direction finders

A.S. Chebotarev, A.O Zhukov, Y.Y. Makhnenko, and Z.N. Turlov

This is a textbook written by my late father. The university library already has a book authored by my grandfather. So, I am hoping I will be the next in line to add my own book to the UIUC collection.

Daniel McDonough

School of Music

Beethoven String Quartet Op. 132

Beethoven

This work holds a special place in my heart, due in large part to the intensely spiritual slow movement.   It has continually inspired me throughout my career and I hope it will do so for Illinois students in the future.   It speaks volumes about our humanity’s struggle and pain, but also gratitude, redemption and forgiveness.

Kate McDowell

School of Information Sciences

Critical Data Storytelling for Libraries: Crafting Ethical Narratives for Advocacy and Impact

Kate McDowell

This book is the culmination of many years of my library work, talks, consulting, interviews, conversations with colleagues, and more. I’ve carved an unusual path by cultivating a career in data storytelling, using narrative strategies to tell library data stories ethically.

Erik McDuffie

Department of African American Studies and Department of History

Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition

Cedric Robinson

Black Marxism stands as one of the most important texts in African American/Black Studies written in the past forty years. The book has transformed scholarly and popular understandings of Black radicalism, the making of the modern world, and Global Africa. This book changed my life and those of countless others.

Leonard McKinnis

Department of African American Studies and Department of Religion

Black Theology & Black Power

James H. Cone

Black Theology & Black Power changed my life. Cone’s foundational text helped me to articulate a Black political theology that was rooted in the faith of my ancestors, and gave theological voice to those who relegated to the margins of the human.

Sanjay Mehta

Carle Illinois College of Medicine

French’s Index of Differential Diagnosis

Mark T. Kinirons and Harold Ellis

Invaluable in assisting clinicians and medical students to quickly and correctly diagnose a disease from a range of presenting symptoms.(common things are common)

John Paul Meyers

Department of African American Studies

The Life You Can Save:
How To Do Your Part To End World Poverty

Peter Singer

My wife and I read Singer when we were starting to think about what kind of impact we wanted to have beyond our students and our research. His argument is simple: those of us who earn decent incomes could very easily alleviate a great deal of suffering among people less fortunate than us.

Hope Michelson

Department of Agricultural & Consumer Economics

Operation Wandering Soul

Richard Powers

I read this book as a sophomore in high school. I have never encountered anything like it again – its deep magical empathy for children, its weaving together of history and fragments of stories with the losses of today, its portrait of heartbreaking dedication to others. I think of it often.

Zahra Mohaghegh

Department of Nuclear, Plasma, & Radiological Engineering

Normal Accidents: Living with High-Risk Technologies

Charles Perrow

I selected Normal Accidents because it shows how even well-engineered systems can fail through hidden interactions of technological complexity, tight coupling, and human or organizational factors. My work in socio-technical risk analysis aims to mitigate such vulnerabilities. Preventing accidents and saving lives is a responsibility I hold close to heart.

Jessica Montag

Department of Psychology

Phonological Development: The First Two Years

Marilyn May Vihman

This book represents a time in my life when I was beginning to cultivate my own academic point of view connected to but distinct from my existing training.

Allison Moody

Department of Theatre

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal

Christopher Moore

A dear Christian friend told me I shouldn’t read this blasphemous book. I maintained that my faith was not so weak, and I read it anyway. I loved it. I LOL’d and I wept. The different perspective, even this humorous imagined one, strengthened my own.

Aurore Mroz

Department of French & Italian

Pélagie-la-Charrette

Antonine Maillet

Pélagie-la-Charrette tells of courage, determination, and the power of language to unite the exiled. In Acadian French that sings, it honors resilient women and a people scattered by deportation. Both hymn and warning, it celebrates survival, laughter, and togetherness while exposing the human cost of cultural and linguistic erasure.

Aaron Muñoz

Department of Theatre

Mallmann on Fire

Francis Mallmann

I want to make theatre how Mallmann cooks. With passion, integrity, creativity, daring and spectacle. As an artist, I have found certain recipes that are essential for my best work and hope the next generation of young artists can build upon those recipes to find their own unique flavors in search of collaborative creation.

Erik Nelson

Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology

Full Moon Fever

Tom Petty

Free Fallin’ came on the radio when my girlfriend (now wife) were having a deep conversation about our future. This is the moment when I decided to try out research.

