Book Club
Though not a part of the 171LE syllabus, there are many contemporary works of fiction that address themes of the course and apply to the research I’m most interested in! Here is a curated list of reading recommendations.
Almond
Almond (2020) by Won-Pyung Sohn is about a boy whose amygdalae are underdeveloped. As a result, he cannot feel most emotions. Or can he? What is life like for someone like this?
Everything I Never Told You
Everything I Never Told You (2014) by Celeste Ng is more of a character study that explores what led to the death of a mixed-race teenage girl in a small town. (Don’t bottle things up.)
Convenience Store Woman
Convenience Store Woman (2016) by Sayaka Murata is about an autistic woman navigating adulthood despite concerns about what she should feel from her very ‘normal’ family.
The Bell Jar
The Bell Jar (1963) by Sylvia Plath depicts the slow slide of a year-long depressive spell and how emotional disorders used to be treated by the medical community through a gendered lens.
Nothing to See Here
Nothing to See Here (2019) by Kevin Wilson invites us into the world of two “difficult” children, whose rage causes their bodies to literally catch fire.
The Memory Police
The Memory Police (1994) by Yoko Ogawa walks us through a dystopian society in which the government can delete our memories, to prevent us from feeling and communicating.
Have a recommendation?
You can submit your own recommendations or start a discussion going about the works listed here by navigating to the “Contact” page! I’d love to hear from you about what you like to read.