The Art of Thinking--Helen Debalzo Green (LCCC Adjunct Reference Librarian)

The Art of Thinking by Charles Dimnet was an awakening for me. At the time I was an impressionable adolescent who read voraciously. A teacher that I admired quoted from this book, and when I inquired further, she gave me the page that the quote came from (I was fortunate to have brilliantly educated teachers). Talk about being impressed! But was she right? So what did I do? I biked to the library and presented the information to the librarian. She disappeared briefly and returned with the book. Together we looked up the quote and, voila, it was written out on the given page exactly as cited. After all of this effort the book was borrowed and it was read. It so influenced me that after all of these years and all of my reading it was the title that immediately came to mind. The best news of all is that we have a well worn copy of this title in our present collection!

The Power of Myth--Michele Timko (Marketing and Media Relations)

The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell is an exhilarating exploration of mythology and world religions. Raised as a Roman Catholic, Campbell became fascinated with Native American myths at a young age. He was intrigued by the many similarities he found in the stories of these disparate cultures, and this sparked his interest in comparative mythology.

Far from being an attack on religion, Campbell’s works help to illuminate the beauty of the religious experience as seen through the eyes of the different cultures of the world. He finds that many of the underlying stories are the same, taking on the “accent” of the local society. He describes mankind’s universal quest to answer questions about our world and our selves.

This book helps the reader to understand the themes behind the myth, the symbolism in religion, and to search for the “god”, the holy, within ourselves. Above all, Campbell reminds us to seek the beauty in the experience of being alive and to always follow our bliss.

The World Book Encyclopedia—Chris Sheetz (Library/Learning Resources Division)

The book that most influenced my life is The World Book Encyclopedia. The 1971 edition that was shelved in the attic bedroom of my older sisters was white and green with gold lettering. The paper of the pages was thicker than those of any book I had ever felt with gold edges. It was elegant. On cold or rainy weekend afternoons, I would sit for hours on the floor in front of the bookshelf, browsing through the encyclopedia. I loved the articles about the individual states and countries with the maps and each article followed the same outline. I remember the entry for Flags with all of the mini-pictures of the flags across the two page spread. My favorite thing to do was to go to the “H” volume for the transparent pages about the human body.

And now, here I am over thirty years later, a college librarian, with the world of information at my fingertips still. But the clicking of the keyboard doesn’t feel the same as those thick, gold-edged pages.

To Kill A Mockingbird--Mary Sulzer (Academic Foundations)

For many of us, Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird was our first experience with a literary classic. I first read the novel when I was in junior high school. Every few years since then, I pull it out and reread it. Suffice to say that enough years have gone by that I am on my third copy, and it’s getting worn. A small southern town in the midst of the Great Depression is the setting for this gripping narrative, which is told through the eyes of an insightful young girl. When a young black man is unjustly accused of rape, the bitter racism of the time is vividly portrayed in all of its evil. This novel skillfully illustrates both the good and evil that exists in mankind. The appeal of To Kill A Mockingbird is timeless. Nearly fifty years after its initial release, it is still enjoyed by readers of all ages and experiences. Each of us strives to find a little bit of Atticus Finch in ourselves.

Fahrenheit 451—Peggy Nesbit (LCCC Bookstore Retail Merchandising Coordinator)

A great deal of anxious thought went into choosing the book for this essay. I work in the LCCC Bookstore and believe I was born loving books and longing to own them despite having dyslexia.
Fahrenheit 451 was one of the first adult books I ever read as a teenager and I had to read it again, afraid that I may not have understood it then. The story of a fireman who burns books is just as powerful today as it was 30-plus years ago. Its themes of social and governmental control of media and thought are more relevant today than ever. Ray Bradbury himself in the Coda to the 50th Anniversary edition to Fahrenheit 451 says: “There is more than one way to burn a book. And there is a world full of people running about with lit matches.”

I can’t say for certain that this book led me to work with books; I think I was born to that. However, this book certainly led me to other books that questioned the status quo and that looked beyond the everyday. And I’m very proud of that, and of selling those same books to our students.