Mauro Nobili

Department of History

Corpus of Early Accounts of the Sunjata Epic, 1889-1959

Stephen Bulman, Stephen Belcher, and Valentin Vydrin

A much needed more complex rendering of the textual history of the oral epic of Sundiata. A fantastic book that shows how oral tradition change over time responding to their context of performance.

Melissa Ocepek

School of Information Sciences

Primate Visions

Donna Haraway

I hope to be half as bold and audacious in my own work!

James O’Dwyer

Department of Plant Biology

Galatea 2.2

Richard Powers

Multiple of Richard Powers’ books accompanied me during the time between promotions.  Probably the obvious one would be the Overstory, given my home department.  But Galatea builds around our University and cities, spoke to my own experience as a faculty member here, and raises themes that continue to resonate with both my life and research.

Sang-Hwa Oh

Department of Advertising

Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology
To Realize Your Potential For Lasting Fulfillment

Martin E.P. Seligman

This foundational book opened my eyes to positive psychology, inviting me to focus on human strengths, resilience, and fulfillment. Its message of well-being and the pursuit of meaning has become a lifelong guide in both my teaching and research, and in how I try to live meaningfully each day.

Jenny Oyallon-Koloski

Department of Media & Cinema Studies

Figures Traced in Light: On Cinematic Staging

David Bordwell

The title and subject of my first book draws inspiration from Figures Traced in Light. David Bordwell was instrumental in teaching me how to write clearly and persuasively about the power of small, subtle details. His work is an infectious encouragement to pay attention to cinema’s craft and artistry.

Zhen Peng

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Integral Equations for Real-Life Multiscale Electromagnetic Problems

Francesca Vipiana and Zhen Peng

The book introduces the fundamental concept and latest advances in integral equation methods for solving Maxwell’s Equations. The methods can be used to analyze real-world multi-scale electromagnetic problems, which are the cornerstone of modern electrical engineering applications.

M. Yanina Pepino de Gruev

Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition

Poemas de Otros

Mario Benedetti

Benedetti is regarded as one of Latin America’s most important writers of the 20th century. He has been inspiring me since my teen years. My favorite poem is “No te salves”, in which Benedetti urges us to live life to the fullest rather than standing by as mere spectators—because we only get one life.

Lissette Piedra

School of Social Work

Three Generations, Two Languages, One Family:
Language Choice and Language Shift in a Chinese Community in Britain

L. Wei

Li Wei’s book inspired my first federal grant and spoke to my soul, showing me how we can honor the past through the work we do in the present. It revealed how language connects generations, shaping care, belonging, and purpose—an insight that continues to guide my research and my life.

Judith Pintar

School of Information Sciences

Information Science: The Basics

Judith Pintar

My co-author and husband, David Hopping died the year after this book was released. My 35 year intellectual partnership with him has significance beyond this work, but it can serve to recall and honor it.

Elizabeth Powers

Department of Economics

Why Life Speeds Up As You Get Older:
How Memory Shapes Our Past

Douwe Draaisma

This book is entertaining, well-reasoned, and open-minded. If you are human, you will understand yourself better for reading it. Now, where did I put my phone?

Ling Ren

Siebel School of Computing & Data Science

上帝掷骰子吗:量子物理史话
Does God Throw Dice: Historical Tales of Quantum Physics

Cao Tianyuan 曹天元

This popular science book on quantum physics weaves together history, biography, philosophical questions, and literary storytelling. It played a significant role in my decision to pursue a career in research.

William Ridley

Department of Agricultural & Consumer Economics

Running with the Buffaloes

Chris Lear

Running keeps me sane and taught me more than anything else about persistence, resilience, and unflagging effort – the most essential qualities of a successful academic. “I don’t want you to leave here smashing your head against the wall. Be businesslike, patient, and methodical. Do a little head smashing every day for 100 days.”

Chance Riggins

Department of Crop Sciences

No Nature: New and Selected Poems

Gary Snyder

This first compilation of Snyder’s extensive work was published when I entered forestry school as an undergraduate, and it helped shape my perspective about nature and culture for decades.

Sandra Ruiz

Department of Theatre

The Undercommons: Fugitive Planning & Black Study

Stefano Harney and Fred Moten

It lays bare the stakes of study within and across all sites of learning, creating, building.

Jessica Rutkoski

Department of Crop Sciences

The Botany of Desire

Michael Pollan

The book discusses plant domestication as a coevolutionary process, depicting historical examples of how humans and plants have shaped one another. I read this book as a budding plant breeder, and it brought me joy to think about playing a role in facilitating the continued collaboration between plants and people.

