by, Taylor Tracy, Special Issues Editor
Robins gather on campus, perennial plants sprout from the ground and the last of the snow melts as the stormy month of March is coming to a close. As the first signs of spring begin to pop up around campus, it’s time to start thinking about summer reading lists or the possibility of doing some reading for fun outside as the weather gets warmer.
Based on a survey posted on The Drew Acorn’s Facebook page this week, Drewids are interested in a variety of literary types, be it nonfiction or fiction. Books that Drewids really loved reading over spring break included nonfiction work like “Cuban Women and Salsa: To the Beat of Their Own Drum” by Delia Poey, powerful feminist stories like those in the collection “Difficult Women” by Roxane Gay and LGBTQPIA+ young adult fiction like “I’ll Give You the Sun” by Jandy Nelson.
Drewids are even finding time to read for fun during this busy point of the semester. Current reads include “Borderlands” by Gloria Andaluza, “Blood at the Root” by Professor of English Patrick Phillips and “Wishful Drinking” by the late Carrie Fisher.
Drewids also love to read around the Forest. Popular reading spots include dorm rooms and Level E of the library. Emily Cataquet (’17) said, “I like to read in the 1867 Lounge in the EC or the cafeteria area at the tables, at the Pub or in my room. Depends on my mood.”
For those in search of a good book to read this spring or summer, Drewids have some recommendations. These include “Life After Life” by Kate Atkinson and “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” by Betty Smith.
For Drewids looking for an empowering collection of stories about feminism, as one does, the anthology Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World is a great read. The collection of girl power writing includes an interview with Laverne Cox of “Orange is the New Black” and an essay by Mindy Kaling.
Drewids interested in issues of race will enjoy reads like Angie Thomas’s New York Times #1 Bestseller “The Hate U Give.” The novel follows the story of Starr, an African-American teenager who witnesses the murder of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by the police. Ibi Zoboi’s debut novel “American Street” is also a great read and tells the story of a young immigrant from Haiti who lives with her cousins after her mother is detained at the airport.
For bookworm Drewids particularly interested in young adult fiction, the New York City Teen Author Festival is happening in the city this week. Head to the city tonight to see writers act out scenes from each other’s books at the Barnes and Noble on the Upper West Side, head to the 42nd Street branch of the New York Public Library tomorrow at 1 p.m. for four panels on different aspects of writing, head to McNally Jackson Books in SoHo at 7 p.m. tomorrow for a panel on writing love stories and be sure to be at Books of Wonder on Sunday at 1 p.m. for a mega signing with over seventy young adult authors. More details can be found at http://www.nyctaf.com.
