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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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Seasons of Migration to the North (translated from Arabic by Denys Johnson-Davis)
Tayeb Salih
Very few writers have explored the complexities and consequences of leaving home for the North (or the West) and returning home (to the South or the East) with such depth and insight. This novel remains today, as it was when first published, a penetrating explication of the human condition of those?like myself, who left to the North or the West, whether they end up staying or eventually go back home to the South or the East!
Fouad Abd-El-Khalick
Curriculum and Instruction
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To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
I grew up in rural Alabama , and this book captures the essence of my childhood. Atticus Finch demonstrates the best qualities of humanity: honesty, respect, and courage. I read this book again every year, because it gives me hope about our world.
Linda G. Ackerson
University Library
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Oeuvres, Volume 3 (1972-1984)
Jean-Pierre Serre
These papers contain some beautiful mathematics and are beautifully written.
Scott Ahlgren
Mathematics
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Pedagogy of the Oppressed
Paulo Freire
Friere presents an approach for educating illiterate persons, through which the dispossessed learn to critically assess their social and economic circumstances. This serves as a liberating phenomenon that establishes the foundation for further growth. Friere’s ideas have important implications for thinking about empowering the poor, community building, and mutual assistance, as well as in considering the roles of teachers and students in the educational process.
Steven G. Anderson
School of Social Work
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Evaluation in Organizations: A Systematic Approach to Enhancing Learning, Performance, and Change
Darlene Russ-Eft and Hallie Preskill
Professor Hallie Preskill was very instrumental in shaping my thinking about program evaluation. Dr. Preskill’s work launched a new way of thinking about what evaluation is and its purpose across the entire evaluation community. This book has influenced how I’ve structured my own courses that I teach in program evaluation.
Steven R. Aragon
Human Resource Education
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This book is a memoir of an outstanding teacher who despite the odds reached a child deemed unreachable. I read this book many years ago and it inspired me to become a teacher. The power of teachers to touch and positively change young lives is still at the center of my work. Much of my research focuses on investigating ways to better meet the needs of students viewed as at-risk.
Eurydice Bauer
Curriculum and Instruction
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EL Aleph
Jorge Luis Borges
Because of my unconditional love to my dad.
German A. Bollero
Crop Sciences
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Different Faces of Geometry (International Mathematical Series, v.3)
Simon Donaldson, Yakov Eliashberg, Mikhael Gromov (eds.)
This collection of essays, on topics close to my heart, will, I think, be a valuable addition to our library. With its emphasis on original ideas and open questions, the collection is an inspiring reminder that mathematics is a vibrant and remarkable human endeavor.
Steven Bradlow
Mathematics
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Veterinary Medicine: a Textbook of the Diseases of Cattle, Sheep, Pigs, Goats and Horses
O. M. Radostits … [et al.]
This has been “the” textbook for the medicine of horses, domestic ruminants, and swine for over 30 years. I was taught by Doug Blood at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and will be an author on the next edition (10th).
Peter Constable
Veterinary Clinical Medicine
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Small Nation of People
David L. Lewis
Ollie Watts Davis
School of Music
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Radiative Transfer
S. Chandrasekhar
This is the first book I read on radiative transfer and it changed the course of my graduate research. It is still the most eloquent mathematical formulation and solution to problems in radiative transfer. Computers now provide fast solutions, but the insight provided by Chandrasekhar is truly enlightening.
Larry Di Girolamo
Atmospheric Sciences
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Umbelliferae In: A. Engler and K. Prantl (eds.), Die naturlichen pflanzenfamilien
O. Drude
Until recently, this century-old treatment of Umbelliferae (or Apiaceae, the carrot family) was the authoritative work on the taxonomy of this important group of flowering plants. Through the use of comparative gene sequencing and other modern systematic methods, my students and I are revising the classification of the family to produce a “new Drude” for the 21st century and beyond.
Stephen R. Downie
Plant Biology
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Introduction to Coding Theory
J. H. Van Lint
This book was important for me when I was learning Coding Theory. It is stimulating and beautiful written, from a mathematician’s point of view. It is also very special to me because the author, Professor Van Lint (1932-2004), was my thesis advisor at the University of Eindhoven.
Iwan Duursma
Mathematics
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Rules for Radicals: A Practical Primer for Realistic Radicals
Saul D. Alinsky
This book was given to me by my youngest brother while I was an undergraduate student. The book was an important influence on my later choice of social work as a profession. It also has contributed to the enduring belief that I held as a practitioner, and continue to hold as an instructor and researcher, that individuals can make a difference in the struggle for social justice.