Eman Saadah

Department of Linguistics

Men in the Sun

Ghassān Kanafānī

The book opens up layers of Palestinian social and political life that are so often hidden, yet it does so through a story that is both powerful and beautifully told. Hilary Kilpatrick’s translation is very good as it carries the narrator’s subtle voice with such care. It preserves the simplicity and clarity in Kanafani’s prose.

Juan Salamanca

School of Art & Design

The Tree of Knowledge: The Biological Roots of Human Understanding

Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela

The authors of this book explain how being and understanding are concepts intertwined in the physicality of life. Their idea of autopoiesis —the ability to produce and sustain oneself among others— inspires not only the way I design for others but also the way others help me to be who I am.

Ken Edgar Salo

Department of Urban & Regional Planning

Respectable Mothers, Tough Men and Good Daughters:
Producing Persons in Manenberg Township South Africa

Elaine Salo

This book authored by my beloved late sister made me realize how place making practices produce dignified persons in urban peripheries

William Sander

Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine

Global One Health and Infectious Diseases: An Interdisciplinary Practitioner’s Guide

William E. Sander

My passion for the last 20 years has been One Health and this book brought together 44 different experts across One Health to make something I’m most proud of as a tenured professor.

Mario Schijven

Department of Business Administration

What Is This Thing Called Science?

Alan F. Chalmers

Assigned for my Philosophy of Science course early on in college, this book has had a great impact on me. It allowed me to better understand what science is, place my field of study in a broader perspective, and realize where I stand on key philosophical assumptions, which has informed my research to this day.

Andre Schleife

Department of Materials Science & Engineering

Schnipsel: Aphorismen

Kurt Tucholsky

Tucholsky grew up in turbulent Berlin and his humor and wit is incredible. This book has one of my favorite quotes: “Laß dir von keinem Fachmann imponieren, der dir erzählt: ‘Lieber Freund, das mache ich schon seit zwanzig Jahren so!’ – Man kann eine Sache auch zwanzig Jahre lang falsch machen.”

Andiara Schwingel

Department of Health & Kinesiology

Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Paulo Freire

I selected Pedagogy of the Oppressed because it aligns with my commitment to health equity and community engagement. Freire’s focus on critical consciousness and participatory learning mirrors my approach to research and teaching, especially in developing strategies that reduce disparities in health.

Bernhard Scully

School of Music

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Robert Pirsig

I’m choosing “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” by Robert Pirsig because, at 16 (when I decided to pursue a life of music), it shaped my critical thinking about values, quality, and epistemology. It inspired me to deeply examine my worldview, fostering self-reflection and a pursuit of truth that defines my academic journey.

Jessie Shelton

Department of Physics

Cosmology

Daniel Baumann

This excellent textbook has been a great resource for me recently, and I hope it will serve as a valuable resource for other students of the universe as well.

Diwakar Shukla

Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach- Advanced Reflections

Carolyn Edwards, Lella Gandini, and George Forman (Editors)

I read this book to understand how I can create an ideal learning environment for my kids. The ideas from this book could be applied to the training of (under)graduate students where the students have the ability to transform the learning environment into a dynamic “third teacher” to provoke deeper exploration and creativity.

Andrea Solya

Department of Music

Choral Works for Children’s, Female and Mixed Voices

Béla Bartók

Bartók and his music was major part of my early education in Hungary. Without his artistry and vision, especially his choral works, I would not be the musician I am today. Bartók remains a world citizen a timeless composer.

Xiangyi Spencer

Department of Finance

Maisie Dobbs

Jacqueline Winspear

This historical mystery series introduced me to Maisie Dobbs, a psychologist and private investigator in post-WWI London, during my years as a full-time Ph.D. student and mother of three. I related to her case-mapping method as I conducted research, and her compassion and eye for detail continually inspired and moved me.

Beth Stadtmueller

Department of Biochemistry

An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System: A Tale in Four Lives

Matt Richtel

I have used this book in my Immunology course and recommended to others since 2020; it can effectively connect almost anyone to the science of immunology.  I’m structural biologist by training and might have selected a book on protein structure… but this book led me to appreciate immunology as the vast experience that it is!

Andrew Steelman

Department of Animal Sciences

The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians

John L. Behler and Frederic Wayne King

During my childhood I spent most of my free time exploring the wooded areas around our house and, unlike my siblings, I lacked an affinity for books that did not contain pictures. This particular book was an invaluable reference, with which I used periodically to identify animals that I discovered during my time outdoors.

