What should I read next? What professors recommend
Micah Webster, Staff Writer
Graphic by Katie Beth Bostic
Have you found yourself with some free time recently? Maybe you’re bored out of your mind reading a textbook? Or maybe you’re just trying to recapture a lost love for reading?
Well, you’re in luck. Eight professors have weighed in to give you a book that they think everyone should read at least once in their lifetime (other than the Bible).
From math professors to English professors, and from business to Christian studies, there’s books for anyone to read.
First off, from the school of business is John Duncan’s recommendation, “Why Business Matters to God (And What Still Needs to be Fixed)” by Jeff Van Duzer. He said this book is one of the best presentations of a theology of business and it does a good job of helping readers understand the ways business fits with God’s grand narrative. The book makes it clear that business is important to God and is still relevant to us as a part of the cultural mandate in Genesis 1. Duncan is the dean of the college of business and entrepreneurship and professor of accounting.
Second is the three-book series, “Anne of Green Gables” by Lucy Maud Montgomery, recommended by Elisabeth Moore, assistant professor of history. Moore has read this series around 30 times, whether it be her grandma reading to her as a child, or Moore reading for her grandmother who could no longer read because of Alzheimer’s. This series shaped Moore’s life in many ways, teaching many lessons, as well as being a reminder of the beauty and goodness in the world when cynicism takes hold.
The next recommendation comes from Jeremy Parks, an American sign language instructor. “The Stolen Child” by Keith Donohue is based on an old German tale about a troop of goblins that steals children and replaces them with a goblin. It follows a particular goblin and child and explores identity and what it means to love and be loved by others. Parks has read the story four times and carries this quote from the book in his head: “That more things move than blood in the heart. Memory and regret, love and loss—they pulse within us, just as surely, and sometimes stronger.”
Cailyn Lee, instructor of mathematics, thinks everyone should read “Women of the Word” by Jen Wilkin. While the book was originally written for women, Lee believes it has value for everyone. The book focuses on teaching the reader how to approach the Bible with intentionality, diligence and intellect, as opposed to making it just a quick devotional reading.
“I wish I had known about this book as a college freshman,” she said. “Oh, the difference it would have made in my interactions with the Bible!”
Now from the college of Christian studies, Joshua Styles would ask people to read “Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth” by Thaddeus Williams. This book aims to tackle the weighty topic of justice, and what it looks like to pursue justice in a God-honoring way. Everyone wants justice, but what we call justice can often cause more harm than good. Williams not only shows what true justice looks like but exposes how the world has twisted or corrupted that word.
Randall Moss, from the school of education, recommends “Knowing God” by J.I. Packer, a book that points us to the only person who gives us meaning, purpose and satisfaction: God himself. The book paints an amazing portrait of the triune God and Moss said it always leaves him in awe and hungry to know Him more.
Nearing the end, Cheryl Collier, associate dean of the school of humanities and social science, believes that everyone should read is “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. She said it’s beautifully written and it approaches our common human struggles, failures and triumphs with honesty, thoughtfulness, and compassion.
Last but not least, Zack Carter from the school of communication recommends “Family Communication and the Christian Faith” by Jonathan Pettigrew and Diane Badzinski. For Carter, the book is unprecedented because it takes real, often secular research and applies it to communication, while also beginning each chapter with a story from scripture and showing how to apply those timeless principles to our own lives.
