Hutchins Library News Blog

Last, but certainly not least, check our our student worker, Kateryna Poltoratska's top three favorite books:

1) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

2) The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde

3) The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

Jessica Hayden, coordinator of technical services, chose these as her top three favorite books: 

• Walden / Henry David Thoreau. In my opinion, this book has all the wisdom you need to get through life. It’s one of those great books that you can open anywhere and find an inspiring passage.
• A walk in the woods / Bill Bryson. Bryson’s travel writings make me laugh out loud. I love that in a book. Plus, they inspire my sense of adventure. In this book, Bryson attempts to hike the Appalachian Trail with his bumbling friend, Katz.
• Sandman / Neil Gaiman. Best graphic novel ever!!! My favorite volume is Season of Mists, but the entire series is wonderful. Netflix is working on a live-action series, so I expect this series from the late 1980s/early 1990s to have a resurgence in popularity soon.

Hutchins Library is pleased to announce "Feminist Expressions in Action", an art exhibit by  Berea College student Malaya Wright. The exhibit runs from August 23, 2021 through September 30, 2021. You can view the exhibit in the library's main floor on the center wall.

This event is free. However, due to COVID-19, Admission will be limited to Berea College faculty, staff, & students, and masks must be worn by all who attend.

The artist provided the following statement:

"I often question feminist theory; I ask: "How can we visualize these critiques? How can we navigate change?". These pieces are a response to my queries. Feminism addresses the uncomfortable - the muffled screams and fleeting glances. The whispers of change. I hope my art provides solace for the hushed and offers unabashedly bares nakedness to your soul. May you stare at them as they stare back at you."

There will be an artist talk and reception on Friday, September 3, 2021 from 4pm to 6pm. Light refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the campus community.

This program has been funded by the Berea College Women and Gender Studies Program.

Student worker and building manager, Ally Hicks, had this to say about her top three favorite books: 

1. The Caster Chronicles by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Synopsis: The series follows Ethan Wate, a 16-year-old boy that dreams of leaving his small South Carolina town for something larger. At the start of the series he falls in love with Lena Duchannes, a new girl that is part of a secret section of humanity called Casters, people who are capable of working magic. They find that there are several obstacles to their love, most notably the social and cultural differences between their two societies and the fact that Ethan is incapable of touching Lena for extended periods of time without suffering a severe electric shock. Throughout the series Lena is troubled by the fact that she must claim herself as either a Light or Dark Caster on her sixteenth birthday and in the first novel she manages to perform a spell that prevents her from having to make this choice. However, in the process Ethan is mortally wounded and Lena is forced to perform another spell to bring him back to life, which causes her to distance herself from him out of fear that he will be further harmed. Their relationship is further harmed by the introduction of Liv, a secondary love interest for Ethan that is also aware of the Caster world.

As the series progresses Ethan finds that he is constantly haunted by a series of strange songs and Lena is further tempted by various family members (including her mother and her cousin Ridley) to claim herself as a Dark Caster. These ongoing problems pose serious threats to their romance but are ultimately unsuccessful as Ethan and Lena are inevitably and continually drawn to one another. The only true barrier to their love comes in the form of a prophecy that the "One Who Is Two" must be sacrificed to bring Order back to the world. Initially they believe this to be Lena due to her dual Light/Dark nature, but find that it actually refers to Ethan, as his resurrection was done too quickly and part of his soul was left behind in the underworld. Knowing that this is the only way to keep everyone he knows and loves safe, Ethan voluntarily throws himself off of the town's water tower to his death and both parts of his soul are reunited.

In the underworld Ethan finds that he still has limited communication with the living world and through this he manages to communicate with family members. He also discovers that he can come back to life, but only through a difficult ordeal that requires him to remove his page from The Caster Chronicles held by the Keepers at the Gates of the Far Keep. Ethan barely manages to succeed at this task and returns to the living world, where he is reunited with Lena. Although left with more questions than answers to everything, Ethan finds that he can now touch Lena without physical harm, allowing them to finally become a true couple.

Personal Statement: This is my favorite series of books. It has four books, all titles starting with the word beautiful. This was my escape growing up, and I always valued the way these books transported me into its story. Its a romance book, which is always my favorite, but has twists and turns and it feels like you grow as the characters do. Following the love story of Ethan and Lena, it throws you through loops of issues until finally, it unites them together at the very end. 