Vesna Stojanoska

Department of Mathematics

Trickster Academy

Jenny Davis

Hilarious, heart-warming, and incredibly insightful, this collection of poems by Jenny Davis speaks to any of us who have left a different culture to pursue careers in academia.

Danielle Strahl-Heldreth

Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine

Zoo Animal and Wildlife Immobilization and Anesthesia

Gary West

As a veterinary anesthesiologist, my main goal is to provide safe anesthetic episodes to all species. This book is an excellent resource in helping tailor anesthetic techniques to the non-traditional veterinary patient.

Alireza Talebpour

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

The Shahnama Of Firdausi

Arthur George Warner and Edmond Warner (Translators)

This is considered the most important book in the Persian culture, preserving the Farsi language and the Persian myths after the invasion of Arabs. The 1905 version is the only complete English translation of this masterpiece and was published in 9 volumes.

Rebecca Taylor

Department of Education Policy, Organization & Leadership

Harvest

Élodie Parthenay

I often turn to poetry to ground myself in the beauty of existence. This particular collection reminds me of the quiet joy that can emerge through periods of challenge and growth.

Charee Thompson

Department of Communication

Epistemic Injustice: Power and the Ethics of Knowing

Miranda Fricker

This book inspires my work on whose experiences matter within the “credibility economy,” especially in times of erasure. Fricker helped me name my phenomenon of interest: whether at home or in the doctor’s office, credibility is not evenly distributed. Her work reminds me that relating to others is not only about power, but also ethics.

Anne Thompson

Department of Accountancy

The Electric Bass

Roger Filiberto

I’m a third generation electric bass player and I used this book to teach myself to play in 7th grade. It’s my favorite instrument and I have many fond memories from my youth of playing the bass. I’m now teaching the fourth generation in my family to play.

Michael Tilley

Department of Music

Nanometric Functions of Bioenergy

Paulo Correa and Alexandra Correa

This book is a joyous and irreverent examination of the phenomena of the living from the perspective of a Physics of Energy. Hopefully, such an uncompromising reevaluation of received wisdom may inspire willing experimentalists to realign our thought and art with the ceaseless creativity of the Cosmos.

Ariana Traill

Department of Classics

Demos and Trittys : Epigraphical and Topographical Studies in the Organization of Attica

John S. Traill

It was written by my father. When I was sixteen I spent three days proofreading the book, and I drew the art work (not very good) for the cover. It would be nice to have my plate in this book as it personally meaningful to me.

Matthew Turk

School of Information Sciences

Contact

Carl Sagan

This book taught me the joy and excitement of discovery and the value of sharing that joy with the world.

Lou Turner

Department of Urban & Regional Planning

The Wretched of the Earth

Frantz Fanon

I am a Frantz Fanon scholar and have studied, researched, and written on his work for nearly 60 years. He is one of three Black men most responsible for me. The other two are the Jazz innovator, saxophonist John Coltrane, and my father, William F. Russell.

Corey Van Landingham

Department of English

Silver Pennies

Blanche Jennings Thompson

Before I could read or write, my mother read me poems from Silver Pennies. The selections from poets like Robert Frost, William Butler Yeats, and Emily Dickinson were perfect for a child’s ear and imagination; hearing those cadences and entering the worlds of those poems is, I’m sure, why I’m a poet today.

Csaba Varga

Department of Pathobiology

Veterinary Epidemiologic Research

Ian Dohoo, Wayne Martin, and Henrik Stryhn

This book provides a comprehensive framework for conducting veterinary epidemiological studies, enabling researchers and practitioners to design, analyze, and interpret research studies to improve animal health.

Joshua Vura-Weis

Department of Chemistry

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

Randall Munroe

The author’s webcomic ‘xkcd.com’ has been a source of joy and inspiration for me throughout my career.  This book exemplifies both the fun and importance of communicating scientific results to a wide audience.  Research is all about taking a wild idea, working the math, and seeing where it takes you.

Ryan Wade

School of Social Work

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

Susan Cain

I read this book as a graduate student. As a lifelong introvert, moving through a world that frequently misunderstood introversion, it was incredibly affirming.

Dong Wang

School of Information Sciences

Social Intelligence: The New Frontier of Integrating Human
Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence in Social Space

Dong Wang, Lanyu Shang, and Yang Zhang

This book provides an exciting roadmap for tackling some of the most urgent questions of our time—how to design AI systems that are not only powerful, but fair, explainable, and deeply human-centered.

