This week, Penn students took advantage of the warm weather to enjoy some light reading. Ego brings you recommendations from some campus bookworms.
No Place of Grace – T. J. Jackson Lears
I don't know what I’m reading yet; I just bought this. It's for a Health and Societies class called Perfect Bodies and the book is called No Place of Grace. I’m pretty sure it's going to be about American culture and how we view ourselves and our bodies through time. I’m excited about it and it seems really interesting. I’m excited about the class because it seems like I can have more of a personal view on the subject matter, rather than a technical one.
Kristen Rocha,
College junior
Atlas Shrugged — Ayn Rand
I’m reading it because my cousin recommended it to me. Also, I read The Fountainhead in high school, but I didn’t really understand it or the themes presented in it because I hadn’t gone through life yet. So now I’m revisiting her work.
Tyrone Thomas,
Wharton sophomore
The Divine Comedy — Dante
I’m reading The Divine Comedy for fun and it’s in three parts: Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso. I just went to the library and got the coolest, oldest one that I could take out, with all the pictures. I recommend this story because it's his travels through his subconscious and his dreams. I’m taking psychology right now and we see a lot of references to Dante’s Inferno because it says a lot about the subconscious: what is important and what is unforgivable. It’s important to do — searching your consciousness.
Camila Zager,
College sophomore
Land of Desire —
William R. Leach
I wanted to learn about consumer culture and how it began — about department stores, etc. It could be a fun read if anyone wanted to relate it to daily life and what we see.
Rachel Schonwetter,
College junior
