By Ericia Henry
Looking for more good books to read this summer? Well, we may be able to help with that.
Here’s what staff and faculty at IU Southeast are reading:
Looking for a historical and heartbreaking stunner?
Yellow Wife
By Sadeqa Johnson
“A novel about a mulatto slave woman and the advantages/disadvantages her skin color afforded her, and how she managed to survive and made the ultimate sacrifice for her family.”
-Yvonne Young, financial aid counselor
Looking for a book about American political history?
Unstable Majorities
By Morris Fiorina
“The state of political rhetoric in our society is terrible these days, and it keeps getting worse. This book provides an excellent analysis of what underlies this breakdown and provides an interesting prescription for its improvement. We the people, aren’t so far apart on the issues as we may think we are. It’s the politicians who have drifted away from us, the voters. The solution he suggests is for broader voter turnout at the primary stage of elections. The ‘middle ground’ that is most American voters needs to take back our elections.”
– Dr. Joe Wert, professor of political science
Interested in a masterful portrait of unseen phenomenon in America?
Caste
By Isabel Wilkerson
“This book will make you pause and really think about the systems that have been put in place to create long standing divisions in our society. Phenomenal read!”
– Nikki Green, grant project coordinator
Looking for a brilliant, timely and inspirational book?
We Still Here
By Marc Lamont Hill
“We Still Here is a brutal reminder of how the Black community suffered before, during and after the pandemic. Everything we witnessed in the news day in and day out during 2020 is put into words in a gut wrenching read. The book examine Black death rates, the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, racism and more. Marc Lamont Hill looked at 2020 America with a magnifying glass.”
– Cayla Maurer, new student programs & leadership coordinator
Looking for a good read about toxic masculinity?
For the Love of Men
By Liz Plank
“Toxic masculinity has been a hot topic for years now. I wanted an in-depth read and Liz Plank’s book kept popping up in searches. Now that I’m about halfway through the book… I see why. It gets to the root of men, their actions, and how we, as a society, respond. It’s illuminating!”
– Cayla Maurer, new student programs & leadership coordinator
Looking for an international phenomenon?
Concrete Rose
By Angie Thomas
“Angie Thomas is one of my favorite young adult authors. She’s raw in her writing and paints a vivid picture with her words. If you loved The Hate U Give, you will have to hear about Mav’s coming up story. Concrete Rose is a must read… for anyone and everyone!”
– Cayla Maurer, new student programs & leadership coordinator
Looking for a book about Chinese culture?
The Valley of Amazement
By Amy Tan
“I loved getting into the Chinese culture; most of the book to place in China. Like many other Amy Tan books, the story winds around relationships between women, family members and unexpected friendships. Of course there was LOVE in the story as well, but not always happy or healthy love. The story centers around mother-daughter generational relationships, and how those relationships affected the women in the tale. The Valley of Amazement also touches on the Spanish flu of 1918, those that died during that time and all the preventative measures families would take to keep their loved ones safe. I thought this was especially interesting to read while COVID-19 was wreaking havoc on the world. Wow, the politics on fighting diseases back then are much different than it is today.”
– Kim Pelle, coordinator of non-traditional student programs, parent/family programs manager
Looking for a book to escape reality?
Murder with Puffins
By Donna Andrews
“This read is pure escapism, which was needed during the pandemic.”
– Diane Wille, dean for graduate studies and research