Qiong Wang

Department of Industrial & Enterprise Systems Engineering

Science, the Endless Frontier: A Report to the President

Vannevar Bush

The book, which led to the creation of the National Science Foundation, charted an inspiring path for unlocking the limitless power of science to build a better world. Bush’s vision is proven by eight decades of peace, prosperity, and progress. How I wish his blueprint would continue to be followed in years to come.

Hua Wang

Department of Materials Science & Engineering

When Breath Becomes Air

Paul Kalanithi

A neurosurgeon’s battle with cancer is inspiring to me, especially when one focus of my research is to tackle cancer

Karen Wickett

School of Information Sciences

Sorting Things Out: Classification and Its Consequence

Geoffrey C. Bowker and Susan Leigh Star

Bowker and Star’s study of classification systems as an object of analysis were ground-breaking for the development of critical approaches to information systems. Their observations on the frictions and fictions of classification are a necessary antidote to hype around what computational systems can do for us, drawing attention to what they might do to us.

Martin Widdicks

Department of Finance

Classical Mechanics

R. Douglas Gregory

I was lucky enough to be taught by the author. He inspired me to try to teach in the same way, with thought provoking examples, and precise but simple explanations. I’m still working on it! It’s also a book that my Dad and I have had many fun conversations about.

Sarah Wigley

School of Music

Dynamics of the Singing Voice

Meribeth Bunch Dayme

With so much we now know about voice science and acoustics, This book integrates vocal anatomy and voice science with the realities of how energy and mindfulness contribute to the wholistic singer. The more there is to know about vocal function, the more there is to dive into the metaphysical aspects of singing.

Ann-Perry Witmer

Carle Illinois College of Medicine and Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering

Contextual Engineering: Translating User Voice into Design

Ann-Perry Witmer

The University of Illinois made this research work possible, allowing the Contextual Engineering Research Group to extend engineers’ understanding of the importance of user context to development of technologies and infrastructure

Martin Wolske

School of Information Sciences

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants

Robin Wall Kimmerer

Time and again I return to this book whether to relieve stress in times of challenge or to challenge me when sensing I need a further push in the journey towards a polyculture of complementary Western science and Indigenous knowledges.

Trina Wright-Dixon

Department of Communication

Black Feminist Thought:
Knowledge, Consciousness and the Politics of Empowerment

Patricia Hill Collins

I selected Patricia Hill Collins’ Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment because it has been a foundational source in my research. Collins’ work illuminates the ways Black women navigate, resist, and transform oppressive organizational structures, offering critical frameworks that continue to shape my scholarly perspective.

JungHwan Yang

Department of Communication

On Liberty

John Stuart Mill

This book is not only about how to think, but about thinking itself. It does more than teach you to think for yourself–it puts you in perspective, showing how your own ideas are part of history.

Yuan Yang

Department of Bioengineering

Music, Thought, and Feeling: Understanding the Psychology of Music

William Frode Thompson

My research focused on restoring the lost sensorimotor functions in individuals suffering from stroke and neurological degeneration, including normal aging. I am interested in exploring how music can be an alternative approach to address this. This book explains the neuroscience of music and may open a door for my research.

Bo Zhang

School of Labor & Employment Relations and Department of Psychology

Kafka on the Shore

Haruki Murakami

Kafka Tamura led me through the twilight corridors of my youth, where shadows whispered and the self I am now slowly emerged.

Xiaojia Shelly Zhang

Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

Topology Optimization: Theory, Methods, and Applications

Martin P. Bendsøe and Ole Sigmund

This is one of the books that first introduced me to my research field.

Susu Zhang

Department of Psychology and Department of Statistics

The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression

Andrew Solomon

This book names what many live with but few can describe. Through years of interviews and research, Solomon traces the many faces of depression—its biology, treatment, culture, and daily toll. It reminds me how science journalism and empathy can illuminate the unknown path forward, and how my disciplines can serve.

Dan Zhou

Department of Accountancy

DRiVE: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

Daniel H. Pink

This is one of the books that challenges conventional ideas about what motivates us—a topic that has always fascinated me and continues to inspire my research.

Sharon Suiwen Zou

Department of Recreation, Sport & Tourism

Pricing Recreation and Park Services

John L. Crompton

I chose this book because it has shaped my scholarship since my dissertation. As a mentor, Dr. Crompton exemplifies rigorous, practitioner-relevant thinking. The text bridges theory and real-world pricing, clarifying equity, efficiency, and revenue objectives while providing adaptable frameworks I continue to apply across research and practice.