2. Looking for Alaska by John Greene

Synopsis: Miles Halter, a teenage boy obsessed with last words, leaves his normal high school in Florida to attend Culver Creek Preparatory High School in Alabama for his junior year. Miles' reasoning for such a change is quoted by François Rabelais's last words: "I go to seek a Great Perhaps." Miles' new roommate, Chip "The Colonel" Martin, nicknames Miles "Pudge" and introduces Pudge to his friends: hip-hop emcee Takumi Hikohito and Alaska Young, a beautiful but emotionally unstable girl. Learning of Pudge's obsession with famous last words, Alaska informs him of Simón Bolívar's: "Damn it. How will I ever get out of this labyrinth!" The two make a deal that if Pudge figures out what the labyrinth is and how to escape it, Alaska will find him a girlfriend. Later, Alaska sets Pudge up with a Romanian classmate, Lara.

Unfortunately, Pudge and Lara have a disastrous date, ending with a concussed Pudge throwing up on Lara's pants. Alaska and Pudge grow closer and he begins to fall in love with her, although she insists on keeping their relationship platonic because she has a boyfriend at Vanderbilt University named Jake, whom she insists that she loves.

On his first night at Culver Creek, Pudge is kidnapped and thrown into a lake by the "Weekday Warriors," a group of rich schoolmates who blame the Colonel and his friends for the expulsion of their friend, Paul. Takumi claims that they are innocent because their friend Marya was also expelled during the incident. However, Alaska later admits to Miles that she told on both Marya and Paul to the dean, Mr. Starnes, nicknamed as "The Eagle", to save herself from being expelled.

The gang celebrates a successful series of pranks by drinking and partying, and an inebriated Alaska confides about her mother's death from an aneurysm when she was eight years old. Although she failed to understand it at the time, she feels guilty for not calling 911. Pudge figures that her mother's death made Alaska impulsive and rash. He concludes that the labyrinth was a person's suffering and that humans must try to find their way out. Afterwards, Pudge grows closer to Lara, and they start dating. A week later, after another "celebration," an intoxicated Alaska and Pudge spend the night with each other. Soon, Alaska receives a phone call that causes her to be hysterical. Insisting that she has to leave, Alaska drives away while still drunk, and the Colonel and Pudge distract Mr. Starnes. They later learn that Alaska was driving under the influence and died.

The Colonel and Pudge are devastated, blame themselves, wonder about her reasons for undertaking the urgent drive, and even contemplate that she might have deliberately killed herself. The Colonel insists on questioning Jake, her boyfriend, but Pudge refuses for fear that he might learn that Alaska never loved him. They argue, and the Colonel accuses Pudge of loving only an idealized Alaska that he made up in his head. Pudge realizes the truth and reconciles with the Colonel.

As a way of celebrating Alaska's life, Pudge, the Colonel, Takumi, and Lara team up with the Weekday Warriors to hire a male stripper to speak at Culver's Speaker Day, a prank that had been developed by Alaska before her death. The whole school finds it hilarious; even Mr. Starnes acknowledges how clever it was. Pudge finds Alaska's copy of The General in His Labyrinth with the labyrinth quote underlined and notices the words "straight and fast" written in the margins. He remembers Alaska died on the morning after the anniversary of her mother's death and concludes that Alaska felt guilty for not visiting her mother's grave and, in her rush, might have been trying to reach the cemetery. On the last day of school, Takumi confesses in a note that he was the last person to see Alaska, and he let her go as well. Pudge realizes that letting her go no longer matters as much. He forgives Alaska for dying, as he knows Alaska forgives him for letting her go.

Personal Statement: This was a beautiful story that helped me understand the depths of grief. I read it when I was quite young, but it's one of those books that just kind of stick with you. 

3. The Body keeps the Score by Van der Kolk

Synopsis: The Body Keeps The Score teaches you how to get through the difficulties that arise from your traumatic past by revealing the psychology behind them and revealing some of the techniques therapists use to help victims recover.

Personal Statement: This book was vital for my growth as an individual. It helped me look at trauma and personal experiences in a whole different light. It provided me with the opportunity to get to know myself on a deeper lever. It also includes a whole chapter about learning coping mechanisms and various tools to help you become your most healthiest self. This was a valuable tool that I utilized during my healing journey. 

Hutchins' Digital Initiatives Librarian, Abby Houston, had this to say about her favorite books:

1. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Synopsis: The novel takes place in southern India (Kerala) during the Marxist uprising in 1969. Through a series of flashbacks and present day scenes, it revolves around the lives of Ammu, an upper-class, divorced woman, and her two zygotic twins, Rahel and Estha. The plot takes a dangerous turn when Ammu enters into a forbidden relationship with Velutha, a man from a lower-caste, along with a tragic event on the twins’ cousin, Sophie-Mol. These events culminate into disaster and changes the courses of the twins’ lives forever.