Mary Keegan Eamon
School of Social Work
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The Cat in the Hat Comes Back
Dr. Suess (Theodor Suess Giesel)
This was one of my favorite books as a kid first learning to read and to think. I was fascinated by the idea that the Cat in the Hat had another cat under his hat, and that cat had another cat under his hat, and so on, each cat smaller than the one before.
Jeff Erickson
Computer Science
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Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature
Erich Auerbach
Auerbach’s Mimesis threw open the possibilities of literary scholarship for me when I read it at age twenty-three. It surveys the entire sweep of western writing from the Greek and Christian epics to the novels of Proust and Woolf, revealing the history of style to be anything but a merely bookish pursuit. What’s more astonishing, and even poignant, is that Mimesis is a kind of library unto itself: writing in WWII Istanbul, exiled from Germany , Auerbach retells as if from memory the stories of the ages, sharpening their meaning with close, impassioned analysis.
Jed Esty
English
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Trends in Emerging Viral Infections of Swine
Jeffrey Zimmerman
Lawrence D. Firkins
Veterinary Pathobiology
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Cosmos
Carl Sagan
The PBS television series was an inspiration for me as a child. Along with other superb books such as Contact and Pale Blue Dot, Sagan brings to life the fascinating mysteries and wonders of our universe and humanity’s efforts to unlock its secrets through science.
Kevin Ford
Mathematics
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Lee’s Lieutenants, A Study in Command
Douglas Southall Freeman
This series of books was my father’s favorite. To him as a southern military historian, it documented the strategic brilliance of Lee’s general staff. On a broader scale for me, it illustrates that there are often two rational sides to every conflict and that it is entirely possible for both sides to feel that they have the moral imperative to promote their agenda. The key then becomes in negotiating effectively with one another in order to establish middle ground before we find ourselves drawn irreparably into such devastating conflict.
Jonathan Hale Foreman
Veterinary Clinical Medicine
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The Man Who Planted Trees
Jean Giono
This simple story shows that if one’s objective is clear, grand results which are their own reward can come from quiet persistence in even the simplest of tasks. I sometimes forget this.
Jonathan Freund
Theoretical and Applied Mechanics
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Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe
Simple, powerful, and always relevant to our understanding of the world around us.
Poshek Fu
History
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Numerical recipes in C
William H. Press … [et al.]
This beautifully written book introduced me (and many others) to basic ideas about numerical problem solving. It opened up for me the possibility of discovering something new about nature and the universe using computers.
Charles F. Gammie
Astronomy and Physics/Engineering
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Evolution of Infectious Disease
Paul W. Ewald
The author of this book, Paul Ewald, was my undergraduate mentor. I pursued an academic career largely because of his positive influence. Moreover, the ideas in this book are revolutionary; they demonstrate that evolutionary reasoning can enlighten fundamental principles of disease biology. This paradigm guides my own research.
Tony L. Goldberg
Veterinary Pathobiology
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Rachel Carson’s book inspired my appreciation for the environment and hte field of marine biology. Though she died when I was very young, our paths have crossed several times, as she worked at places where I have carried out my own research, including: Pivers Island, NC, site of Duke University’s Marine Laboratory, and the Marine Biiological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA.
Jonathan J. Henry
Cell and Structural Biology
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Image of the Sea
Howard Isham
Perhaps because I am an engineer, I want to read about art sometimes; perhaps because I live in the middle of corfields, I want to read about the sea sometimes. Among all reasons one stands out: the author of the book is my step-father.
K. Jimmy Hsia
Theoretical and Applied Mechanics
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See You in the Morning
Kenneth Patchen
Teresa Jacobsen
School of Social Work
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The Literary 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Novelists, Playwrights and Poets of All Time
Daniel S. Burt
All “educated” people coming from a university should know somewhat, and appreciate a lot, the contributions to art, science, literature, etc. The Literary 100 attempts to provide an overview of 100 influential writers throughout time. While I may be disappointed on some that are missing (such as Samual Johnson, who compiled the first dictionary), the book provides a wonderful guide. And, hey, it was not a technical book in science and engineering, because we, too, have other interests.
Duane D. Johnson
Materials Science and Engineering
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The Commercial Law of Intellectual Property
Peter A. Alces and Harold F. See
This treatise is the first to study the relationship between the rules governing commerce and intellectual property. Given the importance of innovation and technology in our world, defining the field of trade in intellectual property is a major accomplishment. Since 2002, I have joined the authors of this treatise and continued to maintain the vitality of this important work.
