The challenge, read 50 books in one year. I am a notoriously distracted reader, jumping from one to another and not always returning to those I start. So this is my attempt to make sure I finish some of them.
8) A Case of Conscience--James Blish (1958; Del Rey reprint 2000)
A book of ideas set in the future. Deals with human fears/misunderstandings of the Other/difference, the struggles of religious conscience, the limitations of technocratic knowledge, and the rebellion of the young. It was written in 1958 and has the pulpish trappings of late 50s science fiction, but it still speaks to the concerns of 2004. The book certainly will appeal more to those that have dealt with internal struggles of faith and knowledge (the main character struggles with the contradictions of being both a scientist and a priest). I liked it so much that I hunted down a collectible hardback copy of his novel Dr. Mirabilis (1964).
7) The Social Mind—James Paul Gee (1992)
I reread this book for the second time so that I could discuss a smaller reading from the book with my students. It is also on my PhD comprehensive exam lists.
6) The Deep—John Crowley (1975)
I kept seeing raves about Crowley's books so I read his first book The Deep. On the surface it is about a mysterious stranger that has amnesia while wandering around a feudalistic environment. The society which is divided into two constantly shifting, warring factions thrives upon pageantry and intrigue. The book touches upon the mysteries of beginnings and endings, game theory, and our deeper dark passions (of course all in an otherworldly fantasy).
5) Critical Thinking and Everyday Life—Ira Shor (South End Press, 1980)
I read this book because it is on my PhD Comprehensive exams list. It is somewhat outdated, but still is worth the read because of Shor’s historical analysis of the development of an open college system in the U.S. and his pedagogical experiments.
4) Curriculum Development in the Postmodern Era—Patrick Slattery (Garland Publishing, 1995)
3) Times Square Red, Times Square Blue—Samuel R. Delany (New York University Press, 1999)
2) Time Maps: Collective Memory and the Social Shape of the Past—Eviatar Zerubavel (University of Chicago Press, 2003)
1) A Friend of the Earth—T.C. Boyle (Penguin, 2001)
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