Bureaucracy and Red Tape--Dorinda Smith (Social Sciences and Human Services)

It might seem strange that a discussion of bureaucracies – their functions, their possibilities, their limits and their uses – would inspire me. However, bureaucracies – large and small, public and private, local and national – influence and inform much of what we do. Since discovering the book Bureaucracy and Red Tape by Barry Bozeman in 2000, I have used it each and every semester to share with my students his wise counsel and his humor in navigating our unique government structures. In his book, he captures both the positive and the negative aspects of American bureaucracy and the intricate ways that we can become overwhelmed by them or find ways to maneuver through or around them.

Bozeman, Professor of Public Policy at Georgia Tech, best frames the tensions of bureaucracies in this statement: “By remembering the term ‘balance model’ it is perhaps easier to remember that bureaucracies usually serve multiple purpose values, including efficiency, accountability, performance, and fairness. Sometimes the values conflict…there is nothing simple about bureaucracy or its purpose” (p. 184). His ultimate lesson? In generally giving us what we, as a society, need, bureaucracies often seem to fail to give us what we want.

Jane Eyre—Brenda Owens (Early College High School at LCCC)

Reading the novel Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, was like having a mirror held up to my psyche. Seeing much of myself in the character of Jane and her life events, I was able to react through the story and gain intrapersonal brevity. Through her emotional depth, strength of character and core beliefs, Jane perseveres. The theme “things are not always what they appear to be on the surface” was what I found compelling as a timeless truth. As a woman, I found myself celebrating the obscure feminine qualities of Jane that, in my opinion, made her luminously beautiful, esoteric, and incredibly desirable: warmth, a great capacity to love, and a commitment to self-respect. Unfortunately, these true qualities of beauty remain just as obscure today as they did in the time of the novel; perhaps another timeless truth. More than just a Gothic Romance, Jane Eyre continues to inspire me to strive for my truths, sacrifice temporary gratification, and witness the uniqueness and beauty of who “me” is.

The Camel Club--Dotti Root (Academic Foundations)

The best book I have ever read was the last one. It was by David Baldacci: The Camel Club. My criteria for reading any book of fiction: it must have a “hook” and be free of grammatical errors. I am not a writer nor am I innocent of committing grammatical errors. However, as a reader I allow no more than two. I feel that I have paid “good money” to be properly entertained. The writer and his/her editor should be considerate enough to catch any and all errors before a book is published.

A good “hook” catches my imagination in such a way as to create a picture of what is happening or what is to come. The opening paragraph was a geographic location: Virginia. The writer’s hook is created within this very first paragraph. The hook was the Camel Club, a group of misfit men. Each had something "wrong" physically, emotionally, mentally. Yet, together they made one unit. This series of books from Baldacci works because no matter what can be a handicap, there is a "happy ending.”

The Botany of Desire—Dr. Ruby Beil (Science and Mathematics)

The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan is a wonderful combination of botanical and cultural history and vivid story-telling. As required reading for a Plants and Human Well-being course offered at Cornell University, this book remains one of the most enjoyable and fascinating works I have ever encountered. If you’ve ever wondered how human desires for control, beauty, intoxication, and sweetness have played out in the world of plants, this book tells it all. Pollan has an artful ability to weave ecological and human realities into a gripping and inspired story. Other noteworthy books by the author include The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals and In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. Pollan’s books inspire us to think about our dynamic human qualities and give us insights into being healthier and happier people.

The Laws of Simplicity--Mike Zellers (Business)

Jon Maeda's book The Laws of Simplicity reminds us that tools, whether technological or otherwise, are only good to the degree they help people do what they need to do. What good is something that has dozens of functions if it makes it difficult to do the one thing we need to? As technologists, we need to remember the focus ought to be not on the latest, greatest, feature-filled products, but on providing simple and elegant solutions to real peoples' problems. It is a short book and an easy read, but very thought provoking. It bears re-reading and has caused me to re-think much about technology and most everything I do.