This Booker Prize winner is probably the dirtiest, most highlighted/dog-earred book I own, because it was read and re-read so many times! The God of Small Things revolves around many things: love and loss, jealousy, taboos and social expectations, children’s imagination, and personal betrayal. But as the title itself suggests, the central theme zooms in on the “Small Things.” The little things that happened in passing: a brief glimpse, a curious touch, a careless word. All of these things are usually the trigger for the "Big Things," the culmination of the events leading up to it. The writing is childlike, lyrical, yet culminates into a tragically sad and unforgettable story. 

Favorite Quotes: 

"Do you know what happens when you hurt people?’ Ammu said. “When you hurt people, they begin to love you less. That’s what careless words do. They make people love you a little less.'"

"If you're happy in a dream, does that count?"

2. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Synopsis: In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the adored daughter of a crippled fisherman, falls for a wealthy stranger at the seashore near her home in Korea. He promises her the world, but when she discovers she is pregnant–and that her lover is married–she refuses to be bought. Instead, she accepts an offer of marriage from a gentle, sickly minister passing through on his way to Japan. But her decision to abandon her home, and to reject her son’s powerful father, sets off a dramatic saga that will echo down through the generations. Richly told and profoundly moving, Pachinko is a story of love, sacrifice, ambition, loyalty, sexism, fate, hard work, destiny, chance, war, poverty, racism, familial obligations, identity, immigration, citizenship, language, education, opportunity, community, and faith.

As someone who knows very little about Korean history, Pachinko was a major eye-opener. The underclass female characters in the book stood out to me the most. Despite the hardships and grueling conditions they faced, Sunja and Kyunghee sacrificed everything for their family. Still, they were entrepreneurial enough to break societal conventions of their time. These were tough and resilient women: often even stronger than their male counterparts. The prose is simple and straightforward, generally consisting of short, direct sentences. There’s not a lot of fluff yet I still found myself sobbing throughout. 

Favorite Quotes:

“History has failed us, but no matter.”

“Living everyday in the presence of those who refuse to acknowledge your humanity takes great courage.”

3. Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras

Synopsis: The Santiago family lives in a gated community in Bogotá, Columbia safe from the political upheaval terrorizing the country. Seven-year-old Chula and her older sister Cassandra enjoy carefree lives thanks to this protective bubble, but the threat of kidnappings, car bombs, and assassinations hover just outside the neighborhood walls, where the godlike drug lord Pablo Escobar continues to elude authorities and capture the attention of the nation. When their mother hires Petrona, a live-in-maid from the city's guerrilla-occupied slum, Chula makes it her mission to understand Petrona's mysterious ways. She is a young woman crumbling under the burden of providing for her family as the rip tide of first love pulls her in the opposite direction. As both girls' families scramble to maintain stability amidst the rapidly escalating conflict, Petrona and Chula find themselves entangled in a web of secrecy that will force them both to choose between sacrifice and betrayal.

I've clearly developed a love for historical fiction novels focusing on non-Western countries in the 20th century which is part of the reason I picked this book up to begin with! The other being how utterly gorgeous the cover is. The story is told by flipping back and forth between Chula and Petrona's perspectives making it an excellent and heartbreaking coming-of-age exploration of the longterm effects of political unrest on children, the normalization of violence, and the physical and emotional toll it exacts. By the end of the book, I was riveted and haunted, and I thought about how books like this – emotional, beautiful, distressing books like this – truly humble me. 

Favorite Quotes:

“Multiply me when necessary. Transform me into light where there is shadow.”

"Sometimes the less you know, the more you live." 

Director of Library Services, Calvin Gross, chose these as his top three favorite books: 

1. Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo

Annawadi is a slum created on land belonging to the Mumbai Airport. It was settled initially by migrant workers who had come to work on the airport in 1991 and stayed behind. The workers reclaimed a piece of airport land that was marshy and otherwise unusable. It quickly grew into a sprawling, densely inhabited zone of makeshift shacks, filled primarily with recent migrants to Mumbai from all over India and Pakistan. Ethnically, it is a mixture of many different groups and languages. Boo got to know the people there during the course of three years and in this work writes about the daily stresses and problems that inhabitants must contend with, such as poverty, hunger, disease, dirt, ethnic strife, violence, the constant fear that the airport authority will bulldoze their homes since they are technically there illegally, corruption, fatigue, weather, and the interpersonal conflicts that are augmented by being forced to live in close quarters with many others. She focuses on people such as Sunil, a stunted orphan who is a garbage picker; Abdul, a second generation garbage picker; Fatima, an emotionally troubled woman with one leg who dreams of a different life; Manju, who is trying to become the first female resident of Annawadi to graduate from college, and her mother, Asha, who is trying to attain the role of "slumlord", giving her access to power, money, and respect, but at the price of becoming part of the corruption around her. One of the central dramas around which the book centers is the self-immolation of Fatima, who then makes a false statement to the police that it was the fault of Abdul, his sister, and his father.

2. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

A Confederacy of Dunces chronicles the picaresque adventures of Ignatius Jacques Reilly, a slovenly academic and cultural Luddite with a phobia of travel and a long-standing pen relationship with Jewish beatnik Myrna Minkoff. Ignatius's escapades in the town of his birth, where he lives with his alcoholic and domineering mother, form the body of the novel along with his hypocritical commentaries on modern cultural and his correspondence with Myrna, who despite being his philosophical opposite is in fact his close friend and eventual salvation.

3. Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

The novel takes place in two interwoven time periods: the first deals with the Binewski children's constant struggle against each other through life. They especially have to deal with the Machiavellian Arty as he develops his own cult: Arturism. In this cult, Arty persuades people to have their limbs amputated (so that they can be like him) in their search for the principle he calls PIP ("Peace, Isolation, Purity"). Each member moves up in stages, losing increasingly significant chunks of their body, starting with their toes and fingers. As Arty battles his siblings to maintain control over his followers, competition between their respective freak shows slowly begins to take over their lives.

The second story is set in the present and is centered on Oly's daughter, Miranda. Nineteen-year-old Miranda does not know Oly is her mother. She lives on a trust fund created by Oly before she gave up her daughter to be raised by nuns. This had been urged by her brother Arty, who was also Miranda's father (not through sexual intercourse, but by the telekinetic powers of Chick, who carried Arty's sperm directly to Oly's ovum). Oly lives in the same rooming house as Miranda so she can "spy" on her. (The rooming house is run by "Crystal" Lil, who is so addled that she doesn't know Oly is her daughter.) Miranda has a special defect of her own, a small tail, which she flaunts at a local fetish strip club. There she meets Mary Lick, who tries to convince her to have the tail cut off. Lick is a wealthy woman who pays attractive women to get disfiguring operations, ostensibly so they may live up to their potential instead of becoming sex objects; it is implied, however, that Lick's real motivation is to punish them for being more attractive than she is. Oly plans to stop Lick in order to protect her daughter.

Amanda Peach, Hutchins Library's Assistant Director of Library Services, chose these as her favorite books: 

1. Foxfire: Confessions of a girl gang by Joyce Carol Oates 

"I read it when I was young teen, recovering from bullying and sexual assault. I found strength in this story of female solidarity, grrrl power, and revenge."

2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

"Jane's perseverance in the face of abuse, classism, and heartbreak, without losing her sense of self, is inspiring. Dark and painful for much of the story, and scary in others, it provoked a physical reaction in me as I read it. My stomach hurt and my heart hurt."

3. Marya: a life by Joyce Carol Oates

"Like Marya, the titular character, I have struggled with the heartbreak that accompanies being abandoned by a parent at a young age. Like her, that sense of loss has haunted me, always threatening to overshadow any bit of success I might enjoy. This novel made me feel seen."

Student worker at the circulation desk, Ian Williamson, made these statements about his favorite books:

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (Call #: P485on 2008 bk. 1)

This fantasy novel, the first in the four-book Wingfeather Saga, follows the adventures of the Igiby children, who live on the cliffside of a continent facing the sea where once a year, sea dragons come up to sing. Featuring original characters and creatures, like the unforgettable Peet the Sock Man, the lizard-like Fangs of Dang, and the toothy cows of Skree, this book's combination of lore and a witty, humorous style show the author's success in his attempt to, as he says, marry The Lord of the Rings with The Princess Bride. A shamelessly fun, irreverent read that simultaneously tackles themes of family ties, faith, and sacrifice, Peterson's novel just might be your next favorite fantasy read. 

Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems by Billy Collins (Call #: 821.914 C712s 2001)

If you want to get into poetry but are off-put by a lot of poems' old-school language, obscure references and dense style, Billy Collins is a good poet to start reading. Collins' poetry is accessible, often funny, and always poignant. This collection features such poems as "American Sonnet" where Collins says the American sonnet is "the picture postcard, a poem on vacation/that forces us to sing our songs in little rooms/or pour our sentiments into measuring cups" and "Introduction to Poetry" where Collins says "I want them to water-ski/across the surface of a poem/waving at the author's name on the shore. ... But all they want to do/is tie the poem to a chair with rope/and torture a confession out of it." These and other poems in the collection  show how Collins focuses on the ordinary features of human life and elevates these mundane things with a kind of tender attention.  

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (Call #: B798fa 2013)

A classic dystopian story, Bradbury's 1953 novel was eerily accurate in its predicting how obsessed people would become with entertainment. Written during the era of McCarthyism and the Red Scare, the book is also a commentary on censorship, imagining a future where all books are burned. This is a short, forceful book where no word feels wasted, a book that remains relevant and looks more and more like our contemporary environment. 

We asked student workers for the summer to submit their favorite books as well. Here we have Isaac Sexton's submission: 

1. The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins – I’ve always loved this series because of the dystopian society portrayed and the twists that sneak up on you.
2. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – This book hits close to home, as Simon, a gay teenager, comes to terms with his sexuality.
3. Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan – I’ve always LOVED Greek Mythology, so the fact that this book is about that, but set in present day, makes it one of my favorites!

For the month of August, we pulled together a collection our staff's favorite books to give those who utilize the library services an idea of how broad our collection is, as well as some good suggestions on what to read next. This is our interlibrary loan specialist, Patty tarter, favorite books: 

1. Trinity by Leon Uris.  I read this book when I was in college.  It is a powerful story of the Irish struggle between Protestants and Catholics.
2. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead.  A disturbing book which depicts the constant struggle of African American slaves seeking freedom after the Civil War.
3. Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. A story of 19th Century England that depicts the plight of a poor woman trying to fight for her rights against all odds.

While looking for ideas on what to read, our staff came up with a genius way to get the word out about good books. Angel Rivera, our information literacy coordinator, had this to say in response to what his favorite three books were:

Batman: the Long Halloween. Graphic novel. Batman faces the challenge of a serial killer who kills during major holidays starting with Halloween. The killings go on for a full year, and they involve mob figures. Soon mobsters are worried about the killer they’ve dubbed Holiday and about what has become “the long Halloween.” This is a story from Batman’s early days where he strikes a deal with Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Dent to bring down the mob, but Harvey may have dark secrets of his own as well. This is one of my favorite Batman stories, and I try to reread it every year in October, close to Halloween. Reading this is one of the ways I get ready for Halloween and the fall season.

One Hundred Years of Solitude. Many consider this to be Garcia Marquez’s masterpiece. The novel chronicles 100 years of the Buendia family in the fictional town of Macondo in Colombia. Magic realism, fiction, history, beauty, the bizarre, so on blend into a complex and engrossing novel. This is my all-time favorite novel, which I read in Spanish. I’ve had read this many times, and I make it a point to reread it every four or five years or so. Basically when I feel it is time to go back to Macondo I grab the book and start reading. The copy in the photograph was my mother’s personal copy, which she gave me before I went off to college as a young lad. It’s a simple paperback edition published by Argos Vergara in 1980. She bought from a local book club, and I do have the original receipt inside the book. It’s a bit tattered, but it is one of the very few belongings I have of my mother after she passed on. For me, this novel is a universal work, and I think more people should be reading it. Every time I reread it I discover something new.

Ciaphas Cain: Hero of the Imperium. Choosing the third book for this prompt was not easy as I had a few options. I finally decided to go with this. This omnibus edition collects the first three novels in the Ciaphas Cain series in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Cain is a regimental commissar (political officer). He is respected by peers, space marines, government officials, and he is a hero to many. So says the imperial propaganda. However, as he would have you believe, he just wants an easy life far away from the front lines. However, it seems the Emperor has other plans for him as he is constantly put in dangerous situations where he has to use all his combat skills, his guile, and ingenuity to save the day. Problem is he saves the day, people think he is a hero, and now he has to keep that reputation. Unlike other science fiction works where similar heroes are cowards, Cain is actually quite brave and a very skilled warrior as well as a pretty pragmatic man. He is described as a skilled swordsman for instance. His issue, and one I can relate to at times, is he just wants an easy life, like say being a teacher in a schola for commissars (i.e. a military academy). The novels combine military science fiction action with some good humor and amusing times. This is one of those things I read just for the fun and pleasure. This Ciaphas Cain volume introduced me to the character as well as to the Warhammer 40,000 universe.