Let Trinity Faculty Pick Your Next Summer Read
From mythic retellings to mind-bending science, Trinity faculty are putting all kinds of books in their beach bags this summer. Their picks move between bold storytelling and big ideas, and are blending fiction, biography and explorations of the world around us.
Check out this reading list full of curiosity and surprise. You might find your next read, and the kind of books that stay with you long after you close it.
Faculty Share Their Summer Reads
Naiima Khahaifa, Assistant Professor of African & African American Studies
"I, Medusa: A new kind of villain origin story" by Ayana Gray
About the book: A captivating origin story reimagining one of the most iconic monsters in Greek mythology as a provocative and powerful young heroine.
Naiima Khahaifa says: Reading fiction (or listening to it in audiobook format) is my favorite pastime. It's how I decompress from the heaviness of my research. I'm really into Greek mythology and its modern retellings, especially when Medusa is featured.
Patrick Charbonneau, Professor of Physics
"The Delight of Thinking: The Life of Tatiana Afanassjewa and Paul Ehrenfest" by Margriet van der Heijden and Brendan Monaghan
About the book: Margriet van der Heijden delved into the Ehrenfest Family Archive to tell the story of physicists Ehrenfest and Afanassjewa and their microcosm, which fell apart when Hitler came to power in 1933. New documents highlight Ehrenfest's contributions to physics and Afanassjewa's work on thermodynamics, dimensional analysis and the didactics of geometry, which previously got less attention.
Patrick Charbonneau says: It’s a double biography about two physicists (somewhat in my field) who had a fascinating (and troubled) life during the first half of the 20th century. It’s written by a Dutch science journalist and physics communication scholar; it’s therefore quite legible. The drama might even make for an interesting play.
Kristin Stephens-Martinez, Lyle Family Associate Professor of the Practice of Computer Science
"This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me" by Ilona Andrews
About the book: Outlander meets Game of Thrones in this blockbuster new epic fantasy series from the #1 New York Times bestselling husband-and-wife writing team Gordon and Ilona.
Sonke Johnsen, Ida Stephens Owens Distinguished Professor of Biology
"The Magicians Trilogy" by Lev Grossman
About the series: A daring and inventive work of literary fantasy, no one who as escaped into the worlds of Narnia and Harry Potter should miss this breathtaking return to the landscape of imagination about a young man practicing magic in the real world.
Sonke Johnsen says: It’s great fun, and the show version was great as well.
Deb Reisinger, Professor of the Practice in Romance Studies and Dean of Undergraduate Education for Trinity College
"Whistler" by Ann Patchett
About the book: Acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestselling writer Ann Patchett returns with a moving, luminous novel that reminds us of the sweetness and impermanence of life and the power of connection to defy time.
Augustus Wendell, Assistant Professor of the Practice of Art, Art History & Visual Studies
"A Biography of the Pixel" by Alvy Ray Smith
About the book: Written by Pixar cofounder Alvy Ray Smith, this read argues that the pixel is the organizing principle of most modern media. He presents a few simple but profound ideas that unify the dazzling varieties of digital image making.
Augustus Wendell says: So far the book is charting the origins of the digital image pixel from early theories of frequency analysis, sampling of analog signals and recreating through mathematical operations. Fascinating.
