Reading Recommendations

A list of various book recommendations from our trip leads! #ThinkOutside

Fiction

Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut
A man named Billy Pilgrim tells the story of how he became "unstuck in time".
Farenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Dystopian novel of a future American society where books are outlawed and "firemen" burn any that are found.
Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes
A mentally disabled man and a mouse both undergo a treatment that makes them absurdly intelligent. The man's life is changed as his IQ rises, but then the mouse unexpectedly deteriorates and the man begins to fear that might happen to him as well.

The Boys in the Boat - Daniel James Brown
This book is about the University of Washington eight-oared that represented the United States in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, and narrowly beat out Italy and Germany to win the gold medal.
The China Study - T. Colin Campbell
The China Study is based on the China-Cornell-Oxford Project, the most comprehensive nutrition study ever performed. It explores the connection between nutrition and the risk of developing disease. The report also examines the source of nutritional confusion produced by powerful lobbies, government entities, and opportunistic scientists.
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith - Jon Krakauer
Juxtaposition of two histories: the origin and evolution of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and a modern double murder committed in the name of God by brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty, who subscribed to a fundamentalist version of Mormonism.

The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg
It explores the science behind habit creation and reformation, explaining why habits exist and how they can be changed to improve our lives.
This is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life - David Foster Wallace
An essay about Wallace's life philosophy.

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
An allegorical novel about Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found.

Creative Confidence - David & Tom Kelley
Too often, companies and individuals assume that creativity and innovation are the domain of the “creative types.” But two of the leading experts in innovation, design, and creativity on the planet show us that each and every one of us is creative.

When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi
The autobiography of a neurosurgeon's struggle to create a meaningful life when diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer.
Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand
The biography of Louis Zamperini - US prisoner of war survivor in WWII, Olympic distance runner, and USC alum.

Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life - William Deresiewicz
An ex-Yale professor's manifesto about what our nation’s top schools should be - but aren’t - providing. A social criticism on the role of elite colleges in American society that accuses top universities of turning young people into "excellent sheep".
Saga (Series) - Brian K. Vaughan
In the words of trip lead Zach Manta, "Fuckin sweet graphic novel series".
An epic space opera/fantasy comic book series about two lovers from long-warring extraterrestrial races, Alana and Marko, fleeing authorities from both sides of a galactic war as they struggle to care for their newborn daughter.