Jay Kesan
College of Law
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The Fountainhead
Ayn Rand
This book gave me a great inspiration and motivation when I started as a professor. During difficult times, it inspired me to believe in myself and pursue work that I was passionate about, instead of worrying about success. As a side-effect, it led to more success than I could have imagined.
Steve M. LaValle
Computer Science
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As an art historian, I look at books and other examples from print culture as objects and articrafts, and study them for what they contain as well as how they appear. This volume of the popular Catalan magazine D’Aci I d’Alla demonstrates one instnce of the intersection of the arts, culture, mechanical reproduction, and modernity that, for me, is a cornerstone for understanding modern art in Spain: the December 1934 issue was co-edited by the architect Josep Lluis Sert and the promoter Joan Prats; the cover was designed by the artist Joan Miro.
Jordana Mendelson
School of Art and Design Art History Program
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The Happy Heretic
Judigh Hayes
I liked this book because it explains clearly and without flamboyance, to the general public, the pitfalls of religious beliefs.
Silvia Moreno
Veterinary Pathobiology
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Harriet the Spy
Louise Fitzhugh
Harriet the Spy has been my favorite book since about age 9. She inspired me to research people’s personal lives and not be afraid of controversy. Also, as I have learned more about the author, Louise Fitzhugh, I have come to understand that Harriet resonates on a much deeper level–she’s the queer kid trying to figure out how the world works and where she wants to fit in.
Ramona Faith Oswald
Human and Community Development
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The Autobiography of Malcom X as Told to Alex Haley
Alex Haley (ed.)
This book has been an inspiration for me ever since I first read it when I was 12 years old. Malcom X’s story is an American story, not only about racism, but about transformative change of an individual who struggles and strives for social justice.
Laurence Parker
Educational Policy Studies
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Analysis of Inventory Systems
G. Hadley and T.M. Whitin
Lucidly written and comprehensive, this seminal work helped shape the way I think. In particular, this book taught me to appreciate how an historical context can fram the current state-of-the-art for a field; and how perspectives from outside the field can yield breakthrough insights.
Nicholas C. Petruzzi
Business Administration
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Evolution and Revolution: The Rising Waves of Emancipation
W.F. Wertheim
This is the chef d’oeuvre of Wim Wetheim, teacher and friend of many years. It is historically deep, worldwide in scope, theoretically astute and empirically grounded, and it sets forth a profound, socially engaged vision of global emancipation. Besides, it’s a wonderful read.
Jan Nederveen Pieterse
Sociology
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Person and Object
Roderick Chisholm
A great, but not widely read, discussion of some classic metaphysical problems. The treatment is solidly analytic, but the results are distinctively at odds with much received doctrine in philosophy.
Allen Renear
Graduate School of Library and Information Science
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Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics
Jonathan Pevsner
This book offers an integrated overview of the biological, statistical and computational components of bioinformatics and functional genomics through detailed descriptions and worked examples. I selected this book because it provides a comprehensive and insightful review of the major disciplines that are the basis of my research and teaching programs as well as shaping the progress of biological discoveries.
Sandra Rodriguez-Zas
Animal Sciences
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Motivation in Education: Theory, Research, and Applications, 2/E
Paul R. Pintrich
My book selection is in honor of my late mentor, Paul Pintrich. Paul was writing the first edition of this book during my first year of graduate school at the University of Michigan. I started graduate school with a broad interest in student learning. Conversations with Paul about various chapters in his book sparked an interest in a motivational approach to understanding students’ success in school. With Paul’s guidance I pursued research on how students’ goals set in motion different patterns of engagement in school. My research still concerns such questions about individual motivational processes as well as identifying features of the context (peer groups, classrooms, test situations) that influence students’ motivation and engagement. More broadly, Paul’s writings and research set a high standard for theoretical innovation that had practical application to students in schools. His vision and work continue to inspire me to do research that contributes insights about how to support positive academic and social development so that all children might realize their potential.
Allison Ryan
Educational Psychology
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Biological Physics : Energy, Information, Life
Philip Nelson
One of few books covering biophysics.
Paul Selvin
Physics
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Digital Transmission of Information
Richard E. Blahut
This book has been instrumental in instilling in me an interest in communication and information theory. This interest lead to my proposing the idea of networks-on-a-chip (NOC) to address the reliability problem facing the semiconductor industry today. NOCs are well-accepted world-wide as representing a paradigm shift in chip design.
Naresh R. Shanbhag
Electrical & Computer Engineering
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New Ideas from Dead Economists: An Introduction to Modern Economic Thought
Todd G. Buchholz
This book provides a completely accessible introduction to the major branches of economic thought, and provides a framework to better understand major economic forces that affect us everyday.
