July 25, 2003 Feature Story
What’s
Hot for Summer Reading
Want some good ideas for summer reading? Utah
State Today peered over the shoulders of President
Kermit L. Hall and others this summer to see what they're
reading. And we’d like to know what your favorite books
are, as well.
 President
Hall tries to read a book every other week. His summer reading
list includes Leonard Thompson's A History of South
Africa, Rian Malan's My Traitor's
Heart, Robert Dahl's How Democratic
is the American Constitution? and
Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation,
a much-talked-about book about fast food industry practices.
"Since I have been traveling a good deal, I have actually
been able to read more," President Hall said. "Airplanes,
as it turns out, make great reading rooms, especially if you
are willing to pay attention to who is reading what."
That's how President Hall came across Richard Florida's book,
The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming
Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life. Florida
defines the creative class as those whose economic function
is to create new ideas, new technology and new creative content.
The book examines how and why we value creativity more highly
than ever and cultivate it more intensely. "It's a book
every college president should read," said Hall.
 Provost
Stan Albrecht plans to read My Losing Season
by Pat Conroy. "Conroy has always been one of my favorite
authors," he said. "I particularly liked Prince
of Tides, Beach Music, and The Great Santini.
This biographical piece details his successes and failures as
a point guard on basketball team at The Citadel."
Albrecht just finished Ghost Soldiers
by Hampton Side, a moving account of the rescue of American
and British survivors of the Bataan Death March in WW II, and
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk
Kidd. Other books to read include Good Faith by
Jane Smiley, who wrote the hilarious land-grant university tale,
Moo, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning
A Thousand Acres. He has included
The Rise of the Creative Class at
the recommendation of Hall, and Alice Sebold’s The
Lovely Bones, because "everyone I know is
reading and talking about this book." Albrecht catches
time to read in airports or on airplanes, but also tries to
read some "non-university related stuff" in the evenings
before bed.
 Vice
President for Information Technology Barbara White
hopes to spend time reading both professionally and for fun.
"I love mysteries, especially ones by John Grisham and
Patricia Cornwall."
In terms of professional reading, she’ll be reading Reframing
Organizations by Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E.
Deal, Leading Change: Overcoming the Ideology of
Comfort and the Tyranny of Custom by James O-Toole
and It's Not Luck by Eliyahu M. Goldratt.
Vice President Fred Hunsaker just finished
reading John Adams by David McCullough,
and To America by Stephen E. Ambrose.
He's also reading Abigail Adams by
Phyllis Lee Levin, and Life Strategies
by Phillip C. McGraw, at the recommendation of his wife, Sharon.
"For someone following the current stock market craziness,
Ron Insana's Trend Watching is a good
antidote," said Hunsaker. He thinks his best read this
summer will be Truman, by David McCullough.
Hunsaker catches up on reading late nights at home.
How about you? What are your favorite books for the summer?
Where do you most like to curl up with a book? Send us your
picks at usutoday@cc.usu.edu
and we'll share them with other readers in a future issue of
Utah State Today if space allows.
Writer: Nadene Steinhoff (435) 797-131429 [nadene.steinhoff@usu.edu]
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