Bruce J. Sherrick
Agricultural and Consumer Economics
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Critical Regionalism: Architecture and Identity in a Globalized World
Liane Lefaivre and Alexander Tzonis
Critical Regionalism: Architecture and Identity in a Globalized World contains important essays by its two authors explaining and sumptuously illustrating critical regionalism as an architectural alternative to modernist and postmodernist design. Critical regionalism emphasizes the integration of local culture, geography and sustainability. Beyond its intended architectural framework, the concept is readily applicable by scholars from diverse disciplines to the problem of identity construction under globalization’s homogenizing effects. I am using ctirical regionalism as a foundational concept in my study of the impact of mass tourism on the city of Cusco, former capital of the ancient Inca Empire and Peru ‘s foremost tourist destination.
Helaine Silverman
Anthropology
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The Mathematical Theory of Plasticity
R. Hill
I was an undergraduate student at the Aristoteleion University of Thessaloniki when I began reading the Mathematical Theory of Plasticity by R. Hill. This book opened up for me new pathways to the science of nonlinear mechanics and to the beauty of scientific inquiry into creative ways of thinking about the deformation of materials.
Petros Sofronis
Theoretical and Applied Mechanics
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The Great Divorce
C. S. Lewis
This is a lovely little allegory about a busload of ghosts from Hell who take an excursion into Heaven. As it turns out, Heaven is not a very hospitable place for those without the wherewithal to enjoy it. The visitors may stay as inhabitants, but this requires each to make certain choices in perception and action. The time I spend doing my work and engaged with my family, friends, colleagues and students is my heaven on earth. In that context, I picked this book because it is a reminder to me of what it means to be a person of substance.
Elizabeth A. L. Stine-Morrow
Educational Psychology
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Proofs from the Book (3rd Edition)
Martin Aigner, Gunter M. Ziegler
This book presents particularly beautiful mathematical proofs in an appealing way.
John M Sullivan
Mathematics
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The World Turned Upside Down
Christopher Hill
I read this book as a teenager and it clinched my decision to study history at university. A pathbreaking and gripping study of radical thought in seventeenth-century England, it highlights, for me, the power of the past to unleash the social and political imagination in the present.
Adam Sutcliffe
History
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Unthinking Eurocentrism: Multiculturalism and the Media
Ella Shohat and Robert Stam
This book is nearly encyclopedic in its breadth and depth in the area of global media with attention to issues of ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. Although it has a 1994 publication date, it still stands as a monumental piece of work and a must read for any media scholar interested in a globally infused study of media in the many multicultural situations throughout the world. In other words it is absolutely an essential text for all media scholars. It never lets go of the difficult interplay between cultures and representational strategies within difficult contexts. It combines the study of text with context and draws on such a wide array of academic traditions that it really remains a model of scholarship for me.
Angharad N. Valdivia
Institute of Communications Research
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Optimization by Vector Space Methods
D. Luenberger
It is an excellently-written book on optimization, comprehensively and rigorously covering a great number of research and application areas.
Petros Voulgaris
Aerospace Engineering
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Finding God in the Lord of the Rings
Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware
This book was given to me by a close family friend after she learned that I was reading Tolkien’s works. The struggle between good and evil, right and wrong, and light and dark often shows up up in our daily lives. Bruner and Ware provide a great analogy between Tolkien’s writings and Christian beliefs. It was a pleasure to read after completing The Lord of the Rings, and has continued to be a companion book whenever I read Tolkien’s writings.
Daniel Warnock
Natural Resouces and Environmental Sciences
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The MIT Encylcopedia of Communication Disorders
Raymond D. Kent
This is a comprehensive text that provides state of the art research about human communication disabilities and the influence of communication disabilities on quality of life.
Ruth V. Watkins
Speech and Hearing Science
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Grendel
John Gardner
It was a thrill to read the Beowulf tale through the eyes of the monster during the Nixon presidency: it was the time for this story. I re-read it now to remind myself that other perspectives matter – like my students!
Randall Westgren
Agricultural and Consumer Economics
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The Guild Handbook of Scientific Illustration
Elaine R. S. Hodges
When originally starting at university, I had a difficult time deciding between art and science. I continue to be fascinated with the usual aspects of the natural world, and this is one of my favorite books on the techniques of illustration.
James B. Whitfield
Department of Entomology
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Czeslaw Milosz.
Raymond E. Zielinski
Department of Plant Biology